[NFBC-Info] Congratulations on the Veto of SB 1130

Tue Oct 6 21:42:22 UTC 2026

I here these concerns.  Some of this goes into the definition of what it means to "capture" versus record.  As long as companies aren't retaining a copy of the captured video/audio of faces I don't see the privacy harm with processing their captured images with AI, particularly in public places where there is no expectation of privacy.  One problem with the bill was its inclusion of transferring to a third party in the definition of capture even when no copy of the transferred audio/video was retained by the third party.  We will certainly need to think about how accessibility interests intersect with privacy concerns in the world of big tech and AI/data collection.  There's a lot more to discuss and think about on this issue.  I welcome further consideration at our state convention.  Perhaps a general session topic or resolution would be appropriate.

-----Original Message-----
From: NFBC-Info <nfbc-info-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Monica Wegner via NFBC-Info
Sent: Sunday, October 4, 2026 12:12 AM
To: NFB of California List <nfbc-info at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Monica Wegner <monica.wegner at outlook.com>
Subject: Re: [NFBC-Info] Congratulations on the Veto of SB 1130

I'm not sure the veto of SB 1130 is the victory it's being described as.
NFBC had a legitimate concern with the bill. The assistive-technology exemption covered hearing and communication devices but apparently did not cover vision-related technology. That could have created real problems for blind people using smart glasses or similar tools. The letter also stated support for the bill's privacy goals.
What bothers me is that our advocacy seems to have stopped there. We focused on making sure blind people could keep using the technology, but not on what companies are allowed to do with the data that gets collected when we use it. Blind people are frequently held out as among the clearest beneficiaries of AI-enabled glasses and visual interpretation services. That gives us a particular obligation to insist that accessibility not become a rationale for surveillance.
A blind person may choose to use a camera to get information about the surrounding environment. That does not mean the company providing the service should automatically be entitled to keep the recording, use it to train an AI system, share it, or retain information about other people who happened to be captured.
Our consent to use an assistive service is also not consent from everyone around us. A camera can capture other people's faces and voices, conversations, documents, medical information, financial information, or what is happening inside someone's home or workplace. Those people did not consent to a company's data practices simply because they were near someone using an accessibility service, and that was the rationale from proponents of the bill. Among others, restaurant workers did not want to be recorded by You tube food influencers monetizing their content without the worker’s consent. I am sympathetic to that view.
I would have preferred advocacy that said both things at once: blind people need to be protected from criminal liability for using legitimate assistive technology, and companies need meaningful limits on what they can do with the resulting data.
I am also uncomfortable with NFBC describing the veto as a collective victory when, as far as I know, the membership was not asked to discuss these broader issues. The Governor's veto message focused on the bill's definitions and its overlap with existing law. It did not say the bill had to be vetoed because of disability access.
In opposing the bill, we ended up on the same side as an industry coalition made up of companies whose data practices are exactly what I think we should be questioning. If we are going to be invoked as a reason these technologies need special protection, we should also be among the strongest voices demanding that those protections extend to privacy.

Monica

-----Original Message-----
From: NFBC-Info <nfbc-info-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of president--- via NFBC-Info
Sent: Thursday, October 1, 2026 9:52
To: NFB of California List <nfbc-info at nfbnet.org>
Cc: president at nfbcal.org
Subject: [NFBC-Info] Congratulations on the Veto of SB 1130

Dear Federation Friends,

I'm pleased to share a small victory in our state legislative work.  We succeeded in stopping a well-intended and overly restrictive law that would have impacted our use of wearable devices like AI-powered smart glasses and services like Aira and Be My Eyes.  We commend the Office of the Governor for vetoing S.B. 1130.  This is our collective action at work.  The content of our letter is pasted below:

Tim Elder, President 

National Federation of the Blind of California 

president@ nfbcal. org 

4226 Castanos Street Fremont, CA 94536 ( 916) 382- 0372 

September 23, 2026 

The Honorable Gavin Newsom Governor of California 1021 O Street, Suite 9000 Sacramento, CA 95814 

Re: Request for Veto of Senate Bill 1130 ( Reyes) - Wearable Recording Devices 

Dear Governor Newsom: 

The National Federation of the Blind of California (" NFBC") is the statewide affiliate of the nation's transformative membership and advocacy organization

of blind people. I write on behalf of NFBC to respectfully ask that you veto Senate Bill 1130 ( Reyes) with the intention for the author to explicitly

include an exception for glasses used for visual interpretation by blind and
low- vision Californians. To be clear, we share the bill's underlying goal

of protecting Californians from being secretly recorded by wearable devices, and we do not oppose that aim. A veto now will give the author the opportunity

to amend the bill so that it accomplishes its purpose without penalizing disability access. 

We also appreciate the disability- related exemptions the bill already has in subdivisions 

( e) 

and ( g), and we do not take that protection lightly. We would propose some clarifying edits to subsection ( e) in order to fully protect blind and low

vision Californians. These edits ( underlined) would read: 

"( e) This section does not apply to the use of hearing aids, wearables used for visual interpretation, augmentative and alternative communication devices,

and similar devices by a person with impaired hearing, impaired vision, or any communication disorder when the hearing aid or device is used for the purpose

of overcoming the impairment or disorder to permit the hearing of sounds ordinarily audible to the human ear or to support interpretation of visual surroundings,

or communication with the person." 

For these reasons, we respectfully urge you to veto SB 1130 and to invite the author to return with amended protections afforded under subsection ( e)

along the lines described above. We would welcome the opportunity to work with your office and with Senator Reyes to get this language right. Thank you

for your consideration and for your 

continued commitment to the independence and equal participation of blind Californians. 

Sincerely, 

Tim Elder President National Federation of the Blind of California 

Tim Elder

President

National Federation of the Blind of California 

 <mailto:president at nfbcal.org> president at nfbcal.org 

(916) 382-0372 

 <http://www.nfbcal.org/> http://www.nfbcal.org/

Did you know that blind Californians are holding monthly meetings in your region over Zoom and telephone?  Check out our virtual local chapter and division meetings.  All are welcome to attend.

 <http://www.nfbcal.org/chapters-and-divisions/>
http://www.nfbcal.org/chapters-and-divisions/

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