No Fakes Act Clears Senate Panel Unanimously, Granting 70-Year Posthumous Deepfake Rights
Updated
Updated · Deadline · Jun 18
No Fakes Act Clears Senate Panel Unanimously, Granting 70-Year Posthumous Deepfake Rights
3 articles · Updated · Deadline · Jun 18
Summary
A unanimous voice vote sent the No Fakes Act through the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday, reviving a bill that stalled in 2024 and moving a top entertainment-industry priority closer to a floor vote.
The measure would let people authorize digital replicas of their voice and likeness, extend that right after death for up to 70 years, and add a counter-notice process plus exemptions for libraries, archives and research institutions.
Ted Cruz, Mike Lee and Eric Schmitt raised First Amendment concerns even as the bill advanced, with Cruz pressing for satire protections and citing AI-generated campaign ads in Los Angeles as speech that should remain protected.
OpenAI, Google/YouTube, major studios, record labels, unions and the Human Artistry Campaign back the bill, and a House companion plus a March Trump administration framework suggest broader momentum for a federal deepfake standard.
Hollywood and Big Tech back a deepfake law, but could it accidentally outlaw your favorite video game characters?
As AI blurs reality, can a new law protect your identity without silencing parody and art?
The NO FAKES Act (2026): Broad Support, Legal Hurdles, and the Future of AI Deepfake Regulation
Overview
As of June 2026, the NO FAKES Act is gaining strong momentum in Congress, driven by growing threats from AI-generated deepfakes. The bill has received broad support, especially from SAG-AFTRA, which collected 16,000 signatures, showing widespread concern about the lack of federal protections against synthetic media. Duncan Crabtree-Ireland highlights the Act’s rare cross-sector support and calls it common sense, long-overdue federal protection. This collective backing underscores the urgent need for timely legal frameworks to address rapidly evolving AI challenges, positioning the NO FAKES Act as a necessary response to protect individuals’ likenesses in the digital age.