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California just passed a series of laws that Governor Gavin Newsom says will protect election integrity by cracking down on AI-generated “deepfakes” and misleading online content. But behind that feel-good “save-democracy” headline lies a dangerous trend: The state is moving closer to restricting free speech, humor, and even the popular art of meme-making. Yes, you read that right—your favorite political memes could be collateral damage in the state’s latest crusade to “protect democracy.”

Let's face it: The internet has always been a chaotic, hilarious, and sometimes ridiculous place where people express their political frustrations through jokes, satire, and memes. From clever Photoshops of politicians to viral videos poking fun at campaign ads, humor has long played a central role in how we deal with the absurdity of modern politics. Now California wants to add labels to anything it deems “misleadingly altered,” and while deepfake technology does indeed pose some risks, these new laws open the door to much more comprehensive censorship.

Assembly Bill 2655 would require major online platforms to remove or label any misleading or digitally manipulated election-related content. On the surface, that sounds good—nobody wants voters misled by hyper-realistic fake videos. But here's the rub: Who decides what's misleading? The bill leaves that up to the platforms themselves, which already have a shaky track record of fair moderation. How many memes or satirical posts will get lost in the hysteria over “misleading” content? Will the platforms resort to censorship to avoid being sued? Probably.

In the digital age, where content is constantly shared, repurposed, and memed, it's almost impossible to draw a clear line between harmless satire and something malicious. What if a meme poking fun at a politician gets flagged because someone (or an AI algorithm) decides it's been “misleadingly altered”? Will the internet's notorious ability to generate viral political humor now be suppressed under the guise of election protection?

Let's not forget House Bill 2355, which requires all election ads altered by AI to include a notice that the content has been altered. Sounds fair, right? But again, this is likely to create confusion about what constitutes “AI-altered” content. In today's meme culture, images, videos, and audio are often altered in ways that are not meant to deceive, but to entertain, criticize, or make political commentary. The danger is that the line between clever satire and what lawmakers consider dangerous manipulation is blurred.

We also can't ignore the chilling effect this will have on humor. At a time when political jokes and memes are often a key tool for social commentary, forcing creators to add disclaimers to their works – because they contain artificial intelligence or video editing – is a curtailment of free speech. Imagine looking at a meme poking fun at a politician with a giant “This image has been altered” tag on it, ruining the punchline.

And if you think this is just about deepfakes, you're wrong. California has a history of pushing the boundaries of free speech under the guise of protecting the public. The new deepfake laws ostensibly target only election-related content, but they also reflect a broader, troubling pattern: a desire to tightly control news coverage and prevent any form of dissent, satire, or humor that stray too far from what the government deems acceptable.

Even more worrying, these laws could be weaponized in politically charged moments. With the 2024 election just around the corner, you can bet that both sides of the political spectrum will be scrutinizing every meme, video, and piece of content that appears online. By giving politicians and online platforms the power to censor content or label it as “misleading,” California may have given a tool to anyone seeking to suppress opposition.

Governor Newsom might argue that these laws are meant to “promote transparent and trustworthy AI,” but in reality they have far-reaching implications that go beyond deepfakes. Humor, satire, and memes are core elements of political free speech, and there's a risk that these new rules could undermine it. Yes, we should fight disinformation, but not at the expense of suppressing legitimate – and often hilarious – political discourse.

So if you live in California and enjoy creating or sharing memes, be prepared for your next politically charged joke to come with a bunch of state-sanctioned disclaimers. It's a sad day when the state becomes the arbiter of humor. Let's just hope they don't go after the cat videos next.