California Governor Gavin Newsom signed two new bills into law on Tuesday, aiming to crack down on the use of “deepfakes” and digital disinformation during elections.
The legislation, seen as controversial, marks a direct response to the rising influence of artificial intelligence (AI) in politics, particularly as AI-generated content becomes more prevalent in social media.
I just signed a bill to make this illegal in the state of California.
You can no longer knowingly distribute an ad or other election communications that contain materially deceptive content — including deepfakes. https://t.co/VU4b8RBf6N
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) September 17, 2024
The laws, known as AB 2655 and AB 2839, specifically target politically motivated deepfakes, which are digitally altered videos or images that can portray candidates saying or doing things they never did.
The first law, AB 2655, requires major online platforms to block any “materially deceptive content” related to elections in California before and after election periods.
This covers AI-generated media, including deepfakes. The law defines “materially deceptive content” as audio or visual media that is altered or digitally created, a category that includes political misinformation as well.
The second law, AB 2839, more narrowly targets deepfakes of political candidates in California.
It prohibits any deepfakes that portray a candidate for federal, state, or local office as saying or doing something they never did, if it is likely to damage their reputation or harm their electoral prospects.
The push for these laws came after social media platform X, owned by Elon Musk, featured a deepfake parody of Vice President Kamala Harris.
On his social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Musk voiced his discontent with the new law, calling Newsom “The Joker.” Musk, who has positioned himself as a free speech advocate, claims the legislation infringes on First Amendment rights.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 18, 2024
The Joker is in charge https://t.co/f7ZAZ25qQE
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 18, 2024
You’re not gonna believe this, but @GavinNewsom just announced that he signed a LAW to make parody illegal, based on this video 🤣🤣 https://t.co/bdykNuxe6G
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 18, 2024
Hard to be a free speech platform in a state that wants to ban free speech https://t.co/veCjVbNToO
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 18, 2024
The governor of California just made this parody video illegal in violation of the Constitution of the United States.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 18, 2024
Would be a shame if it went viral. https://t.co/OCBewC4vOb
Read the full article at LifeZette
