Senator Wahab’s Stop the Online Predators Act and Digital Identity Theft Act Signed into Law

Sacramento, CA —State Senator Dr. Aisha Wahab’s (D-Silicon Valley) SB 926, Stop the Online Predators Act, and SB 981, Digital Identity Theft Act, were signed into law by California Governor Gavin Newsom.

“These laws will level the playing field for victims of digital sexual assault by ensuring law enforcement has the necessary recourse to pursue justice and social media platforms are more proactive when they receive a report,” said Dr. Wahab. “SB 926 and SB 981 are on the cutting-edge of technological advancements, and affirm that California prioritizes vulnerable communities.”

Both bills are part of Dr. Wahab’s AI Safety Policy Package and received bipartisan support across the legislature. SB 926 expands current revenge porn law by prohibiting unauthorized distribution of artificially created sexually explicit images with the intent to cause serious emotional distress to the person depicted in the image. SB 981 requires social media platforms to provide a reporting mechanism for someone to report sexually explicit images they are featured in without their consent.

Sensity AI stated in 2021 that up to 95% of online deepfake videos since 2018 were non-consensual porn. Of those non-consensual videos, 90% are of women. Dr. Wahab, when speaking about SB 926, stated that these AI-generated images can ruin an individual’s entire life leading to a lack of workplace promotions, mental health deterioration, shame, and social isolation. In January, a digitized sexually explicit video of Taylor Swift went viral on X, garnering over 27 million views and 260,000 likes in 19 hours, before the videos were permanently blocked from the platform.

SB 926 and SB 981 are sponsored by the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office, and Crime Victims Alliance co-sponsored SB 926.

“As AI-based technology continually evolves, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office is working with forward-thinking legislators like Dr. Wahab to keep Californians safe from the dangers of AI porn and related issues,” said District Attorney George Gascón. “We’re honored to work with Dr. Wahab and her colleagues on these groundbreaking and needed changes to law.” Both laws take effect January 1, 2025.

For the current session, Dr. Wahab has now had 7 of her bills signed into law. She had a total of 19 bills pass the legislature this year.