NJ Deceptive AI Deepfakes Act
New Jersey Deceptive AI Deepfakes Law (A3540/S2544, P.L. 2025, c.40)
New Jersey · P.L.2025, c.40 (N.J. A3540/S2544)
- Status
- In effect
- Took effect
- April 2, 2025
- Applies to
- Anyone who creates or distributes deceptive AI-generated audio or visual media in New Jersey
- Enforced by
- New Jersey Attorney General; county prosecutors; civil courts
New Jersey's deepfake law makes it a crime to create or use deceptive AI-generated audio or video to commit or further any crime. Making such media is a third-degree crime that can carry fines up to $30,000, and knowingly or recklessly sharing it is a fourth-degree crime. Victims can sue for at least $1,000 per violation plus punitive damages and legal fees. Satire, parody, news reporting, teaching and research are exempt.
Who is protected: Individuals depicted in deceptive AI media; voters; minors
Legal detail
P.L.2025, c.40 (A3540/S2544), enacted Apr. 2, 2025, criminalizes (third degree) production or dissemination of deceptive audio or visual media in furtherance of enumerated crimes; creates a civil cause of action. Exempts satire, parody, news, teaching, research.
Key facts
| Jurisdiction | New Jersey |
|---|---|
| Level | State |
| Strength | Limited |
| Enacted | April 2, 2025 |
| Citation | P.L.2025, c.40 (N.J. A3540/S2544) |
| Private right of action | Yes, individuals can sue |
| Penalties | Third-degree crime (fine up to $30,000 plus imprisonment) for creating or using deceptive media to commit a crime; fourth-degree crime for knowingly or recklessly disclosing it; civil action with at least $1,000 liquidated damages per violation, punitive damages, attorney's fees and injunctive relief |
| Topics | non-consensual intimate imagery · deepfakes · AI-generated images · election deepfakes · children's online safety · consumer protection |
| Statute | P.L. 2025, c.040 (A3540) — New Jersey Legislature |
More AI rules in New Jersey
- NJ Forbidding the Algorithmic Inflation of Rent (FAIR) Act · Enacted (not yet in effect)
- S731/A796 — Data center ratepayer protection and grid-demand · In effect
- New Jersey S3379/A4096 data center transparency (2026) · In effect
- NJ developer litigation against municipal data center bans (2026) · Blocked / in litigation
- New Jersey Quijano AI data center delay and study commission bill (2026) · Proposed / pending
- NJ S4754 AI unauthorized practice of professions · Proposed / pending
Related non-consensual intimate imagery rules elsewhere
- Arizona HB 2133 deepfake sexual content — vetoed 2026 · Vetoed
- Illinois HB 3851 — deepfake cyberbullying in schools (2026) · In effect
- TAKE IT DOWN Act · In effect
- DEFIANCE Act (deepfake-porn civil suits) · Proposed / pending
- NY S5959-D (2020, digital replicas + deepfake porn) · In effect
- Missouri Deepfake & Digital Media Protection Act · Proposed / pending
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