Law note · California

AB 2655, Defending Democracy from Deepfake Deception Act

Citation	Cal. Elec. Code Sections 20510 to 20520
Status	Struck down
In force	2024-09-17
Reviewed	as of 2026-08-14

As enacted, required large online platforms to remove or, in the alternative, label materially deceptive AI-generated content about a candidate or elections official within windows around an election. The same district judge (Mendez, E.D. Cal.) held this statute preempted by Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act and did not reach the First Amendment question, with final judgment entered 2025-08-29 alongside the AB 2839 ruling; because the holding is preemption-based rather than a discretionary injunction, struck_down is the more precise status than enjoined, though the practical enforcement posture is the same. The State's appeal is pending in the same Ninth Circuit docket as AB 2839 (No. 25-6138), briefing complete 2026-03-11, no decision issued as of this review (2026-08-14). This is litigation-aware status, not the in_effect status the legacy corpus recorded.

Primary source: official California Legislative Information (leginfo) chaptered bill text, for the statute
secondary litigation-tracker reporting for the ruling and pending appeal

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