Sharing deepfake revenge porn is now a crime in Virginia
A state law makes distributing "falsely created" images and videos a misdemeanor.
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Virginia law against revenge porn has expanded to include deepfakes.
Virginia's ban on revenge porn now includes deepfake images and videos.
An updated law, which took effect Monday, expands upon an existing law that says anyone who shares or sells nude or sexual images and videos to "coerce, harass, or intimidate" is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. The update adds language about "a falsely created videographic or still image," as reported earlier by Ars Technica.
The Virginia General Assembly passed the updated bill in March, when it was also signed by Gov. Ralph Northam.
Deepfakes are leading to growing concern about privacy. Last week, an app called DeepNude, which uses artificial intelligence to morph pictures of clothed women into nudes, shut down. Samsung also developed an AI system that can create a fake clip from a single picture. Last year, Reddit banned deepfake porn.
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