Law / United States / New Jersey
Deceptive Audio or Visual Media (Deepfake) Criminalization Act
N.J. Stat. §§ 2C:21-17.7 to 2C:21-17.8 (P.L. 2025, c. 40, A3540)
A citation is an address, not a summary. The first part names the law; what follows narrows it to the exact section, article or paragraph.
In force since 2 April 2025.
An AI prohibited practices rule binding public and private bodies.
As of 6 September 2026.
What it requires
- Do not generate, solicit, disclose, or use a deceptive audio or visual media work (a deepfake) for the purpose of attempting or furthering an enumerated New Jersey crime, including a sexual offense, endangering the welfare of children, harassment, cyber-harassment, or threats or improper influence in official or political matters, or with knowledge that it will be so used by another.
- Do not knowingly or recklessly disclose a deceptive audio or visual media work created in violation of this Act, even absent a further unlawful purpose.
- Content a reasonable viewer would understand as criticism, comment, satire, parody, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, or research falls outside this Act, as does a work an audience would not believe to be authentic.
If you get it wrong
Criminal exposureYes
Criminal exposure note
Generating, soliciting, disclosing, or using a deepfake to further an enumerated crime (or knowing another will) is a crime of the third degree, punishable under N.J. Stat. 2C:43-6a(3) by three to five years' imprisonment; knowingly or recklessly disclosing a deepfake created in violation of the Act, without more, is a crime of the fourth degree, punishable under 2C:43-6a(4) by up to 18 months. Either may also draw a fine of up to $30,000.
Penalty structure
A fine of up to $30,000 may be imposed for a violation of the Act's criminal provisions, in addition to any term of imprisonment; the Act does not further tier the fine by degree of the underlying crime.
- Rule
- Fixed only
- As of
- 2 April 2025
- Currency
- USD
- Fixed cap
- 30,000
Statutory damages
This is a statutory minimum (liquidated damages) a court must award for each knowing or reckless violation in the civil action created by the Act, not a cap; actual damages, punitive damages, and attorney's fees may also be awarded.
- As of
- 2 April 2025
- Currency
- USD
- Per person reckless
- 1,000
What it reaches
Obligation class
Prohibition
What this law does
Drafted with AI from the cited sources under the direction of UnGovr staff. UnGovr holds editorial responsibility for this page.
A natural person commits a crime of the third degree if, without license or privilege, the person generates, creates, solicits, discloses, or uses a work of deceptive audio or visual media created substantially through technical means, commonly a deepfake, for the purpose of attempting or furthering the commission of an enumerated crime or offense, including sexual offenses, endangering the welfare of children under N.J.S. 2C:24-4, harassment, cyber-harassment, threats or improper influence in official and political matters, false public alarms, and hazing, or with knowledge that the work will be used by another for that purpose; knowingly or recklessly disclosing such a work, without more, is a crime of the fourth degree.
A fine of up to $30,000 may be imposed for a violation in addition to any prison term, and a victim may bring a civil action for actual or liquidated damages, punitive damages, and attorney's fees, without a criminal conviction as a prerequisite.
The Act exempts content a reasonable viewer would understand as criticism, comment, satire, parody, news reporting, teaching, scholarship or research, and exempts interactive computer service providers, cloud services providers, and AI developers or providers protected under 47 U.S.C. section 230.
When LexLint raises it
generates_contentprocesses_voice
Read the law
official enacted chapter text, New Jersey Legislature (pub.njleg.gov)