A.I. Accountability: Lawmakers File Measures Addressing Deepfake Pornography, Child Sexual Abuse Material

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New legislation at the capitol would help address AI-generated pornography in Arkansas.

H.B. 1518 by Rep. Stephen Meeks (R — Greenbrier) and Sen. Missy Irvin (R — Mountain View) makes it a crime to create, distribute, possess, or view AI-generated sexual material depicting children.

H.B. 1529 by Rep. Stephen Meeks (R — Greenbrier) and Sen. Clint Penzo (R — Springdale) prohibits people from using artificial intelligence to create and distribute “deepfake” pornographic images depicting another individual without that individual’s consent.

In 2001 the Arkansas Legislature passed Act 1496 addressing computer exploitation of a child. The law generally makes it a felony to produce or reproduce child sexual abuse material “by computerized means.”

At the time there was serious discussion about how computers and computer software could be used to manufacture child sexual abuse material. Of course, in 2001 very few people could have imagined today’s artificial intelligence technology, but lawmakers recognized the need to address the issue — and Family Council supported the good law they passed.

Arkansas also has passed laws prohibiting people from distributing pornographic images of another person without the person’s consent, but the law does not address AI-generated images. News outlets have reported how deepfake pornography can be used to harass or intimidate victims. States are working to enact laws protecting innocent people from AI-generated pornography.

Artificial intelligence has advanced by leaps and bounds in recent years. AI-generated pornography is now a serious concern. State laws must stay ahead of the technology. Measures like H.B. 1518 and H.B. 1529 help do that.

You Can Read H.B. 1518 Here. You Can Read H.B. 1529 Here.

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Arkansas A.G. Continues Defending SAFE Act in Federal Court

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Last week Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin’s office filed a supplemental letter with the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals in defense of Arkansas’ SAFE Act.

The Save Adolescents From Experimentation — or SAFE — Act is a 2021 law the Arkansas Legislature passed to protect children from sex-reassignment surgeries, puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and similar procedures.

These procedures can leave children sterilized and scarred for life. Doctors do not know the long term effects that puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones might have on people, but files recently leaked from the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) organization make it clear that medical professionals performing gender-transitions on kids have been fully aware that these procedures can lead to lasting regret and painful complications — some of which may even be life-threatening.

In the past four years, a major hospital in Sweden has announced that it would no longer give puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones to kids, the U.K. has adopted policies that protect children from puberty blockers, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has added a warning label to puberty blockers after discovering they caused some biological girls to experience swelling in the brain.

Unfortunately, Arkansas’ SAFE Act has been tied up in court for more than three years, and a federal judge in Little Rock has blocked the state from enforcing the law. However, attorneys for the State of Arkansas have asked the Eighth Circuit to reverse that decision.

On November 18, attorneys from the Arkansas Attorney General’s Office filed a supplemental letter with the Eighth Circuit pointing out that federal courts had allowed Indiana to enforce its law protecting children from sex-change procedures. The A.G.’s team says the decision underscores why the Eighth Circuit should let Arkansas enforce the SAFE Act.

Reports show doctors in Arkansas have given dozens of children puberty-blockers and cross-sex hormones, and some children even have undergone sex-change surgeries. Arkansas needs to protect children from sex-reassignment. We applaud Attorney General Tim Griffin and his team for defending the SAFE Act. We believe our courts ultimately will recognize the SAFE Act is a good law and uphold it as constitutional.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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Mattel Apologizes After Accidentally Printing Address for Porn Site on Toy Packaging

Decency, ,

The Wall Street Journal reports that toy company Mattel has issued an apology after the manufacturing giant mistakenly printed the web address for a pornographic website on packaging for some of its toys.

Mattel recently released a line of dolls tied to the new movie Wicked. The packaging for the toys was supposed to include the URL for the movie’s official website. However, Mattel accidentally printed the web address for Wicked Pictures, a pornography company based in California.

Mattel reportedly is advising parents to either throw the packaging away or obscure the web address to prevent children from visiting the website.

Obviously, what Mattel did was an honest mistake, but the story underscores how easy it is for young children to find pornography online by accident — and how important it is for parents and policymakers to protect children.

In 2023 the Arkansas Legislature passed Act 612 by Sen. Tyler Dees (R – Siloam Springs) and Rep. Mindy McAlindon (R – Centerton). This good law requires pornographic websites to use age verification to ensure their users are 18 or older.

The law took effect on August 1, 2023, prompting PornHub to disable access to its website from Arkansas.

Technology has given children unprecedented access to pornography, and Family Council is deeply grateful to Sen. Tyler Dees and Rep. Mindy McAlindon for sponsoring Act 612 and to the members of the Arkansas General Assembly for overwhelmingly supporting the passage of this good law.

Laws like Act 612 are one way we can help protect children from finding pornographic content online — even by accident. We look forward to continuing to work with parents and policymakers to protect children online in the future.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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