Google Launched Behind-the-Scenes Campaign Against California Privacy Legislation; It Passed Anyway

According to Associated Press, in April a Rhode Island resident received a plea from Google to help defeat California’s AB 566, a measure that would require browsers to offer an automatic way for users to tell websites not to share their personal information with third parties. The campaign was run largely behind the scenes, with the petition directed to small business owners via Google’s Connected Commerce Council, a group Google backs financially, and Google itself not listing its name on the petition.

The bill later cleared the Legislature and headed to the governor’s desk, after Lowenthal amended it to delay the effective date to 2027 and to add liability protections for browser companies. Google’s lobbying activity in California this year included payments to the California Chamber of Commerce and to TechNet, and, according to Open Markets Institute, total lobbying by Google on AB 566 neared $700,000, while the chamber received almost $100,000. The piece also notes that AB 566 would align with a prior vetoed measure and that Governor Gavin Newsom had previously vetoed a similar bill in 2024.