(VitalNews.org) – California now has the strictest laws in the United States as they try to crack down on the election deepfakes ahead of this year’s election. At San Francisco’s artificial intelligence conference this week, Governor Gavin Newsom signed three different landmark proposals.
California could be the first state to test out his type of legislation, which bans the use of artificial intelligence to create and circulate false images and videos in political ads. However, two of the three laws are currently being challenged in court through a lawsuit that was filed in Sacramento.
One of the laws that would take effect immediately allows any individual to sue for damages over election deepfakes, and the other law requires large online platforms to remove deceptive material starting next year.
The lawsuit was filed by someone who makes parody videos using altered audio clips of Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris. The lawsuit says that it censors free speech and would allow anybody to take legal action over just content that they dislike.
Izzy Gardong, a spokesperson for Governor Newsom, said, “It’s unclear why this conservative activist is suing California.”
“This new disclosure law for election misinformation isn’t any more onerous than laws already passed in other states, including Alabama,” Gardon continued.
Theodore Frank, who represents the complainant, said that the California laws are too far reaching and are designed to “force social media companies to censor and harass people.”
“I’m not familiar with the Alabama law. On the other hand, the governor of Alabama had hasn’t threatened our client the way the governor of California did,” Frank said.
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