Illinois ‘Deepfake’ Law Penalizes Sharing Altered Sexual Images

People depicted in sexually-explicit “deepfakes”—or images manipulated digitally to show false events—that are spread without their consent can sue for damages under a new Illinois law.

Gov. JB Pritzker (D) signed Friday a measure (H.B. 2123) adding intentionally altered images to an existing law against revenge porn, in which private sexual photos and videos are disseminated without the subject’s permission. The new provisions take effect Jan. 1.

The law comes as governments race to address advancements in artificial intelligence that increase the ease with which people can create realistic fake photos, videos, and audio recordings. Minnesota also enacted ...