California Bot Disclosure Act (bots must self-identify in sales/election messaging)
California Bot Disclosure Act (SB 1001)
California · Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code 17940-17943 (SB 1001, Stats. 2018, ch. 892)
- Status
- In effect
- Took effect
- July 1, 2019
- Applies to
- Any person who deploys a bot to communicate with people in California online for the covered commercial or electoral purposes.
- Enforced by
- California Attorney General and public prosecutors; commonly pursued under the Unfair Competition Law (BPC 17200 et seq.).
California makes it unlawful to use a bot to communicate with someone in the state while concealing that it is a bot, when the goal is to deceive the person in order to push a commercial sale or influence their vote. There is a safe harbor: there is no liability as long as the operator clearly and conspicuously discloses that a bot is in use. In practice it is a disclosure mandate rather than a ban on automated accounts.
Who is protected: People in California who are contacted online by automated accounts.
Legal detail
SB 1001 added Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code 17940-17943, making it unlawful (17941) to use a bot to interact online with a person in California with intent to mislead about its artificial identity to incentivize a commercial transaction or influence an election vote, absent a clear and conspicuous disclosure that a bot is in use.
Key facts
| Jurisdiction | California |
|---|---|
| Level | State |
| Strength | Limited |
| Enacted | September 28, 2018 |
| Citation | Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code 17940-17943 (SB 1001, Stats. 2018, ch. 892) |
| Private right of action | No, agency enforcement only |
| Penalties | The Bot Act sections set no standalone penalty; conduct is typically addressed under the Unfair Competition Law (civil penalties commonly cited up to $2,500 per violation). |
| Topics | consumer protection · AI disclosure and transparency · election deepfakes |
| Statute | California Business and Professions Code Section 17941 (Bots: disclosure) |
More AI rules in California
- CA EO N-6-26 (AI Workforce) · In effect
- California AB 489 (AI healthcare chatbot misrepresentation ban) · In effect
- X.AI v. Bonta (AB 2013 training-data disclosure) · Blocked / in litigation
- CA SB 1168 — data center grid cost allocation · Enacted (not yet in effect)
- California SB 1119 Adam's Law, companion chatbots (2026) · Enacted (not yet in effect)
- California SB 867 AI chatbot toy moratorium (2026) · Enacted (not yet in effect)
Related consumer protection rules elsewhere
- Missouri AI Therapy Chatbot Ban (SB 1019) · In effect
- Vermont Data Broker Law (H.211) · Enacted (not yet in effect)
- Arkansas Frank Broyles Act AI amendment — voice and likeness protection (2025) · In effect
- PA v. Character.AI (Fake Psychiatrist Chatbot) · Blocked / in litigation
- NAACP v. xAI (Colossus 2 Air Pollution) · Blocked / in litigation
- RI Therapy Chatbot Ban (2026) · In effect
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