California lawmakers this year stood firm on consumer protections, adopting bills to give Californians more protection online, shielding their personal data and bolstering privacy rights.
California on Wednesday restored its push for the nation’s toughest net neutrality rules, advancing legislation that calls for a free and open Internet over the objections of the telecommunications and cable industries.
If there’s false or misleading information circulating about California’s voting system, the state’s registered voters could get an email warning them about it in November.
A host of IT-related bills await California legislators as they enter the last few weeks of the current session. The bills deal with bots, consumer privacy, government IT modernization and diversity.
The state Senate approved legislation this week that would require websites to investigate automated accounts that spread misinformation in an attempt to influence public opinion.
The state Senate voted Wednesday to impose rules on Internet service providers to ensure that Californians have fair and reasonable access to the Internet, discounting concerns of limited consumer choice and costly lawsuits.
Striving to bolster government cybersecurity statewide, lawmakers on Tuesday backed legislation that would require all state agencies to comply with security policies issued by the California Department of Technology. The proposed directive would be a change in state law, and it’s one that California’s constitutional officers oppose.
State senators blocked legislation Tuesday that would have required California agencies to post basic budget information on their websites — a blow to one lawmaker’s efforts to improve transparency about how government spends taxpayer dollars.
The Brown administration’s efforts to beef up state IT security got an endorsement Thursday from a Senate budget panel, which approved $4.7 million for the California Department of Technology, but lawmakers scrutinized another request to help counties replace vulnerable aging voter equipment.
California lawmakers are taking steps to define blockchain technology in state law, a key step that advocates say will foster innovation and provide legal certainty to businesses that embrace this emerging technology of tracking digitized transactions.
The new requirement proposed in AB 2157 comes after the state auditor last year found that the state Department of General Services and the California Department of Technology had failed to adequately oversee billions of dollars in noncompetitive state contracts. Among the auditor’s recommendations: DGS should submit an annual report to the Legislature that details noncompetitive bids, which are allowed under state law but only under certain circumstances.
California’s election systems are secure, but more money is needed to upgrade antiquated voting machines, better train IT staff to defend against cyberthreats and educate the public, state and county election officials told lawmakers Wednesday.
When it comes to artificial intelligence, California lawmakers on Tuesday received a clear message: The potential promise to transform society is extremely exciting, but great care must be taken.
Bolstered IT systems, stepped-up education and training, and new partnerships have improved California’s ability to defend against cyberattacks, state officials charged with preventing and responding to such threats told lawmakers Wednesday.
California officials charged with securing state IT systems and combating cybersecurity threats will face lawmakers Wednesday at a hearing intended to show successful collaboration across state government.
With driverless cars set to hit California roads for testing this spring, the state is now exploring how autonomous semi-trucks, trailers and other commercial vehicles can be added to roadways, the head of the state Department of Motor Vehicles told lawmakers this week.
California’s online pot licensing systems are up and running, but a key electronic tracking component mandated by lawmakers has yet to be fully implemented.
Describing California state government as behind the times, a Republican Assemblywoman is calling for all state agencies to modernize their use of technology to improve efficiencies and create better working environments. Legislation introduced this week by Assemblywoman Marie Waldron, R-Escondido, would require agencies to set modernization goals and objectives by Jan. 1, 2020.
Seeking to combat false information spreading on the Internet, one state lawmaker wants social media websites to identify automated accounts often used to sway readers’ opinions.
The city of Sacramento is harnessing technology to address societal challenges in creative ways. That was the message of a webinar Wednesday featuring the city's CIO and its chief innovation officer.
The Department of Justice intends to certify the state’s opioid prescription drug database no later than July, triggering a six-month mandate that requires doctors to consult the database before writing a new prescription for a controlled substance.
Legislation introduced this month by Assemblywoman Jacqui Irwin would require that manufacturers equip smart devices with security features. At issue is how to beef up the security on the billions of gadgets that connect to the Internet — the “Internet of Things” or “IoT” devices that the FBI last year warned have much less robust security features than a home computer or phone.
Taking a swipe at federal regulators, the state Senate voted Monday to impose rules on Internet service providers in a bid to guarantee that Californians have fair and reasonable access to the Internet.
An address on a cable contract, the location of a cellphone, a store purchase or a simple Internet search for a vacation spot. All of that information about a consumer can be unknowingly collected and sold by businesses — at least for now.
The California Senate passed legislation Monday intended to beef up security on wireless routers, televisions, children’s toys and other smart devices that connect to the Internet.
Seeking to restore federal protections that governed Internet use, a key state Senate panel on Thursday endorsed legislation intended to ensure that Californians have free and open access to the Internet. The Senate Appropriations Committee sent SB 460 to the Senate floor only after its author, Sen. Kevin de Leon, pledged to make a significant change on who would oversee Internet service providers and guarantee so-called "net neutrality" rules in California.
A California-only net neutrality bill would maintain a level playing field, its proponents say. But industry figures are pushing back, saying the measure is costly and unnecessary.
A state board on Thursday approved a major overhaul of how state IT workers are classified, a reorganization that the head of the California Department of Technology says will bring more skilled tech workers to the state ranks and keep them there.
