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Project Liberty

@projectliberty.io

500 followers 320 following 340 posts

Project Liberty builds solutions that help people take back control of their lives in the digital age by reclaiming a voice, choice, and stake in a better internet. Find out more at https://projectliberty.io.

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Project Liberty @projectliberty.io · Apr 2

1/10 Hello! We wanted to introduce ourselves. We are Project Liberty. Project Liberty is building an ecosystem to empower people to take back control of their digital lives by reclaiming a voice, choice, and stake in a better internet.

Illustrative graphic that says Hello. We are Project Liberty.

Project Liberty @projectliberty.io · 10h

California is leading the nation in smart, forward-looking legislation that puts digital choice back in the hands of users - readying its internet landscape for the age of AI, one step at a time. 🗽

Project Liberty @projectliberty.io · 10h

Newsom also rejected AB 1064, the Leading Ethical AI Development (LEAD) for Kids Act, which would have banned chatbots lacking safety guardrails for minors and held chatbot creators accountable for non-compliance. Big Tech strongly opposed the bill. 🧒

tinyurl.com/2ecadtk3

California AB1064 | 2025-2026 | Regular Session

Bill Text (2025-10-13) Leading Ethical AI Development (LEAD) for Kids Act. [Vetoed by Governor.]

Project Liberty @projectliberty.io · 10h

However, Newsom vetoed SB 7, the “No Robo Bosses Act,” which would have ensured human oversight of all AI decision-making systems affecting workers’ livelihoods, for its overly broad definition of AI misuse. 🤖

tinyurl.com/ybmxp5a8

California’s No Robo Bosses Act Could Reshape Workplace AI Rules

California may ban robo bosses. Learn what SB 7 means for workplace AI, and why October 1 is a deadline employers can’t afford to ignore.

Project Liberty @projectliberty.io · 10h

8/ SB 361, the Data Collection and Deletion law, gives users more visibility into the data being collected about them, building on the 2023 DELETE Act which created a right of deletion. ❌

Effective January 1, 2026.

tinyurl.com/3fnnu4t6

California Lets Residents Opt-Out of a Ton of Data Collection on the Web

If you live in the Golden State, you're going to like this.

Project Liberty @projectliberty.io · 10h

7/ SB 243, the Companion Chatbots law, requires basic chatbot safeguards (e.g. chatbots must direct users to 988, CA’s suicide hotline) and allows families to sue noncompliant and negligent AI developers. 🦺

Effective July 1, 2027.

tinyurl.com/2wesurf5

Following teen suicides, companion chatbots will need to refer CA users to 988

The online safety bill Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Monday wasn’t the one some advocates and grieving parents had urged him to approve.

Project Liberty @projectliberty.io · 10h

6/ AB 1043, the Digital Age Assurance Act, mandates all operating systems (e.g. iOS, Android) and app stores (e.g. App Store, Play Store) to use age-verification tools and share age bracket info with devs. 🔞

Effective January 1, 2027.

tinyurl.com/4y39p4ds

In Victory for Kids and Families, Newsom Signs Online Safety Protections into Law

Assembly Bill 56 will require warning labels on social media; Assembly Bill 1043 will implement age assurance to protect kids from inappropriate material

Project Liberty @projectliberty.io · 10h

5/ AB 853, the California AI Transparency Act, requires large online platforms to provide a free “AI detection tool” so all users can check whether a post, video, or article is AI-generated or not. 🔍

Effective January 1, 2027.

tinyurl.com/y4zm64bd

Governor Newsom signs AI Transparency Act to combat digital disinformation in California

Governor Gavin Newsom signed the California AI Transparency Act to help citizens distinguish between real and AI-generated online content.

Project Liberty @projectliberty.io · 10h

4/ AB 566 amends CA’s flagship 2018 Consumer Privacy Act to require all web browsers to give users an opt-out from the sale of their personal data – a one-click button to protect online privacy. 🛡️

Effective January 1, 2027.

tinyurl.com/4zckspd2

Analysis | A one-click button to protect your privacy is finally real

It’s way too hard to opt out of companies selling your data. But it doesn’t have to be.

Project Liberty @projectliberty.io · 10h

3/ AB 325, the AI Pricing Algorithms law, prohibits the use of AI algorithms by corporate cartels to collude on price and supply, protecting consumers from drastic price increases and false scarcity. 🤝

Effective January 1, 2026.

tinyurl.com/vz6b2k2k

Economic Liberties Applauds California’s New Statewide Ban on Algorithmic Price Fixing - Economic Liberties Applauds California’s New Statewide Ban on Algorithmic Price Fixing

Following news that California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed AB 325 (Aguiar-Curry), the Preventing Algorithmic Price Fixing Act — a bill that strengthens the state’s antitrust laws to fight collusi...

Project Liberty @projectliberty.io · 10h

2/ AB 316, the AI Defenses law, prohibits AI labs from using the “AI did it” defense in court – meaning that OpenAI, Meta, etc. can’t escape liability for harms committed by their models. 🧑‍⚖️

Effective January 1, 2026.

tinyurl.com/4j6eyupe

California AB316 | 2025-2026 | Regular Session

Summary (2025-10-13) Artificial intelligence: defenses. [Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 672, Statutes of 2025.]

Project Liberty @projectliberty.io · 10h

1/ AB 56, the Social Media Warning law, requires social media platforms to display health warning labels about the profound risk of harmful effects of social media on youth mental health. 🛑

Effective January 1, 2027.

tinyurl.com/4y39p4ds

In Victory for Kids and Families, Newsom Signs Online Safety Protections into Law

Assembly Bill 56 will require warning labels on social media; Assembly Bill 1043 will implement age assurance to protect kids from inappropriate material

Project Liberty @projectliberty.io · 10h

SPECIAL REPORT: This past week, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a slew of tech accountability and AI governance bills into law, capping a monthslong drama that gripped Silicon Valley and the broader US digital rights movement. 🐻

Let’s review!

Project Liberty @projectliberty.io · 4d

14/ Thanks for reading and have a wonderful weekend! 🗽

Read this week’s Project Liberty newsletter on Friend, the new wearable AI device that’s always listening: tinyurl.com/4fct5awv

Join the fight to build a better Internet: projectliberty.io

Wearable AI that’s always listening

Project Liberty @projectliberty.io · 4d

13/ As kids spend more and more time interacting with AI chatbots, US parents are increasingly concerned about their screen time – which is already dominated by TV, tablets, and smartphones. 🦜

tinyurl.com/363zy7ej

Young Kids' Screen Time Now Includes AI Chatbots, Parents Say

In a broad look at how children ages 5 to 12 are interacting with technology, 42% of parents said they could be doing better.

Project Liberty @projectliberty.io · 4d

12/ Google became the first major online platform to be designated with “strategic market status” in the UK, facing tough new scrutiny over its dominance of online search and ads under new UK antitrust rules. 🇬🇧

archive.ph/JaAXb

Project Liberty @projectliberty.io · 4d

11/ New research shows that nearly 60% of 13-15 year olds continue to see unsafe content and experience unwanted adult contact, months after Meta rolled out Teen Accounts and new safety features. 🦺

tinyurl.com/42f5szz4

Young Teens Still Encountering Unsafe Content, Adult Contact on Instagram, Study Shows

A study of teens using Instagram finds nearly 60 percent encountered unsafe content and unwanted contact in the past six months.

Project Liberty @projectliberty.io · 4d

10/ Facebook’s recent pivot to a more Reels-centric UI, as well as Instagram’s testing of Reels-first UI in India and South Korea, is drawing clear comparisons with another dominant scroll-centric social app: TikTok. 📱

tinyurl.com/2pradt29

Facebook is turning into TikTok

Meta is making some changes to recommend more timely videos on the platform.

Project Liberty @projectliberty.io · 4d

9/ Fediverse portability tool Bounce launched its latest beta version, allowing users to transfer or merge their Mastodon social graph into their Bluesky account profiles while keeping their post history, followers, and preferred settings. 🔁

tinyurl.com/3xj7fp76

Bounce introduces a tool to move your Mastodon account to Bluesky | TechCrunch

The idea is that this account portability prevents users from getting stuck on a service if they come to disagree with its state of development, terms of use, moderation decisions, or anything else.

Project Liberty @projectliberty.io · 4d

8/ Decentralized open social network Mastodon will launch “Packs” – curated groups of accounts for new users to follow – for its ~700k monthly active users. The idea is similar to a feature launched last year by Bluesky, another open social platform. 🎁

tinyurl.com/y5akvrwu

Mastodon is taking cues from Bluesky with plans for its own starter 'Packs' | TechCrunch

Mastodon is planning to make it easier for newcomers to discover curated collections of users to follow by launching a new starter packs feature.

Project Liberty @projectliberty.io · 4d

7/ AltStore, a third-party app store and one of the first alternative app marketplaces in Europe, raised $6m to connect to the “fediverse” – a network of open social platforms including Mastodon, Bluesky, and Threads. 🔗

tinyurl.com/2s4cfzpd

Alternative app store AltStore raises $6M, connects with the fediverse | TechCrunch

The alternative app marketplace AltStore has raised $6 million and launched a Mastodon server.

Project Liberty @projectliberty.io · 4d

6/ The SEC began probing AppLovin, a mobile adtech firm, over a whistleblower complaint about its data-collection practices and alleged violation of service agreements. 🔍

archive.ph/ElpyW

Project Liberty @projectliberty.io · 4d

5/ Danish PM Mette Frederiksen announced her government’s intention to introduce a ban on social media platforms for children under 15, saying that “mobile phones and social media are stealing our children’s childhood.” 📵

tinyurl.com/d5axv3an

Denmark aims to ban social media for children under 15, PM says

“We have unleashed a monster,” Mette Frederiksen tells Danish lawmakers.

Project Liberty @projectliberty.io · 4d

4/ France is investigating Apple over recording users’ voices through Siri and retaining the data for up to two years, even offering it to “graders,” or subcontractors, for review. Apple says it retains voice recordings to improve Siri’s performance. 👂

archive.ph/bfrO6

Project Liberty @projectliberty.io · 4d

3/ A Stanford study found that when AI models are optimized for competitive success—to boost ad engagement, win votes, or drive social media traffic—they start lying, rewiring themselves to prioritize persuasion and virality over honesty. 🤥

tinyurl.com/pef77x97

AI Is Learning to Lie for Social Media Likes - Decrypt

AI now drives nearly all social media feeds, shaping what users see, share, and believe—raising new risks for truth and trust.

Project Liberty @projectliberty.io · 4d

2/ Project Liberty founder Frank McCourt took the stage at Norrsken Impact/Week in Barcelona to discuss the need to catalyze impact entrepreneurship for a digital economy that restores human agency for all. 🗣️

tinyurl.com/yrx8ckhy

Project Liberty Institute at Norrsken Impact Week: Building Better AI & Data Economy - Project Liberty

On October 1–2, 2025, Project Liberty founder Frank McCourt and leaders from the Project Liberty Institute (PLI) joined Norrsken Impact Week, which gathered over 1,000 entrepreneurs, investors, and ch...