Bill > HB2133

This bill, titled the "Protect Act," amends Arizona law to address the unlawful disclosure of sexual material and establish new requirements for commercial entities publishing such content online. It clarifies that the existing law against disclosing images of nudity or specific sexual activities with intent to harm, harass, intimidate, threaten, or coerce does not apply if the image is clearly digitally manipulated and created for purposes like parody, comedy, artistic expression, or criticism of public matters. The bill also transfers and renumbers existing statutes related to sexual material on the internet into a new section within Title 44. Crucially, it introduces new requirements for commercial entities that publish or distribute sexual material online, mandating that they implement reasonable verification methods to ensure that individuals depicted have provided explicit informed consent and were at least eighteen years old when the material was created, or that the material predates a specific 1988 act, and that these verification records are maintained for at least seven years. Failure to comply can result in significant civil penalties, including fines, actual damages, and attorney fees, with enhanced penalties if a minor is depicted. The bill also defines "synthetic depiction" as content created or altered by AI or other technology to appear as an identifiable individual without representing an actual event.