Illinois Bills Look to Crack Down on Deepfakes and Doxing, Would Allo…

(WTTW News)

As technology races ahead, the law often drags.

Illinois lawmakers are working to catch up with artificial intelligence developments and social media by passing a pair of bills cracking down on deepfakes and doxing.

Both measures give victims the ability to bring a civil lawsuit against an alleged perpetrator — a step that has raised alarm from civil liberties advocates and media groups like motion picture and cable organizations.

Revenge porn, or the non-consensual sharing of sexual images, has been a felony in Illinois since 2014. In 2019, in the wake of since-resigned state Rep. Nick Sauer posting images of naked women without their consent, Illinois allowed victims to sue for civil damages.

The deepfake legislation (House Bill 2123) piggybacks onto that law, adding “digitally altered sexual images” to it.

A victim of a sexual digital forgery can sue for $10,000.

Disclosing that a photo or image was forged or manipulated is not a defense.

“Digital images…