California’s “deepfake law” shows once again that progressive authoritarians want to ruin all fun.
Gov. Gavin Newsom, the state legislature, and other officials went Karen-style and passed a new law that bans political deepfakes as well as restricts satire. One of the country’s most prominent satirical publications is now fighting back.
According to a Daily Wire Exclusive, The Babylon Bee, along with the Alliance Defending Freedom, filed a suit against the State of California, challenging new laws that the satire website claims target political parody and free speech.
The lawsuit was filed at the U.S. District Court of the Central District of California after Newsom passed legislation to curb the spread of AI-generated “deepfake content”. The Babylon Bee and other critics claim that the law will adversely affect satirists.
After Newsom posted on X that a parody of Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harri’s video should be “illegal,” the state’s legislator passed two laws prohibiting political expression labeled “materially misleading content.”
Babylon Bee CEO Seth Dillon said that laws requiring certain types of parody or satire to be identified as such threaten the integrity of satire, parody, and humor, which depend on subtlety. He told The Daily Wire that if satire is not allowed to be published without disclaimers, we could face penalties.
Dillon said in a statement that they “fight back every way we can against laws which clamp down on speech” and that these laws would fundamentally change how satirical material is perceived, and perhaps diminish its impact.
Kristen Waggoner, ADF’s president, said: “These laws are passed by politicians in order to protect them from speech they do not like.”
The Babylon Bee’s suit argues that “Satire, parody, and satire are protected speech within the First Amendment” because the First Amendment trusts in the American people’s ability to debate candidates and issues and to make their own decisions.
Newsom and other authoritarians defended these laws, arguing they were aimed at AI-generated content which could “undermine public trust through disinformation”.
Those who oppose the law are correct, of course.
California wants to curb speech to stop it being used against their politicians. Newsom and his cronies use the state’s power to implement the progressive playbook. They attack speech they don’t like, under the pretext of fighting “misinformation” or “disinformation.”
As a satirist, I have an interest in this battle. I post satirical articles and headlines that mock both sides of the political spectrum. There will always be people who believe that satire and parody are real. It is not an excuse for the government to use the content against the creators.
My 2021 satirical Tweet about the Virginia Governor. Gavin Newsom’s fruit basket sent to Terry McAullife wouldn’t have been as funny if I put the big “this is parody” label on it.
BREAKING: Virginia Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin sends a fruit basket with a ‘thank you’ card to the Lincoln Project.
“It’s the least we can do. After all, they were instrumental in helping us defeat Terry McAuliffe,” said a Youngkin aide.
— Jeff Charles, Doni’s St. Bernard🏴 (@jeffcharlesjr) November 3, 2021
If I had to put a label on my post about Cory Booker wearing booty shorts to the Capitol, it would have been less impactful.
BREAKING: Sen. Cory Booker Faces Criticism for Wearing Pink Booty Shorts at Capitol After Dress Code Change
“[These shorts] represent the freedom to be oneself in an institution often characterized by conformity. Plus, they’re incredibly comfortable.” pic.twitter.com/xnoIDgHLvP
— Jeff Charles, Doni’s St. Bernard🏴 (@jeffcharlesjr) September 21, 2023
Satire is a form of humor that exaggerates things to absurdity to illustrate a point. Humor is used to convey a message based on subtextual truth. Should the government be able to punish Babylon Bee or people like me just because our work isn’t always labeled as satire blatantly?
No, of course not.
These laws are an outrageous overreach by California and an obvious infringement of the right to free expression. The lawsuits should put an end to Newsom’s latest attempt at authoritarianism.
