Hempstead Town Supervisor John Ferretti\u2019s campaign removed a manipulated photo from its\u00a0Facebook page this week\u00a0following a complaint from an opponent in this fall’s election, Democrat Joe Scianablo.<\/p>\n
The manipulated photograph, posted\u00a0May 16, showed Scianablo appearing to stand beside New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, bearing similar joyous expressions, both holding hands to their chests, in front of a backdrop of a blurred crowd with people holding signs.\u00a0<\/p>\n
On Monday, Scianablo\u2019s campaign<\/a> demanded that the photograph be removed, alleging that it violated a 2024 state law that generally requires that \u201cmaterially deceptive media\u201d used in a political campaign be labeled as such. In the case of visual media, the law requires a legible disclaimer that says \u201cThis (image, video, or audio) has been manipulated.\u201d<\/p>\n As a remedy, candidates whose likenesses were used in violation of the law\u00a0may seek an injunction to prevent further distribution of the image and seek legal fees.<\/p>\n WHAT NEWSDAY FOUNDHempstead Town Supervisor John Ferretti\u2019s campaign removed a manipulated photo from its\u00a0Facebook page following a complaint from an opponent in this fall’s election, Democrat Joe Scianablo.The manipulated photograph\u00a0showed Scianablo appearing to stand beside New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani at an event.\u00a0On Monday, Scianablo\u2019s campaign demanded that the photograph be removed, alleging that it violated a state law that generally requires that \u201cmaterially deceptive media\u201d used in a political campaign be labeled that way.<\/p>\n \u201cThe image you published on Facebook plainly violates the statute,\u201d Scianablo\u2019s attorney, Josh Kelner of Manhattan-based Kelner & Kelner Esqs.,\u00a0wrote in a letter to Ferretti\u2019s campaign. \u201cIt depicts an event that did not occur.\u201d<\/p>\n On Tuesday, after Newsday reached out to Ferretti\u2019s campaign for comment, the Facebook post was removed.<\/p>\n Absence of a disclaimer<\/p>\n \u201cIn the process of posting that image on Facebook the disclaimer was inadvertently not placed or cropped off,\u201d Mike Deery, spokesman for the Nassau County Republican Committee and a volunteer with Ferretti\u2019s campaign<\/a>, said Tuesday. \u201cThe post has been removed and any future posts will have the required disclaimers for images that \u2026 have been manipulated.\u201d<\/p>\n On Wednesday, Kelner said in a statement that Scianablo\u2019s campaign was \u201cglad the image was taken down.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut the fact that it remained online until legal action was threatened raises serious concerns,\u201d Kelner said. \u201cCompliance with election law should be the starting point for any campaign, not something that happens only after getting caught.\u201d<\/p>\n Manhattan-based political consultant Hank Sheinkopf said Mamdani’s progressive politics don’t play well on Long Island.\u00a0For many\u00a0of the Island’s voters,\u00a0he\u00a0said, Mamdani represents high taxes, crime and radicalism.<\/p>\n “Any time the Republicans can attach Mamdani to the Democrats in suburban settings, the Republicans will benefit from it,\u201d\u00a0Sheinkopf said.<\/p>\n Representatives for Mamdani did not respond to a request for comment.\u00a0<\/p>\n Laws adopted as deepfakes grow<\/p>\n New York\u2019s law against electronically manipulated political imagery is one of dozens adopted by states across the country in recent years as AI-generated imagery has become easy for anyone with an internet connection to produce. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures<\/a>, 30 states have enacted laws since 2019 to regulate the use of \u201cdeepfake\u201d or manipulated media, mostly by requiring some form of disclosure.<\/p>\n