A federal judge on Wednesday blocked a California bill that would have outlawed AI-generated “deepfake” content and required the removal of “deceptive content” from social media.
The preliminary injunction comes just two weeks after Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a controversial bill that sparked a spat with X Company owner and Tesla CEO Elon Musk. It also takes place about a month before Election Day.
Hamilton Lincoln Law Institute was filing the lawsuit on behalf of Christopher Coles, known online as “Mr. Reagan.” Mr. Coles had been making satirical political videos, including one in which he criticized the governors who were targeted under the bills he signed, calling them “unlawful.”
President Reagan argued in his lawsuit that the bill was unconstitutional.
HLLI said, “The court agreed, granting a preliminary injunction stating that California lacked 'permission to usurp the long tradition of criticism, parody, and satire protected by the First Amendment.' said. news release. “HLLI does not know whether California intends to appeal.”
Newsom signed the controversial bill last month. (Anadolu / Contributor)
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A spokesperson for Newsom's office said deepfakes “threaten the integrity of our elections, and these new laws will protect democracy while preserving free speech and how we do it in a way that will help us protect our democracy.” “It's not that strict compared to other states, including the state.”
California Governor Gavin Newsom speaks with journalists in the media center of the Pennsylvania Convention Center before the first presidential debate in Philadelphia on September 10. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
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“We are confident that the courts will uphold the state's ability to regulate these types of dangerous and misleading deepfakes,” the governor's office said in a statement to FOX News Digital. “Satire is alive and well in California. Yes, the satire is strong. Don't miss the punch line.”
Fox News Digital's Jamie Joseph contributed to this report.
