Congress revives NO FAKES Act

U.S. lawmakers reintroduced the NO FAKES Act on May 20, reviving a bipartisan effort to create a federal right for people to control AI-generated replicas of their voices and likenesses. The House push is led by Representatives Madeleine Dean, a Pennsylvania Democrat, and María Elvira Salazar, a Florida Republican, while Senators Chris Coons of Delaware and Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee are leading the Senate companion bill. Lawmakers and industry backers say the measure is aimed at unauthorized “digital replicas” used in scams, explicit deepfakes and fake performances. The latest version arrives with support from companies and groups spanning music, film, technology and online platforms, including Spotify and Getty. ### What is Congress trying to stop with this bill? The bill targets AI-generated imitations of a real person’s voice or likeness made without permission. Dean’s office said the measure would “clearly define” a person’s right to control their voice and likeness at the federal level and would address unauthorized AI deepfakes without, in the sponsors’ view, censoring protected speech. (dean.house.gov) Salazar said the proposal is meant to respond to a fast-moving market in synthetic impersonation. “The NO FAKES Act is simple and sacred: you own your identity—not Big Tech, not scammers, not algorithms,” she said in the House release on May 20. ### What would the revised bill actually do? The 2025 Senate release describing the measure said the legislation would create a property right in a person’s AI-generated digital replica, impose liability on people or companies that make unauthorized replicas, and set up a notice-and-takedown system for victims seeking removal from platforms. (dean.house.gov) That release also said the bill would exclude some uses based on First Amendment protections and would largely preempt state digital-replica laws to create a national standard. TheWrap reported the 2026 version adds more specific exemptions for libraries and a process to challenge takedown demands. RIAA said the updated bill expressly protects uses such as news reporting and satire, while allowing user-generated-content platforms to avoid liability if they promptly remove unauthorized deepfakes. ### Who is backing it this time? Spotify and Getty are among the newly highlighted supporters in the latest reintroduction, according to Billboard and RIAA. (klobuchar.senate.gov) RIAA said the coalition now spans OpenAI, Google/YouTube, IBM, Getty and Spotify, along with labor groups, child-safety organizations, conservative groups and free-speech advocates. Earlier backers already included entertainment and technology groups such as SAG-AFTRA, the Motion Picture Association, the Recording Academy, OpenAI, YouTube, Warner Music Group, Universal Music Group, Sony Music and Disney, according to the 2025 Senate release. (riaa.com) That breadth matters because the bill has drawn support from both rights holders and some AI and platform companies that would have to operate under it. (billboard.com) ### Why are sponsors emphasizing ordinary people, not just celebrities? Dean said the bill would grant “every person” a federal right to control digital replicas of their voice and likeness. Coons said in the earlier Senate release that the concern extends beyond famous people, saying nobody “whether they’re Tom Hanks or an 8th grader” should have to worry about voice and likeness theft. RIAA echoed that point on May 20, saying the bill would protect “every American” rather than only celebrities or public figures. (klobuchar.senate.gov) Morelle, one of the House co-leads, said the harms already include “explicit deepfakes,” scams, fraud and theft of artists’ work. Those examples have helped lawmakers frame the bill as both a consumer-protection and creator-rights measure. ### What happens next in Congress? The House and Senate versions now begin another trip through Congress after earlier iterations were introduced in 2024 and reintroduced in 2025. (dean.house.gov) TheWrap said the earlier Senate version had been referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee and had not received a vote. The current push is being carried by Dean, Salazar, Coons, Blackburn and other bipartisan co-sponsors including Thom Tillis, Amy Klobuchar, Becca Balint and Nathaniel Moran. May 20 is the key date for the current effort: that is when Dean’s office and RIAA posted their releases, and when trade outlets reported the broader support from Spotify and Getty. Congress will now decide whether the revised bill advances beyond committee as lawmakers press for a federal standard on AI impersonation. (dean.house.gov) (thewrap.com)