---
title: "Judge strikes down California law restricting AI deepfake content during elections"
description: "☀️ Happy Thursday! The Briefing is your guide to the world of news and information. Sign up here! In today’s email: 🔥 Featured story A federal judge this week struck down a California law that restricted AI-generated video content, also known as deepfakes, related to elections. Elon Musk and X were part of the challenge to the […]"
date: "2025-08-07"
authors:
  - name: "jhaner"
url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/newsletter/the-briefing/judge-strikes-down-california-law-restricting-ai-deepfake-content-during-elections/"
---

# Judge strikes down California law restricting AI deepfake content during elections

**☀️ Happy Thursday!** *The Briefing is your guide to the world of news and information*.* [**Sign up here!**](https://www.pewresearch.org/sign-up-for-the-briefing/)*

**In today*’*s email:**

- **Featured story:** Judge strikes down California law restricting AI deepfake content during elections

- **In other news:** CPB to shut down

- **Looking ahead:** New York Post announces plans to launch California version

- **Chart of the week:** Most Americans are concerned about people getting inaccurate info from AI

🔥 **Featured story**

A federal judge this week [struck down a California law](https://www.politico.com/news/2025/08/05/elon-musk-x-court-win-california-deepfake-law-00494936) that restricted **AI-generated video content, **also known as deepfakes, related to elections. **Elon Musk **and **X **were part of the challenge to the law, which required social media companies to [remove this type of content within 72 hours](https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/3492053/court-musk-x-california-law-election-related-ai-deepfakes/) of it being reported. But federal judge John Mendez ruled that this violates Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act – a key provision that protects online platforms from liability for what users post on their sites.

About half of Americans (51%) say the** U.S. government** should take steps to **restrict false information online,** even if it limits freedom of information, while a larger share (60%) say **tech companies **should take such steps, according to a [March 2025 survey](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2025/04/14/support-dips-for-us-government-tech-companies-restricting-false-or-violent-online-content/). But Americans have become slightly less likely since 2023 to favor both kinds of restrictions on false information online.

📌 **In other news**

- **Corporation for Public Broadcasting** to [shut down](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/01/business/media/corporation-for-public-broadcasting-shut-down.html) after Congress defunds it

- **Voice of America director fired** after [turning down reassignment](https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/08/04/voa-abramowitz-kari-lake/)

- **Rupert Murdoch’s **[deposition delayed](https://thehill.com/homenews/media/5436298-murdoch-trump-legal-battle/) in** Trump** lawsuit against** WSJ**

- What** Trump’s firing of BLS commissioner** means for [data integrity](https://www.axios.com/2025/08/04/trump-fires-bls-head)

- Journalist in country of **Georgia **[imprisoned for two years](https://apnews.com/article/georgia-press-freedom-trial-journalist-mzia-amaghlobeli-288d950aea26bb91da030f3df9bdf3a9) for slapping police chief during protest

- **Wikipedia** editors adopt [policy to control AI-generated articles](https://www.404media.co/wikipedia-editors-adopt-speedy-deletion-policy-for-ai-slop-articles/) on the website

- A look at the [type of news content](https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/08/news-influencers-tiktok-gen-z/683731/) found on **TikTok**

📅 **Looking ahead**

The **New York Post** recently announced [plans to launch a new daily newspaper](https://www.axios.com/2025/08/04/new-york-post-california-los-angeles) based in Los Angeles, which will be called the **California Post** and debut in early 2026.

A large majority of Americans (78%) say they have heard of the New York Post, according to a [Center survey from March](https://www.pewresearch.org/journalism/feature/news-media-tracker/new_york_post), and 9% regularly get news there – including similar shares of Republicans (10%) and Democrats (8%). But on the whole, U.S. adults are more likely to say they *distrust *the New York Post as a source of news (26%) than trust it (16%).

📊 **Chart of the week**

This week’s chart comes from a [Center analysis](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2025/04/28/americans-largely-foresee-ai-having-negative-effects-on-news-journalists/) of how Americans view AI’s impact on news and journalists. **About two-thirds of U.S. adults (66%) are extremely or very concerned about people getting inaccurate information from AI.** An additional 26% are somewhat concerned, while just 7% are not too or not at all concerned.

![A horizontal stacked bar chart showing that most Americans are concerned about people getting inaccurate info from AI.](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/08/SR_25.04.28_ai-in-news_4.png)

*👋 That's all for this week. *

The Briefing is compiled by Pew Research Center staff, including Naomi Forman-Katz, Jacob Liedke, Christopher St. Aubin, Luxuan Wang, Emily Tomasik, Joanne Haner, and Mary Randolph. It is edited by Michael Lipka and copy edited by Rebecca Leppert.

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