Taking effect immediately, the law prohibits the creation and publishing of deepfakes related to elections 120 days before Election Day and 60 days thereafter. The law also grants courts to stop distribution of the materials and impose penalties.
Safeguarding the integrity of elections is essential to democracy, and it’s critical that we ensure AI is not deployed to undermine the public’s trust through disinformation -– especially in today’s fraught political climate. These measures will help to combat the harmful use of deepfakes in political ads and other content, one of several areas in which the state is being proactive to foster transparent and trustworthy AI.
Newsom said in a release
Coin Telegraph provided more details:
It comes only weeks after Elon Musk re-posted a parody of a Kamala Harris campaign ad on X that garnered millions of views and used AI-powered voice manipulation to make it seem Harris called herself an incompetent presidential candidate.
In late July, Newsom specifically pointed to Musk’s post and vowed to sign a bill “in a matter of weeks” banning the practice.
Newsom also signed two other laws aimed at taking down political AI deepfakes on the same day, though they won’t be in effect until January.
One of the laws, AB 2355, will require labels to be put on political advertisements generated or substantially altered with AI.
The other, AB 2655, requires social media platforms with more than one million California users, such as Facebook and X, to block deceptive content relating to elections during specified periods.
It will also make platforms liable for failing to remove content within 72 hours of receiving a report from a user.
All three laws only apply to California, and it is understood that the governor signed the bills during a fireside chat with Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff at the Dreamforce conference in San Francisco.
Meanwhile, Newsom signed an additional two bills, AB 1836 and AB 2602, on Sept. 17, which aim to give greater protection to performers over the use of their digital likenesses.
The fake Harris campaign parody ad, posted on July 26, has reached 25.4 million views on X alone and is still available on the platform today.
Musk later defended his retweeting of the original post at the time, mocking Newsom: “I checked with renowned world authority, Professor Suggon Deeznutz, and he said parody is legal in America.”
But some fear this bill will extend further than satire and parodies and will bleed over into memes. Christopher Kohls, an online content creator who publishes political satire, has already filed a lawsuit against California, challenging the edicts for infringing the First Amendment and free speech.
Kohls was the publisher of the aforementioned video Musk retweeted.
“AB 2655 and AB 2839 place an unconstitutional burden on free speech,” he said in the lawsuit.
AUTHOR COMMENTARY
Proverbs 28:2 For the transgression of a land many are the princes thereof: but by a man of understanding and knowledge the state thereof shall be prolonged.
It’s not difficult to understand: when wickedness and unrighteousness increases, the state then must increase to counter it.
Once again, per usual, it’s Problem. Reaction. Solution. All this AI garbage was forced onto the masses, the masses abuse it (satirically or not), and then the government comes in with their preplanned “solution” to give overreaching laws that will probably prohibit a whole lot more than blatant deepfakes and parodies, or at least open the door for even more prohibitions on free speech and what people can post online.
[7] Who goeth a warfare any time at his own charges? who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof? or who feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock? [8] Say I these things as a man? or saith not the law the same also? [9] For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen? [10] Or saith he it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that ploweth should plow in hope; and that he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope. (1 Corinthians 9:7-10).
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Get out of Commiefornia! That state has become Satan’s man cave!
All of America is evil and Godless; but California is in a league of its own.
Disinformation is a non-sequitur. What ‘they’ are really saying is . . . ‘don’t speak the truth’. That is what disinformation is to those who decry, disinformation.
Gruesome Newsome’s bill will stop nothing. The same message coming out utilizing a look alike will suffice. What then? His whining draws more attention to what he seeks to silence. Boo . . . Hoo. Streisand effect. His 72 hours is PLENTY of time for one’s message to reach the masses.
High end prostitute Kama-lie speaks, people splice and produce. Her own words condemn her.
As for AI – ‘they’ are the ones that promote it! . . . except . . . not for when it’s used in a way that ‘piece parts’ factual information that gets a point across. Uh, huh – ok then!
And – Billy Gates of hell now wants to keep AI (antichrist intelligence, as far as I’m concerned) away from anti-v-axer’s. No issue there, BG! I’m staying away from ALL of it!
Let the hunger games begin! Jew Satanist Nazi reigns supreme. Every lucifer followers says hail Baphomet, hail Satan!
Let the hunger games begin! Jew Satanist Nazi reigns supreme. Every lucifer followers says hail Baphomet, hail Satan?