Political Deepfakes Are Legal In Louisiana

by Wesley Muller, Louisiana Illuminator
June 30, 2024

Gov. Jeff Landry has vetoed a bill that would have made it illegal to deceive voters with false impersonations or depictions of a political candidate through audio or video manipulation techniques called “deepfakes.”

House Bill 154, sponsored by Rep. Mandie Landry, D-New Orleans, was one among 31 bills the governor vetoed from the 2024 regular session. The two Landrys are not related.

In his letter explaining the reasons for his veto, the governor said he believes the legislation could have infringed on the free speech rights of artificial intelligence (AI) companies. 

“While I applaud the efforts to prevent false political attacks, I believe this bill creates serious First Amendment concerns as it relates to emerging technologies,” the governor wrote. “The law is far from settled on this issue, and I believe more information is needed before such regulations are enshrined into law.”

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