New Bipartisan Bill Mandates Watermarks for AI Deepfakes
Congresswoman Yvette Clarke and Congressman Glenn Ivey introduce the DEEPFAKES Accountability Act of 2023 to combat AI disinformation. The legislation requires digital watermarks on synthetic media and criminalizes the distribution of malicious, unlabeled deepfakes.
Congresswoman Yvette Clarke and Congressman Glenn Ivey introduce the DEEPFAKES Accountability Act of 2023 to combat the rising threat of AI-generated disinformation. The bipartisan legislation requires creators to apply digital watermarks to deepfake content, establishing a clear standard for identifying manipulated media across the internet.
The bill makes it a federal crime to distribute unlabeled malicious deepfakes, specifically targeting synthetic media that depicts non-consensual sexual content, incites violence, or involves foreign election interference. Clarke warns that without new laws, the country faces a new era of disinformation warfare driven by advanced AI tools and domestic extremists.
While imposing strict rules on harmful content, the legislation includes explicit exceptions for parodies, satire, and consensual deepfakes. The updated bill also recognizes recent advances in deepfake detection technology and digital content provenance as it builds upon an earlier version originally designed to help victims of deepfake pornography seek justice.