Bay Area

AG Bonta Calls for Dismissal of Lawsuit Challenging State’s Data Privacy Law for Children

State Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a brief Friday asking a federal district court judge to strike down a lawsuit challenging the state’s law requiring social media companies to prioritize the privacy and safety of data collected from minors. Assembly Bill 2733, authored by Assemblywoman Buffy Wicks, D-Oakland, was signed into law last year and regulates companies that provide “an online service, product or feature likely to be accessed by children.”

Published

3 years ago

May 8, 2023

Oakland Post

By Eli Walsh
Bay City News

Assembly Bill 2733, authored by Assemblywoman Buffy Wicks, D-Oakland, was signed into law last year and regulates companies that provide “an online service, product or feature likely to be accessed by children.”

The law is modeled on the United Kingdom’s Age Appropriate Design Code, which requires that businesses provide privacy protection to children by default. It also prohibits businesses from using a child’s data or information for any other reason besides the purpose for which it was collected.

While the law isn’t set to go into effect until July 1, 2024, the industry group NetChoice — representing a group of companies that include Meta, Twitter, TikTok and Amazon — filed a lawsuit arguing that it violates the First Amendment via the government controlling online speech.

“AB 2273 undermines children’s privacy by forcing sites, regardless of how secure they are, to track and store information identifying which users are children,” NetChoice argues on its website about the lawsuit. “Child predators and hackers will be drawn to less secure sites as goldmines for children’s sensitive data.”

Bonta is named as a defendant in the lawsuit. In his brief, filed with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, he argued that the law does not violate free speech rights because it does not regulate or restrict social media content for any user and does not conflict with existing federal law.

“This is not about free speech: the companies challenging this law are doing so because they want to continue to make money from our kids’ online activity,” Bonta said. “In California, it is no longer business as usual when it comes to designing online services, products, and features that are accessed by kids – it’s time to elevate and protect children’s privacy and safety.”

A hearing on Bonta’s brief and request to dismiss the lawsuit is scheduled for July 27, 2023, according to the Northern District of California.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Up Next

Alleged Drug Dealer Faces Felony Charges After Fentanyl Seize

Don't Miss

May is National Foster Care Month

Oakland Post

Click to comment

Activism

Oakland Post: Week of September 9 – 15, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of September 9 – 15, 2026

Published

5 days ago

September 14, 2026

Oakland Post

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Activism

Oakland Post: Week of September 2 – 8, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of September 2 – 8, 2026

Published

2 weeks ago

September 7, 2026

Oakland Post

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Activism

Youth-Led Black August Event Brings Past to Present at East Oakland Boxing Association

The mission of Youth Alive! Is to “break the cycle of violence, heal trauma, and uplift a thriving community of leaders, to save lives in Oakland and beyond” by serving “as mentors, youth leaders, counselors, case managers, intervention specialists and violence interrupters,” working “to help violently wounded people heal themselves and their community.”

Published

3 weeks ago

August 29, 2026

Post News Group

Dawna Williams, EOBA executive director speaks to attendees at the Black August Eperience on Aug. 21. Photo courtesy of Carolyn Flynn of EOBA.

By Jana Lang Propel Youth Reporter

Youth-Led Black August Event Brings Past to Present at East Oakland Boxing Association

The East Oakland Boxing Association (EOBA) and Youth Alive! came together on Aug. 21 to share with their community all that Black August means to them.

Held on EOBA’s patio at 816 98th Ave. in Deep East Oakland, the two organizations hosted their second annual Black August Experience, featuring a food tasting, financial literacy and mindfulness workshops, and voter registration with the League of Women Voters Oakland (LWV).

Black August is known as a time to uphold the legacy of prisoners who protested their conditions by fasting, fighting, and educating themselves on the economic and political circumstances that contributed to their incarceration.

According to its website, “EOBA is a multi-service youth and community development hub that goes far beyond the ring. While rooted in the discipline of boxing, for nearly 40 years EOBA has also integrated robust programs in workforce development, food justice, afterschool enrichment, financial literacy, mentorship, and wellness.”.

The mission of Youth Alive! Is to “break the cycle of violence, heal trauma, and uplift a thriving community of leaders, to save lives in Oakland and beyond” by serving “as mentors, youth leaders, counselors, case managers, intervention specialists and violence interrupters,” working “to help violently wounded people heal themselves and their community.”

Through Coro California, another leadership organization serving young people across the state for 80 years, they gained a broader understanding of Black August.

EOBA Executive Director Dawna Williams spoke about how much she learned about Black August from the youth who created it. “I let them educate me,” she said. Instead of talking about prison reform and mass incarceration, Williams and youth interns found that Black August meant so much more. “We would have done a disservice if we had just focused on who the people were and what their situation was…We tried to take their message from back in the day and make it relevant to the young people today. What do they need to know?”

Youth interns created and placed posters around the patio to help participants understand how traditional Black foodways, civic engagement, financial literacy, and the power of education are relevant to Black resistance today.

An EOBA member described Black August with Youth ALIVE! as “a whole vibe. “This year we added the Fun Zone for the kids, because you really cannot go wrong with a Fun Zone. I also loved seeing everyone chillin’ in the outdoor lounge, catching some Vitamin D and just enjoying a Friday evening together.”

The food tasting, a popular event from last year, featured traditional Black foods such as black-eyed peas, johnny cakes, and fried chicken. Led by Williams, the tasting included a talk about how these traditional foods were made and why they are forms of Black resilience.

The “‘Plate of History’ was a favorite of the online writers. “Fun, educational, and did I mention delicious? Our Taste of History cook, Angela Southall, served up some good eats while connecting food to history and culture.”

The writer also commended the “League of Women Voters Oakland for their civic leadership and for getting our young people informed, ready, and registered to vote.”

Overall, it was a “good Friday event in East Oakland,” the writer said.

Upcoming Black August events: Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency (BOSS), will host “Black August: The Arc of Liberation” at Oakland City Hall on Sat. Aug. 29, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The websites for East Oakland Boxing Association, Youth Alive! and CORO are sources for this report.

Jana Lang is an Oakland resident, teacher, gardener and poet participating in the Propel News Initiative.