The Social Media Content Transparency Act aims to enhance transparency regarding the provenance of content shared on social media platforms. The bill introduces a new subchapter to the Business & Commerce Code, which mandates that social media platforms attach and retain provenance data for each photo, video, or audio file created or posted on their platforms. This provenance data must include information such as the date and place of origin, the method of generation (including whether generative artificial intelligence was used), and the file's transmission history. Additionally, platforms are required to provide users with easy access to this provenance data and must comply with industry standards for data attachment and retention.

The bill also outlines exceptions for platforms that can demonstrate a lack of technological capacity to comply with these requirements, provided they are actively working towards obtaining such capacity. Furthermore, social media platforms are not liable for inaccuracies in provenance data if it was provided by third parties or users, as long as they did not knowingly modify the data and took reasonable measures to comply with the law. The provisions of this act are set to take effect on September 1, 2025.

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