During San Francisco Tech Week 2025, California Governor Gavin Newsom is sending a clear message to the tech industry: digital privacy isn’t optional.
On Friday, the Governor signed AB 656, a new bill authored by Assemblymember Pilar Schiavo (D–Santa Clarita), requiring social media companies to make canceling an account simple, straightforward, and final.
Under this new law, when a user deletes their social media account, all associated personal data must be permanently erased.
“It shouldn’t be hard to delete social media accounts, and it shouldn’t be even harder to take back control of personal data,” said Governor Newsom. “With these bills, social media users can be assured that when they delete their accounts, they do not leave their data behind.”
Assemblymember Schiavo echoed the Governor’s sentiment, calling the measure a necessary step in restoring user confidence online.
“Social media users deserve to have the confidence that they can easily delete their account and know that their personal information is deleted too,” she said. “I’m grateful that with the signing of AB 656, California is putting consumers first.”
AB 656 is part of a growing suite of legislation aimed at protecting Californians’ digital rights and expanding consumer control over personal data. It builds upon previous efforts, such as last year’s Click to Cancel bill (AB 2863), also by Schiavo, which simplified the process for canceling subscriptions online.
It also complements the DELETE Act (SB 362), authored by Senator Josh Becker in 2023, which, beginning in August 2026, will allow residents to delete all data held by data brokers through a single state-managed platform.
In addition to AB 656, Governor Newsom signed two more bills focused on giving consumers greater control over how their information is used and shared:
- SB 361 by Senator Becker strengthens California’s Data Broker Registration Law, requiring more transparency about how data brokers collect, sell, and share personal information.
- AB 566 by Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal ensures browsers include a simple setting allowing users to send an opt-out preference signal to all websites, a one-click solution that prevents third-party sales of their data.
Together, these bills reinforce California’s position as a national leader in privacy reform, pushing for transparency, accountability, and user empowerment across the digital landscape.
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