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This morning, Attorney General Lynn Fitch notified Scott Colom and Scott Colom for Senate that recent AI-generated ads posted by the campaign on their social media platforms appear to violate State law against the use of “deepfakes” to influence elections. The Attorney General asked that the ads be removed or else the office may file an injunction as authorized by law. As violations of this election integrity law can carry criminal penalties, Attorney General Fitch has also asked Scott Colom and his campaign to preserve all records related to this matter so as not to obstruct justice.
The Attorney General’s notification follows a complaint that two ads posted to the Scott Colom for Senate Facebook account and Scott Colom Instagram account are deepfakes disseminated by the campaign within ninety days of an election, without the consent of the digitized individual, Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith, and are intended to injure Scott Colom’s opponent and/or influence the results of the election. The complaint can be read here.
Violations of Section 97-13-47 of the Mississippi Code carry penalties of up to 5 years in prison and/or fines of up to $10,000 if the intent is to “deter any person from voting.” Other violations carry penalties of up 1 year in prison and/or fines of up to $5,000.
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