United States of America: Rejected DEEP FAKES Accountability Act

The Bill would have introduced a set of requirements and penalties regarding advanced technological false personation records, commonly known as deep fakes. It would have mandated producers of deep fakes to adhere to digital watermark and disclosure standards and would have established non-compliance as a criminal offence carrying punishment such as fines, imprisonment for up to five years, or both. In addition, the Bill would have allowed for civil penalties and would have enabled individuals to pursue civil actions for damages. Software manufacturers would have had to ensure that their products possessed the technical capability to insert watermarks and disclosures into deep fakes if they reasonably anticipated that the software might be used for such purposes. The Bill would also have instructed the Department of Justice to undertake various actions, including publishing a report on deep fakes and describing Russia and China's efforts to exploit technology for election interference. Lastly, the Bill would have mandated the Department of Homeland Security to establish a task force to address national security concerns associated with deep fakes, among other responsibilities.