Pending bill would impose jail time for posting ‘deepfake’ pornographic images of individuals

As part of his agenda for the next Legislative Assembly that begins in January 2025, Rep. José Aponte Hernández announced Thursday that he will file a bill that will impose fines and jail time on those who use artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm to create adulterated images of individuals with sexual content, better known as pornographic “deepfake.”

“This week, it was reported in national media that over 30 congressmen, 25 of them women, have been victims of pornographic deepfakes during the past six months. This means that criminal elements have adulterated their photographs and/or videos using artificial intelligence algorithms to create explicitly pornographic content on platforms on the internet, including social networks,” the veteran New Progressive Party lawmaker said. “This should raise a flag in Puerto Rico, which is why one of the bills that we will be submitting in the new Legislature is focused on combating this nefarious practice that is causing so much damage.”

A report by the American Sunlight Project found that more than 35,000 deepfake mentions of congressmen, many of which contain explicit sexual material, have been found on websites and social media platforms over the past six months. Deepfake is the manipulation of images, video and even audio of people in order to convey false messages and content, including explicit sexual content, among others.