California 2019-2020 Regular Session Status: In Committee 1 D cosponsors

AB 1280 — Crimes: deceptive recordings.

Last action — From committee: Filed with the Chief Clerk pursuant to Joint Rule 56.

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  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed Assembly
  4. 4
    Passed Senate
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill died with 2019-2020 Regular Session. It reached “In Committee” and never advanced before the session ended, so it can no longer move — a new version would have to be reintroduced in the current session.

This bill is no longer active — its legislative session has ended, so there is no live prognosis. It would have to be reintroduced in the current session to move again.

Summary

Existing law creates a civil cause of action for using the name, voice, signature, photograph, or likeness of another person, without their consent, in any manner, for the purpose of advertising, selling, or soliciting goods or services. Existing law also creates a civil cause of action for capturing or attempting to capture, in a manner that is offensive to a reasonable person, any type of image or recording of a person engaging in a private, personal, or familial activity. Existing law prohibits the distribution of an intimate image, as described, of an identifiable person that was taken under circumstances in which the person agreed or understood that the image was to remain private. This bill would define a "deepfake" as a recording that has been created or altered in a manner that it would falsely appear to a reasonable observer to be an authentic record of the actual speech or conduct of the individual depicted in the recording. The bill would criminally prohibit a person from preparing, producing, or developing, without the depicted individual's consent, a deepfake that depicts an individual engaging in sexual conduct, under specified circumstances involving the distribution, exhibition, or exchange of the deepfake. This bill would also criminally prohibit a person from preparing, producing, or developing, without the depicted individual's consent, a deepfake with the intent that the deepfake coerce or deceive any voter into voting for or against a candidate or measure in an election that is occurring within 60 days, under specified circumstances involving the distribution, exhibition, or exchange of the deepfake. This bill would appropriate $25,000,000 from the General Fund to the University of California to fund research to identify and combat the inappropriate use of deepfake technology. By creating a new crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.

Bill Text

Action History

  1. From committee: Filed with the Chief Clerk pursuant to Joint Rule 56.

  2. Died pursuant to Art. IV, Sec. 10(c) of the Constitution.

  3. In committee: Set, first hearing. Failed passage. Reconsideration granted.

  4. Re-referred to Com. on PUB. S.

  5. From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on PUB. S. Read second time and amended.

  6. Re-referred to Com. on PUB. S.

  7. From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on PUB. S. Read second time and amended.

  8. Referred to Com. on PUB. S.

  9. From printer. May be heard in committee March 24.

  10. Read first time. To print.

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 121 not signed on · 1 voted No

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (121)

121 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 121 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Votes

Reconsideration.

Passed 8 Yea · 0 Nay
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Democratic 2000
Unaffiliated 5000
Republican 1000
Total 8000
% of votes cast 100%0%0%0%
How each member voted (8)
Member Party Vote
Santiago — Yea
Kamlager-Dove — Yea
Quirk — Yea
Jones-Sawyer — Yea
Diep — Yea
Bauer-Kahan, Rebecca Democratic Yea
Wicks, Buffy Democratic Yea
Lackey, Tom Republican Yea

Official roll call →

Subjects

civil-rights elections technology
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

What does AB 1280 do?
Existing law creates a civil cause of action for using the name, voice, signature, photograph, or likeness of another person, without their consent, in any manner, for the purpose of advertising, selling, or soliciting goods or services. Existing law also creates a civil cause of action for capturing or attempting to capture, in a manner that is offensive to a reasonable person, any type of image or recording of a person engaging in a private, personal, or familial activity. Existing law prohibits the distribution of an intimate image, as described, of an identifiable person that was taken under circumstances in which the person agreed or understood that the image was to remain private. This bill would define a "deepfake" as a recording that has been created or altered in a manner that it would falsely appear to a reasonable observer to be an authentic record of the actual speech or conduct of the individual depicted in the recording. The bill would criminally prohibit a person from preparing, producing, or developing, without the depicted individual's consent, a deepfake that depicts an individual engaging in sexual conduct, under specified circumstances involving the distribution, exhibition, or exchange of the deepfake. This bill would also criminally prohibit a person from preparing, producing, or developing, without the depicted individual's consent, a deepfake with the intent that the deepfake coerce or deceive any voter into voting for or against a candidate or measure in an election that is occurring within 60 days, under specified circumstances involving the distribution, exhibition, or exchange of the deepfake. This bill would appropriate $25,000,000 from the General Fund to the University of California to fund research to identify and combat the inappropriate use of deepfake technology. By creating a new crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.
Who sponsors AB 1280?
AB 1280 is sponsored by Grayson, Timothy S. (Democratic).
What is the current status of AB 1280?
This bill died with 2019-2020 Regular Session. It reached “In Committee” and never advanced before the session ended, so it can no longer move — a new version would have to be reintroduced in the current session.
Where can I track AB 1280?
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