Pennsylvania is cracking down on digital impersonation with a new law signed this week.
Act 35 of 2025, introduced by Senator Tracy Pennycuick, officially classifies deepfakes and other digital forgeries as criminal offenses. The legislation addresses the growing use of artificial intelligence to create realistic but fake images, videos, and audio of real people without their consent. These tools have been used in scams targeting seniors, children, businesses, and even to influence elections.
Under the new law, anyone who creates and distributes a digital likeness of another person as if it were real with the intent to defraud or cause harm can face criminal charges. It also aims to balance free speech protections, with exceptions carved out for satire, parody, and legitimate journalism.
Officials say the law gives prosecutors new tools to hold offenders accountable in an increasingly high-tech world.
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