Bill > S0816

This bill creates a new legal chapter to regulate synthetic media (digitally manipulated images, audio, or video) in election communications, with the goal of preventing deceptive and fraudulent content. The legislation defines synthetic media as manipulated content that appears realistic but did not actually occur, and prohibits candidates, political action committees, and other political entities from distributing such media within 90 days of an election if they know it is deceptive. The bill requires any distributed synthetic media to include a clear disclosure that the content has been artificially manipulated, with specific requirements for visual and audio disclosures. It also provides legal recourse for candidates whose likeness is misused, allowing them to seek injunctive relief or monetary damages against those creating or distributing deceptive synthetic media. The law includes several important exceptions, such as for satire, parody, news media, and certain technological platforms. The bill does not restrict efforts to detect or prevent security incidents, fraud, or illegal activities. Importantly, the provisions are designed to be severable, meaning that if one part of the law is found invalid, the rest can still remain in effect.