NORTHSTATE, Calif. — Governor Gavin Newsom signed 16 bills into law to strengthen protections for children online on Monday, including AB 621.
The bill permits public prosecutors to file lawsuits against individuals or entities for the creation or distribution of sexually explicit deepfakes, which are videos or images where a real person’s likeness is digitally altered. This content includes digital work that depicts an individual nude or appearing to engage in sexual conduct. Both adults and children have fallen victim to pornographic deepfakes.
“These types of videos have been weaponized most commonly against women. This exposure is dangerous because we’re normalizing this content. The more kids are exposed to it, the more normal it becomes, so I’m really appreciative that California and other states are taking action to try to curb this harm,” said Marc Berkman, CEO for the Organization for Social Media Safety.
The bill would increase potential penalties for third parties who knowingly facilitate the distribution of nonconsensual pornographic deepfakes. Victims can seek civil damages of up to $250,000 against these third parties per violation.
Berkman states that there are ways to protect yourself and your children from becoming victims of deepfakes, including:
Set Privacy Settings: Encourage children to keep their social media profiles private, limiting access to trusted friends and family.Open Communication: Have ongoing conversations with children about the dangers of sharing personal pictures and videos online. Additionally, speak with them about the existence of deepfakes and AI-generated content.Monitor Content and Activity: Keep an eye on what children are posting and viewing. Stress the importance of not creating or sharing deepfake content.Teach Media Literacy: Educate children about how AI technology can be used to create fake images and videos to develop the skills to recognize suspicious or manipulated content.
For more information from the Organization for Social Media Safety about deepfakes, click here.
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