Senate passes bill to take on ‘deepfakes’

The Senate on Thursday passed bipartisan legislation intended to help further understand the risks posed by “deepfake” videos, or those altered by artificial intelligence to change the meaning of the video.

The Deepfake Report Act would require the Department of Homeland Security to publish an annual report on the use of deepfake technology that would be required to include an assessment of how both foreign governments and domestic groups are using deepfakes to harm national security.

The bipartisan bill was passed by unanimous consent and now heads to the House for consideration. A bipartisan companion bill in that chamber is awaiting markup in the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

The Senate version is sponsored by Sens. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Cory Gardner (R-Colo.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), all of whom said they were happy with Friday’s passage of the bill.

Peters, who serves as the top Democrat on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, said in a statement that “with each passing day, deepfakes become easier to create and distribute, opening the door for bad actors to sow discord and mislead thousands with just the click of a button.”