[Baltimore Sun] California bans political ‘deepfakes’ amid changing digital landscape
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California joined other states in targeting political “deepfakes” ahead of the November election.
It will also be the first state to require social media companies to take action when deepfakes appear on their platforms. This comes as extreme differences in politics, along with the changing digital landscape, make it harder to spot what’s real, what’s fake and what’s a violation of free speech.
X owner Elon Musk shared a doctored video with his followers in July featuring an artificial intelligence version of Kamala Harris’ voice, in which she falsely appears to say disparaging things, including calling herself the “ultimate diversity hire.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom vowed to respond and did so by signing three bills into law banning political deepfakes. The bills also regulate how deepfakes are labeled and mandate that social media companies remove a deepfake if they receive a complaint.
Some free speech advocates say the laws leave the door open to misinterpretations and First Amendment violations.
Musk responded to the laws on X by reposting a video saying California made parody videos illegal and sharing a meme comparing Newsom to the Joker.
The California legislation could provide a pathway for more bills across the country on the tricky subject of AI that Congress has yet to fully address. Congress has been wrestling with the emerging technology issue but has yet to get a handle on it.
“I think it’s a grave concern to all of us that any person would use artificial intelligence to impersonate, malign, or mislead voters — it’s wrong,” said California Rep. Jim Costa when asked about the new laws.
Experts agree it’s an issue likely bound for the Supreme Court. A lawsuit has already been filed in California asking that the laws not be enforced.
Content from The National Desk is provided by Sinclair, the parent company of FOX45 News.
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