Accountable Tech Co-Founder and Executive Director Nicole Gill issued the following statement on U.S. District Judge John A. Mendez’s ruling to pause enforcement of AB 2389, a California law recently signed by Governor Gavin Newsom to prevent the distribution of deepfakes made about political candidates within a certain proximity to an election:
“The court’s injunction of AB 2389 undermines sensible public policy aimed at mitigating harmful deepfakes designed to deceive voters. With only 32 days until the presidential election, we need increased protections against the proliferation of electoral deepfakes, not less. By halting the implementation of AB 2389, bad actors will be free to use deepfakes to undermine trust in our election officials and processes, the very pillars on which our democracy stands. With already a rising tide of attempts to sow distrust in our electoral processes, it is incumbent on our elected officials and regulators as well as social media platforms to use every tool at their disposal to prevent the spread of deceptive and non-consensual electoral deepfakes to protect election integrity. ”
Background:
-
This week, Accountable Tech launched a new campaign website, No Deepfakes for Democracy, to highlight the threat of deepfakes to our democratic systems and to call on major social media companies to mitigate their widespread distribution.
-
In August, Accountable Tech led a coalition of 40 groups to call on major social media companies to immediately implement robust detection and moderation systems to prevent the spread of deceptive and non-consensual electoral deepfakes; require any political AI-generated content to be clearly labeled; and to collaborate with researchers to monitor their enforcement.
Accountable Tech Campaigns Director Zach Praiss is available for comment. Please reach out if you would like to schedule an interview.
###
About Accountable Tech
Accountable Tech is a non-profit organization advocating for digital justice by reining in Big Tech’s threats to society and democracy with legislative, regulatory, and structural solutions. Through strategic initiatives and creative campaigns, Accountable Tech is challenging the industry’s toxic business model in order to protect data privacy, preserve the health of democracy, and create safer online platforms. We are leading the movement to advance a better, more human-centered digital future, and tech for the common good. To learn more, visit accountabletech.org.
