Prof. Alan Rozenshtein Interviewed on MPR About X Suing Minnesota for Law Barring Deepfakes

Professor Alan Rozenshtein was interviewed on MPR’s Minnesota Now about the social media platform X, run by Elon Musk, filing a federal lawsuit challenging a Minnesota law barring the use of deepfakes to influence an election. The lawsuit, filed Wednesday against Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, claims the law — passed with bipartisan support in the legislature in 2023 — violates free speech rights. The law made it a crime to post fake videos that could be used to influence an election. Legislators were concerned that deepfakes, made with AI and digital editing, could be used to spread misinformation about candidates. It carries potential penalties of fines and prison time. X’s lawsuit claims the law’s “requirements are so vague and unintelligible that social media platforms cannot understand what the statute permits and what it prohibits.” Prof. Rozenshtein said, “I’m not generally in the business with agreeing with Elon Musk, but I think in this case, I am forced to. Which is to say I think this lawsuit is actually quite strong and that this law, which is actually already being challenged in another lawsuit that’s currently ongoing, is very likely to be struck down on both First Amendment grounds and also federal statutory grounds.” Listen to the interview.