Materially deceptive audio or visual media
Media intentionally manipulated to seem authentic and alter a viewer's impression.
How the laws define this
At their core, these statutory provisions establish that media becomes materially deceptive when audio or visual recordings are manipulated or synthesized to falsely appear authentic and mislead a reasonable person about what actually occurred. Every definition requires that the altered content would cause an ordinary observer to form a fundamentally different understanding or be deceived regarding the depicted subject's actions, appearance, or statements. The rules diverge significantly in their scope and target subjects. California Assembly Bill No. 730, Chapter 493, Statutes of 2019 and California Elections Code § 20010 strictly limit their focus to manipulated media depicting a candidate or a candidate's appearance, speech, or conduct. Conversely, Michigan Election Law §168.932f applies more broadly to media concerning any real person or real event, explicitly incorporates created or synthesized content such as AI-generated deepfakes, and requires that the media be intended or likely to influence voting or harm a candidate.
Synthesised from the 3 statutory definitions below. Each one is quoted in full, with its source.
Definitions (3)
An image, audio, or video recording of a candidate that has been intentionally manipulated such that (1) it would falsely appear to a reasonable person to be authentic, and (2) it would cause a reasonable person to have a fundamentally different understanding or impression of the expressive content than if hearing or seeing the unaltered original.
Audio or visual media that has been created, digitally altered, synthesized, or manipulated in a manner that would deceive a reasonable person about the appearance, actions, statements, or participation of a real person or about real events, and that is intended or likely to influence voting or harm a candidate; this category expressly covers AI‑generated deepfakes.
An image or an audio or video recording of a candidate's appearance, speech, or conduct that has been intentionally manipulated to falsely appear authentic and to cause a reasonable person to have a fundamentally different understanding or impression of the content than the original.
Related Terms
Materially deceptive audio or video
Audio/video altered to mislead voters about a candidate....
Materially Deceptive Media (Deepfake)
Media falsely depicting an individual engaging in speech or conduct....
Materially deceptive content
Manipulated media likely to mislead about authenticity or harm elections....
Materially deceptive campaign media
Campaign content that is substantially misleading to voters....
Deceptive and fraudulent deepfake
Synthetic media that appears real and is intended to deceive or harm....