IDMb is fighting back against a recently enacted California law that forces IMDb Pro to remove ages listed on the site if so requested. The company has sued California Attorney General (and newly elected U.S. senator) Kamala Harris in hopes of seeing the law overturned. Per Deadline, the lawsuit alleges that the law, State Assembly Bill No. 1687, which is specific to “commercial online entertainment employment providers” that charge a fee, “unfairly targets IMDb.com (which appears to be the only public site impacted by the law) and forces IMDb to suppress factual information from public view.” It also argues that as the age information can be gleaned from other sources, such as Wikipedia or Google, “B 1687 sets a dangerous and unconstitutional precedent for other general purpose websites and news sources, and should be deeply troubling to all who care about free speech.” The suit is seeking declaratory and injunctive relief. The new law, which is will come into effect in the New Year, was pushed through by SAG-AFTRA. It has been celebrated as a significant step in the fight against ageism. Read IMDb’s full suit here.
