Attorney General Tong Statement Praising Passage of Legislation Strengthening Enforcement Against Deepfake Digital Sexual Assault

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05/07/2026

Attorney General Tong Statement Praising Passage of Legislation Strengthening Enforcement Against Deepfake Digital Sexual Assault

(Hartford, CT) - Attorney General William Tong released the following statement praising final passage of legislation creating new civil enforcement mechanisms to crack down on deepfake digital sexual assault.

House Bill No. 5312, An Act Establishing a Civil Action for the Office of the Attorney General and a Private Right of Action for Victims of Unlawful Dissemination of a Synthetically Created Intimate Images, builds on the 2015 state law first authored and championed by Attorney General Tong while serving as House Chair of the Judiciary Committee. That law made a crime the unauthorized dissemination of intimate images in an attempt to harm or harass. Last year, legislators built on that law to include digitally created images. This latest legislation will now afford rights to victims that criminal penalties do not, including the ability to take civil action against abusers and platforms that disseminate this illegal content. The legislation will empower the Office of the Attorney General to pursue civil injunctions and penalties against bad actor platforms to stop the spread of illegal images, including AI-generated child pornography. The bill further creates a private right of action, giving power to victims themselves to sue their abusers.

"They call it 'synthetic.' They call it 'AI.' I call it what it is: digital sexual assault. The trauma caused by a 'deepfake' is as real and as devastating as any physical photograph. This legislation creates serious new financial and legal consequences for those who fail to protect against abuse and promptly mitigate harm. My office is prepared to use the full weight of our law enforcement authority to hold abusers and their facilitators fully accountable," said Attorney General Tong.

"Artificial intelligence is a new and powerful tool. Its uses are growing every day, but so is the harm that it causes," Rep. Steve Stafstrom, House Chair of the Judiciary Committee said. "HB 5312 creates tools to hold those who weaponize AI accountable. It establishes a private right of action in state court to sue someone that uses AI to essentially create "deepfake" pornography that resembles another person's likeness. The bill also creates a civil remedy for the Attorney General to go after the platforms that host these shocking portrayals. Finally, it affords certain rights to victims that criminal penalties do not," he added. "I'm proud to have supported this bill in the Judiciary Committee and in the House, and I'm happy to see the support it garnered by my colleagues in the Senate. I look forward to the Governor signing this significant legislation into law."

"It is important to me that we protect victims of the shame and embarrassment, inflicted by the bad actors addressed by this legislation. I am proud to be a part of Connecticut's leading the entire nation in this arena-providing powers not only to our Attorney General, but also to those themselves that have been harmed," said Rep. Craig Fishbein, House Ranking Member of the Judiciary Committee.

"While artificial intelligence has been beneficial to our lives, we've also seen instances where it's been used nefariously. This bill seeks to provide meaningful relief for unsuspecting victims to hold these bad actors responsible by not only empowering victims, but empowering our Attorney General to hold companies responsible as well," said Sen. Gary Winfield, Senate Chair of the Judiciary Committee.

"Along with the benefits that come with our ever-advancing technology come concerning harms. One of those is the troubling boom in deepfake AI intimate images, which have targeted everyone from celebrities to high school students. I am happy that Connecticut has taken this step to help abate the harm these victims have incurred," said Sen. John Kissel, Senate Ranking Member of the Judiciary Committee.

Media Contact:

Elizabeth Benton [email protected]

Consumer Inquiries:

860-808-5318 [email protected]

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