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X, owned by Elon Musk, has taken legal action to strike down California law AB2655 which aims to place restrictions on large online publishers to label or remove AI deepfakes related to elections.?
The social platform owned by Elon Musk, formerly known as Twitter, has taken the counter-action, claiming the legislation is unconstitutional and contrary to free speech rights, as initially reported by Bloomberg.
The law, also known as the “Defending Democracy from Deepfake Deception Act of 2024,” contains other requirements for platforms that Elon Musk’s X finds excessive. It proposes to set up channels to report deceptive political content and an option for elected representatives to seek injunctions if the social platform is not adhering to the act.
In a filing registered with the Sacramento federal court late on Thursday, X states the law will lead to widespread censorship of political expression.
The 65-page complaint went on to assert First Amendment protections for speech critical of government authority and the political class, including “tolerance for potentially false speech” made in that context.
Further Efforts From California and Gov. Newsom Against Harmful Use of AI
Notably, the bill “would exempt from its provisions a broadcasting station and a regularly published online newspaper, magazine, or other periodical of general circulation that satisfy specified requirements.”
AB2655 would not consider content that is satire, or parody.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the bill into law on September 17, as part of a range of bills addressing concerns about the increasing proliferation of AI used to create sexually explicit deepfakes and related disinformation.
The following day, a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction against AB2655 and others approved by Newsom.
