New York Deepfake Harassment and NCII Civil Action Act
Establishes the Crime of Aggravated Harassment by Electronic or Digital Communication and Provides a Private Right of Action for Unlawful Dissemination of Deepfakes
New York · S 6278, New York Legislature, 2025-2026 Session
- Status
- Proposed / pending
- Applies to
- Individuals who create or disseminate intimate or violent deepfakes without consent
- Enforced by
- New York courts; district attorneys
Would create the new crime of aggravated harassment by electronic or digital communication (a Class A misdemeanor) when a person, intending to harass, annoy, threaten or alarm, disseminates a deepfake - a digitally altered image incorporating someone's face or body onto pornographic, lewd or graphically violent content - without consent. Would also let victims sue for damages, injunctive relief and attorney's fees. Sponsored by Sen. Jessica Scarcella-Spanton; Assembly companion bill is A 6293.
Who is protected: Individuals whose likeness is non-consensually used in sexually explicit or violently depicted deepfakes
Legal detail
Creates Class A misdemeanor for aggravated harassment via deepfake dissemination in pornographic or violent contexts; private civil right of action for unlawful deepfake dissemination.
Key facts
| Jurisdiction | New York |
|---|---|
| Level | State |
| Citation | S 6278, New York Legislature, 2025-2026 Session |
| Private right of action | Yes, individuals can sue |
| Penalties | Class A misdemeanor (proposed); civil action for injunctive relief, compensatory and punitive damages, court costs and attorney's fees (no fixed cap) |
| Topics | non-consensual intimate imagery · deepfakes · AI-generated images |
| Bill text | NY State Senate Bill 2025-S6278 |
More AI rules in New York
- NYDFS CL 7 (2024) — Insurance AI Anti-Discrimination · In effect
- NY Hochul EO — Statewide Data Center Moratorium (2026) · In effect
- New York Stealth Crawler Prohibition Act (2026) · Proposed / pending
- New York SAFE for Kids Act final rules (2026) · Enacted (not yet in effect)
- RealPage v. James — NY algorithmic rent ban enjoined (2026) · Blocked / in litigation
- NY PSC utility AI inquiry (Case 26-M-0552) · Enacted (not yet in effect)
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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