X challenges California law on AI election content

Elon Musk’s social media platform, X, has filed a lawsuit to challenge a California law designed to limit AI-generated misleading election content on social media, as reported by Bloomberg. The platform argues that the law, which mandates large online platforms to remove “materially deceptive” content, infringes on free speech rights protected by the Constitution. 

The complaint, submitted in federal court in Sacramento, claims the law could result in widespread censorship of political discourse. It emphasizes that First Amendment protections historically tolerate even potentially false speech when it comes to criticisms of public officials and candidates. 

This legal action targets AB 2655, the “Defending Democracy From Deepfake Deception Act of 2024,” and follows a recent ruling by another California federal judge temporarily halting a related law prohibiting harmful, digitally fabricated campaign ads. These measures, along with a third, were signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom in September.