Prosecutors Alliance Action (PAA) Executive Director Cristine Soto DeBerry released the following statement in response to the tech lobby suing to prevent California SB 1144 – a commonsense law to prevent retail theft sponsored by PAA – from going into effect on July 1:

“If mom and pop shops across California can put safeguards in place to prevent retail theft, then the world’s largest online retailers can certainly implement basic measures to stop the resale of stolen goods. The corporations suing over SB 1144 are some of the most profitable in history, raking in hundreds of billions of dollars last year. Instead of using a fraction of that to protect consumers and businesses, they’ve chosen to fight basic accountability and crime prevention measures like SB 1144.

SB 1144 is not an ‘unreasonable’ burden, as the tech lobby claims. It’s a targeted, commonsense law that will provide law enforcement with the information they need to identify and hold accountable those who steal from businesses in our communities and exploit online marketplaces to profit from their crimes.

If these corporations had acted responsibly and ensured their platforms weren’t burgeoning marketplaces for stolen goods, the legislature wouldn’t have needed to step in. But their failure left lawmakers no choice. That’s why SB 1144 passed with overwhelming bipartisan support.

While tech giants prioritize profits over public safety, Prosecutors Alliance Action will continue fighting for smart, preventative solutions like SB 1144 that reduce crime and protect our communities.”

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