Pornographic internet websites.

Full Bill Text

Amended IN Senate July 01, 2026 CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION Assembly Bill No. 1705 Introduced by Assembly Members Bauer-Kahan and Dixon February 04, 2026 An act to add Chapter 22.6.10 (commencing with Section 22610) to Division 8 of the Business and Professions Code, relating to privacy. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 1705, as amended, Bauer-Kahan. Pornographic internet websites. Existing law generally regulates obscene content on internet websites, including requiring a social media platform to provide a means for a user who is a California resident to report material to the social media platform that the user reasonably believes is child sexual abuse material and prohibiting an operator of an internet website directed to minors from advertising obscene matter to minors. Under existing law, a person who distributes an image of an intimate body part or act of sexual intercourse of an identifiable person, under specified circumstances that include an agreement or understanding that the image would remain private, is guilty of a crime. This bill would require an operator of a pornographic internet website, among other things, to exercise ordinary care and reasonable diligence to ensure that each instance of sexually explicit content displayed on the operator’s pornographic internet website does not include a depicted individual. The bill would define terms, including “depicted person,” individual” for its purposes. This bill would also require an operator to exercise ordinary care and take reasonable steps to ensure that each instance of sexually explicit content uploaded to the operator’s pornographic internet website does not include a depicted individual. The bill would require a user of a pornographic internet website, before uploading sexually explicit content, to submit specific information to the operator, including a statement certifying, under penalty of perjury, that each individual depicted in the sexually explicit content meets certain criteria. Under the bill, knowingly providing false information in the user statement would be punishable as an infraction with a specified fine. By expanding the crime of perjury and creating a new crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. This bill would authorize a depicted individual and a public prosecutor to bring a civil action to enforce these provisions, as prescribed. This bill would exclude sexually explicit content transmitted on an online dating service through a private messaging or direct-communication feature from its provisions, as specified. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason. Digest Key Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: YES Bill Text The people of the State of California do enact as follows: SECTION 1. Chapter 22.6.10 (commencing with Section 22610) is added to Division 8 of the Business and Professions Code, to read: CHAPTER 22.6.10. Pornographic Internet Websites 22610. As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the following meanings: (a) “Depicted individual” means an individual who is depicted in the nude or engaging in sexual acts in sexually explicit content and who meets any of the following criteria: (1) The individual did not consent to being depicted in the sexually explicit content. (2) The individual was a minor at the time the sexually explicit content was created. (3) When the sexually explicit content was uploaded to the pornographic internet website, the individual did not consent to that uploading. (b) “Digitization” has the same meaning as Section 1708.86 of the Civil Code. (c) “Internet website” does not include either of the following: (1) A service or application that provides email or direct messaging services, on the basis of that function alone. (2) A service or application that provides cloud storage, file transfer services, or file collaboration, on the basis of that function alone. (d) “Operator” means a person who operates an internet website. (e) “Pornographic internet website” means an internet website that permits users to upload, or solicits from users, sexually explicit content for display on the internet website. (f) “Sexual conduct” has the same meaning as in Section 1708.86 of the Civil Code. (g) (1) “Sexually explicit content” means any portion of a visual or audiovisual work, including, but not limited to, imagery created or substantially altered through digitization, that shows a depicted individual or depicted individuals in the nude or engaging in sexual conduct. (2) “Sexually explicit content” does not mean content that, taken as a whole, has serious literary, artistic, or scientific value. (h) “User” means a person or entity that uploads or otherwise provides sexually explicit content to a pornographic internet website. 22612. An operator shall exercise ordinary care, as described in subdivision (a) of Section 1714 of the Civil Code, and reasonable diligence to ensure that each instance of sexually explicit content displayed on the operator’s pornographic internet website does not include a depicted individual. 22614. (a) (1) An operator shall exercise ordinary care, as described in subdivision (a) of Section 1714 of the Civil Code, and take reasonable steps to ensure that each instance of sexually explicit content uploaded to the operator’s pornographic internet website does not include a depicted individual. (2) Before uploading sexually explicit content to a pornographic internet website, a user shall submit both of the following to the operator of the pornographic internet website: (A) A statement certifying, under penalty of perjury, that each individual depicted in the sexually explicit content meets all of the following criteria: (i) The individual was not a minor at the time the sexually explicit content was created. (ii) The individual consents to the sexually explicit content being uploaded to the pornographic internet website. (iii) The individual consented to being depicted in the sexually explicit content. (B) Information sufficient to enable the operator to contact the user, including, at a minimum, an email address. (3) An operator of a pornographic internet website who does not obtain the statement described in paragraph (2) shall be presumed to have violated Section 22612. (4) Knowingly providing false information in the statement described in subparagraph (A) of paragraph (2) is an infraction punishable by a one-thousand-dollar ($1,000) fine. (b) An operator shall retain the statement and information required by subdivision (a) in a readily available format for at least seven years after the statement and information are submitted. (c) An operator of a pornographic internet website shall verify a user’s email address before permitting the user to upload sexually explicit content to the operator’s pornographic internet website. (d) An operator of a pornographic internet website may require a user to submit the information required by paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) through a specific mechanism or medium. 22616. (a) A depicted individual who suffers harm as a result of sexually explicit content depicting them being displayed on a pornographic internet website may bring a civil action against the operator of the pornographic internet website if the operator allowed that content to be uploaded to, or displayed on, its pornographic internet website in violation of Section 22612 or 22614 and may bring a civil action against the user for uploading sexually explicit content that the user knew, or should have known, included a depicted individual. (b) A depicted individual who prevails in a civil action pursuant to this section may obtain all of the following relief: (1) Actual damages or statutory damages in an amount that is not greater than seventy-five thousand dollars ($75,000) per violation, whichever amount is greater. (2) Punitive damages. (3) Reasonable attorney’s fees and costs. (4) Any other available relief, including injunctive relief. (c) A public prosecutor may bring a civil action to enforce this chapter to obtain all of the following relief: (1) A civil penalty of twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) per violation. (2) Injunctive and other equitable relief. (3) Reasonable attorney’s fees and costs. (4) Any other relief the court deems appropriate. (d) Each full calendar day that sexually explicit content uploaded or displayed in violation of this chapter remains accessible on the pornographic internet website constitutes a separate violation of this chapter. 22618. (a) The remedies provided by this chapter are cumulative and shall not be construed as restricting a remedy that is available under any other law. (b) This chapter shall not apply to sexually explicit content transmitted on an online dating service through a private messaging or direct-communication feature to one or more user-selected recipients, where the sexually explicit content is not made available to the general public, to a publicly viewable feed, or through public search indexing, regardless of whether the operator also offers other features. SEC. 2. No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution because the only costs that may be incurred by a local agency or school district will be incurred because this act creates a new crime or infraction, eliminates a crime or infraction, or changes the penalty for a crime or infraction, within the meaning of Section 17556 of the Government Code, or changes the definition of a crime within the meaning of Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution.