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California Senator Dr. Richard Pan and Assemblymember Evan Low have introduced a new bill about Assembly 2098.
The bill would combat coronavirus misinformation from licensed physicians and surgeons. If passed and signed into law by Governor Newsom, the state would collect information from social media and other internet sources to set up a database of doctor they determine are violating the state approved messaging. “Ultimately, we shouldn’t have to wait for whistleblowers, like the Facebook whistleblower, to understand how platforms have been negatively influencing our lives, including our ability to stop this pandemic that has not only killed nearly 1 million Americans, but has disabled so many people as well,” Pan said. “Transparency will allow the public to make informed decisions, and lawmakers and researchers need this necessary information so we can hold online platforms accountable and also set standards.”
Earlier this year in January, Dr. Pan and six other legislators announced the formation of a legislative Vaccine Work Group to facilitate coordinated action to promote vaccinnations and science-based public health policy.