Following a police investigation into teenage boys in New Jersey who distributed deepfake porn images of classmates, the US has reintroduced a law that would impose severe penalties for such acts, writes Ars Technica.

Joseph Morell, a Democratic congressman from New Jersey, announced that he has reintroduced the “Deepfake Intimate Images Prevention Act”, which would “prohibit the distribution of digitally altered intimate images without consent”. According to the proposed law, anyone who distributes deepfake pornography without the person’s consent risks a fine of $150,000 and up to 10 years in prison if such distribution promotes violence or affects the work of a government agency.

The congressman, as well as victims of deepfake who have joined in support of the law, hope that the stiff fines will deter companies and individuals from distributing such images. The law creates a criminal offense for distributing deepfake pornography “with the intent to harass, annoy, threaten, alarm, or substantially harm the finances or reputation of the person depicted” or with “reckless disregard” or “actual knowledge” that the images will cause harm to the person depicted. The new law also allows victims to sue offenders in civil court, as now the distribution of deepfakes, unlike the distribution of real intimate photos without the person’s consent, is not a criminal offense and cannot be punished.

Of course, there are some doubts that teenage boys will stop doing all the stupid things they usually do, but if the law is passed and the first cases of this kind appear, perhaps students will think that everything they create in the digital age stays with them and can hit them very hard even in 10 or 20 years.