Assemblyman Mike Gatto (D-Los Angeles), chair of the newly created Assembly Privacy and Consumer Protection Committee, has announced that the committee’s first hearing will be streamed live on the web forum Reddit on Tuesday, Feb. 24 from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Participants from around the state are invited to “ask the committee members anything,” Gatto said.

“This committee belongs to the people of California. Privacy issues, especially in the Internet and technology era, are among the most important policy issues facing the public,” Gatto added. “People crave privacy, and we must protect Californians while maintaining the creative environment that gives them innovative consumer products and services every day. The public will have the first shot at telling members of our committee what’s important to them.”

The assemblyman has turned to Reddit, in part because of its popular “Ask Me Anything” (AMA) segments that allow unfiltered access to public figures such as celebrities, elected officials, business leaders and others. Previous AMA’s have been held by elected officials, such as President Barack Obama and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti.

After participating in several online town halls and an AMA last year, Gatto said he was inspired by the power of online forums to engage people from across social, political and generational spectrums, and empower them to be heard. To participate, members of the public will log on to reddit.com using an email account. Anyone who logs on will be able to submit a question online, and other Reddit users will have the ability to vote questions up or down in the priority queue. Gatto will then ask the committee members to answer questions based on the interests and preferences expressed by the public.

“I look forward to hearing from the public on how they believe we can best protect individual liberties, consumers and personal privacy while promoting technological advancement that can benefit society for generations to come,” Gatto said.

A link to the specific “subreddit” for the committee’s AMA will be posted on the committee’s website and on Gatto’s website at www.asm.ca.gov/gatto.