CA AB 730 (2019, expired)
California AB 730 — Materially Deceptive Election Deepfakes (EXPIRED Jan. 1, 2023)
CA · Cal. AB 730 (2019), former Cal. Elec. Code §§ 20010-20012 — expired Jan. 1, 2023
- Status
- Expired
- Took effect
- January 1, 2020
- Applies to
- Distributors of deceptive AI-generated political content (was)
- Enforced by
- Was California AG / county DAs + private right of action
California AB 730 (Berman, 2019) was the first California law criminalizing materially deceptive election deepfakes within 60 days of an election. The statute included a sunset clause and expired on January 1, 2023 — replaced and expanded by AB 2655 / AB 2839 / AB 2355 in 2024 (both AB 2655 and AB 2839 were subsequently enjoined).
Who is protected: California voters from election disinformation (was)
Legal detail
AB 730 (2019 Reg. Sess.), Cal. Elec. Code §§ 20010-20012 (former) — prohibited distributing 'with actual malice' materially deceptive audio or visual media of a candidate within 60 days of an election with intent to injure reputation or deceive voters. Statutory carve-outs for satire/parody, news organizations, and websites of general interest. Sunset Jan. 1, 2023; replaced by AB 2655 (platform takedown, since enjoined), AB 2839 (election content ban, since enjoined), and AB 2355 (political-ad disclosure).
Key facts
| Jurisdiction | CA |
|---|---|
| Level | State |
| Enacted | October 3, 2019 |
| Citation | Cal. AB 730 (2019), former Cal. Elec. Code §§ 20010-20012 — expired Jan. 1, 2023 |
| Private right of action | Yes, individuals can sue |
| Topics | deepfakes · election deepfakes |
| Statute | AB 730 — California Legislative Information |
More AI rules in CA
- CA AB 2148 no-AI school employees (2026) · Enacted (not yet in effect)
- CA AG Bonta · In effect
- CA Bar GenAI Guidance · In effect
- CA CPPA ADMT Regs · In effect
- CPPA Honda ADMT settlement · In effect
- CA AB 1008 (CCPA + AI) · In effect
Related deepfakes rules elsewhere
- Arkansas Frank Broyles Act AI amendment — voice and likeness protection (2025) · In effect
- Doe v. X.AI (Grok NCII deepfakes class action) · Blocked / in litigation
- xAI v. Harwood (Grok NCII Counter-Suit 2026) · Blocked / in litigation
- Arizona HB 2133 deepfake sexual content — vetoed 2026 · Vetoed
- Arizona HB 2678 — AI-generated CSAM criminalized · In effect
- MN HF 1606 AI Nudification Ban (2026) · In effect
See something wrong or out of date? Submit a correction. Every entry must carry a verifiable source.