On Wednesday, lawmakers in the Senate introduced the NO FAKES Act, legislation that would hold a broad range of platforms, including social media sites and the cloud, liable for hosting digital replicas posted by users. In addition to threatening platforms that host user content with crippling liability, the legislation would stifle AI innovation by opening up developers to a flood of lawsuits.

“This bill is so broad, it’s like cracking down on pen manufacturers in order to stop forged signatures,” said Chamber of Progress Senior Tech Policy Director Todd O’Boyle. “The technologies this bill sweeps into its scope are far removed from the digital replicas at issue. And the solution of forcing platforms to heavily monitor all user content, not just on social media but on the cloud too, presents a real threat to speech. As drafted, the NO FAKES Act would go so far as to require teachers to get permission even to create educational materials for the classroom. Congress should be careful not to eliminate access to these powerful tools for everyday consumers.”

###

Chamber of Progress (progresschamber.org) is a center-left tech industry policy coalition promoting technology’s progressive future.  We work to ensure that all Americans benefit from technological leaps, and that the tech industry operates responsibly and fairly.  

Our corporate partners do not have a vote on or veto over our positions. We do not speak for individual partner companies and remain true to our stated principles even when our partners disagree.