§ 29B.35.010 — Action by candidate for relief and damages—Defenses.(Effective January 1, 2026.)

Washington § 29B.35.010

• Jurisdiction: Washington
• Title 29B: CAMPAIGN DISCLOSURE AND CONTRIBUTION
• Ch. 29B.35: ELECTIONEERING COMMUNICATIONS—USE OF SYNTHETIC MEDIA

Text

(1) For purposes of this section "synthetic media" means an image, an audio recording, or a video recording of an individual's appearance, speech, or conduct that has been intentionally manipulated with the use of generative adversarial network techniques or other digital technology in a manner to create a realistic but false image, audio, or video that produces:

(a) A depiction that to a reasonable individual is of a real individual in appearance, action, or speech that did not actually occur in reality; and

(b) A fundamentally different understanding or impression of the appearance, action, or speech than a reasonable person would have from the unaltered, original version of the image, audio recording, or video recording.

(2) A candidate whose appearance, action, or speech is altered through the use of a synthetic media in an electioneering communication may seek injunctive or other equitable relief prohibiting the publication of such synthetic media.

(3) A candidate whose appearance, action, or speech is altered through the use of a synthetic media in an electioneering communication may bring an action for general or special damages against the sponsor. The court may also award a prevailing party reasonable attorneys' fees and costs. This subsection does not limit or preclude a plaintiff from securing or recovering any other available remedy.

(4) It is an affirmative defense for any action brought under this section that the electioneering communication containing a synthetic media includes a disclosure stating, "This (image/video/audio) has been manipulated," in the following manner:

(a) For visual media, the text of the disclosure must appear in size easily readable by the average viewer and no smaller than the largest font size of other text appearing in the visual media. If the visual media does not include any other text, the disclosure must appear in a size that is easily readable by the average viewer. For visual media that is a video, the disclosure must appear for the duration of the video; or

(b) If the media consists of audio only, the disclosure must be read in a clearly spoken manner and in a pitch that can be easily heard by the average listener, at the beginning of the audio, at the end of the audio, and, if the audio is greater than two minutes in length, interspersed within the audio at intervals of not more than two minutes each.

(5) In any action commenced under this section, the plaintiff bears the burden of establishing the use of synthetic media by clear and convincing evidence.

(6) Courts are encouraged to determine matters under this section expediently.

Legislative History

[2023 c 360 s 2. Formerly RCW42.62.020.]