• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

My TechDecisions

  • Log In
  • Best of Tech Decisions
  • Topics
    • Video
    • Audio
    • Mobility
    • Unified Communications
    • IT Infrastructure
    • Network Security
    • Physical Security
    • Facility
    • Compliance
  • RFP Resources
  • Downloads
  • Podcasts
  • Subscribe
  • Project of the Week
  • About Us
    SEARCH
IT Infrastructure

In California, ChatBots Can No Longer Pose As Humans When Talking to Consumers

A recent bill passed in California prevents bots from pretending to be humans to get consumers to invest in products or services, or to vote.

October 25, 2018 Jessica Messier 1 Comment

In a continuing trend of updating technology laws, California recently passed a new bill prohibiting bots from pretending to be human when contacting consumers. The law will become effective July 1 of next year, PC Magazine reports.

Through the new bill, bots, including chatbots and other automated systems, will have to disclose that they are not human to consumers. “The measure bans automated accounts from pretending to be real people in order to ‘incentivize a purchase or sale of goods or services in a commercial transaction or to influence a vote in an election,’” PC Magazine says.

Consumers should expect clearer signage about bot disclosure from businesses that have already embraced bots; this includes the often overlooked fine print. This means that disclosures might appear in a bot’s social media account, including a Twitter bio or Facebook profile.

What the law aims to solve:

According to PC Magazine, California’s new law is timely, especially as government officials are preparing for the 2018 mid-term elections, and shoring up voting systems. One major goal of the bill is to avoid the bot problem that reared its ugly head during the 2016 election; social media platforms, such as Twitter, have been fighting this problem ever since.

But:

While the law will cover the Golden State, not everyone will be protected from bots in disguise: “many of these bot campaigns originate overseas—particularly in Russia, according to US officials—so it’s unlikely a California law will deter foreign actors from unleashing their bots,” PC Magazine says.

California is also hitting turbulence before the law even goes into effect in nine months. According to PC Magazine, the bot law was overshadowed by net neutrality laws that were recently signed; these laws included Obama-era internet regulations, which instigated a lawsuit by the Trump Administration. As a result, it’s unclear how both bills will roll out, and how they will affect consumers; California-based decision makers and end users alike should consider watching how each case unfolds.

Tagged With: Robotics

Related Content:

  • automation Nintex Introduces New Automation Apps for Sales Professionals
  • How To Take Sales Automation To The Next…
  • HDMI Ethernet Switch from ZeeVee and Netgear Integrates HDMI…
  • customer service Autonomous Customer Service Solution from Jacada Gets a…

Free downloadable guide you may like:

  • RFP Template: Interactive Whiteboards

    Are you in the market for an interactive whiteboard? Whether you are a company shopping for a huddle room or school looking for a classroom solution, you will likely soon be writing a request for proposal (RFP). Let our editors help.

Reader Interactions

Trackbacks

  1. New Self-Service Chatbot Launched by 42Gears - My TechDecisions says:
    December 11, 2018 at 4:00 pm

    […] Chatbots have become increasingly popular over the past few years. Multi-faceted machines employing increasingly advanced machine learning technology, they are being utilized for a variety of reasons. In fact, as of 2018, 15 percent of American adults say that have used a chatbot to interact with a company in the prior 12 months. […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Get the FREE Tech Decisions eNewsletter

Sign up Today!

Latest Downloads

RFP Template: Interactive Whiteboards

Are you in the market for an interactive whiteboard? Whether you are a company shopping for a huddle room or school looking for a classroom solutio...

RFP Template: Video Walls

You may be looking for a video wall to promote the next sporting event on a college campus or an eye-catching display at your new company headquart...

RFP Template: Projectors

Writing a request for proposal (RFP) takes a lot of time. Many of our readers say that it is one of the least favorite parts of their job. We want ...

View All Downloads

Would you like your latest project featured on TechDecisions as Project of the Week?

Apply Today!

More from Our Sister Publications

Get the latest news about AV integrators and Security installers from our sister publications:

Commercial IntegratorSecurity Sales

Footer

TechDecisions

  • Home
  • Welcome to TechDecisions
  • Subscribe to the Newsletter
  • Contact Us
  • Media Solutions / Advertise
  • Comment Guidelines
  • RSS Feeds
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Linkedin

Free Technology Guides

FREE Downloadable resources from TechDecisions provide timely insight into the issues that IT, A/V, and Security end-users, managers, and decision makers are facing in commercial, corporate, education, institutional, and other vertical markets

View all Guides
TD Project of the Week

Get your latest project featured on TechDecisions Project of the Week. Submit your work once and it will be eligible for all upcoming weeks.

Enter Today!

© 2019 Emerald Expositions, LLC. All rights reserved.