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Elec. Code, § 20519 · Chapter 7. Defending Democracy from Deepfake Deception Act of 2024

Elec. Code, § 20519

Verbatim from the official edition

Text — As published in the Legislative Counsel's database, tables dated October 18, 2026 (pubinfo_2025.zip)

This chapter does not apply to any of the following:

(a) A regularly published online newspaper, magazine, or other periodical of general circulation that routinely carries news and commentary of general interest, and that publishes any materially deceptive content that an online platform is required to block or label based on this chapter, if the publication contains a clear disclosure that the materially deceptive content does not accurately represent any actual event, occurrence, appearance, speech, or expressive conduct.

(b) (1) A broadcasting station that broadcasts any materially deceptive content prohibited by this chapter as part of a bona fide newscast, news interview, news documentary, commentary of general interest, or on-the-spot coverage of bona fide news events, if the broadcast clearly acknowledges through content or a disclosure, in a manner that can be easily heard or read by the average listener or viewer, that the materially deceptive content does not accurately represent any actual event, occurrence, appearance, speech, or expressive conduct.

(2) A broadcasting station when it is paid to broadcast materially deceptive content and either of the following circumstances exist:

(A) The broadcasting station can show that it has prohibition and disclaimer requirements that are consistent with the requirements in this chapter and that it has provided those prohibition and disclaimer requirements to each person or entity that purchased the advertisement.

(B) Federal law requires the broadcasting station to air advertisements from legally qualified candidates or prohibits the broadcasting station from censoring or altering the message.

(c) Materially deceptive content that constitutes satire or parody.

Notes and commentary — not statutory text

History

Added by Stats. 2024, Ch. 261, Sec. 3. (AB 2655) Effective January 1, 2025.

Source of truth

Edition
As published in the Legislative Counsel's database, tables dated October 18, 2026 (pubinfo_2025.zip)
Official file
https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=ELEC&sectionNum=20519.
Text hash
sha256 ea2efc7c2cd0b152e610c0a7d4c2c2c6caf86f1b7cb7c548132b3b121e026943
Composed by
compose_ca.py 2026-10-22: the Legislative Counsel's CAML content files read by a tokenizer (caml_readers.reader_a); an independent xml.etree reading (caml_readers.reader_b) agrees on every section

Procedural information only. Not legal advice and not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. Confirm the current text with the official publisher before relying on it.