Senator Aisha Wahab’s Digital Identity Theft Bill Sent to Governor’s Desk

Sacramento, CA —State Senator Dr. Aisha Wahab’s (D-Silicon Valley) SB 981, Digital Identity Theft Act, passed the legislature and requires social media platforms to provide a reporting mechanism for someone to report sexually explicit images they are featured in without their consent.

“This is groundbreaking legislation ensuring our laws keep pace with technological advancements,” said Senator Wahab. “This is an issue that disproportionately impacts young women, and this bill will enhance the recourse available to these victims of digital sexual exploitation.”

Sensity AI stated in 2021 that up to 95% of online deepfake videos since 2018 were nonconsensual porn. Of those non-consensual videos, 90% are of women. Earlier this year, a digitized sexually explicit video of Taylor Swift—which had been created to realistically look like her, although it was not her in the video—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 981 is sponsored by Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office and received bipartisan support throughout the legislative process. SB 981 will now head to the Governor’s Desk.