Virginia updates its revenge porn laws to include deepfakes

The state of Virginia has updated its revenge porn laws to encompass not just the sharing of nude photos or videos of others without their consent, but to also include making it illegal to create deepfake photos or videos of someone without their consent.

Deepfakes use AI to paste the head of a person onto the body of another. While deepfakes can be used for anything, such as creating videos of a politician saying or doing something they did not do, deepfakes have found a niche in the online porn world especially when it comes to creating fake videos of celebrities engaged in sexual acts.

Under the new law, which went into effect in Virginia (July 08, 2019), creating or sharing deepfakes of someone without their permission is a misdemeanor that can result in up to 12 months in jail and a $2,500 fine. To give you an idea of just how realistic deepfakes can look, check out the deepfake of President Obama by Jordan Peele below.