Deepfakes Targeting Politicians and Public Officials

Politicians and elected officials are increasingly targeted by deepfake intimate image campaigns that combine NCII-style harassment with political attack goals. These campaigns are often timed to electoral cycles and coordinated by political opponents or bad actors. Use ScanErase to see every match of your face across platforms. Additionally, deepfake content used to influence elections may fall under Federal Election Commission (FEC) and state election law provisions.

The dual nature of political deepfake campaigns

Political deepfake intimate image campaigns serve two functions simultaneously: sexual humiliation and political damage. The sexual content spreads as NCII while the political damage is amplified by news coverage of the campaign. This dual nature means victims need to find where their face appears online using ScanErase to take appropriate action.

Discovery rights for public figures

ScanErase does not distinguish between private individuals and public figures. A senator has the same ability to find their face in deepfake intimate content as a private citizen. Public figure status may be relevant to other legal frameworks (defamation, false light) but does not affect the discovery process.

Election law considerations

Deepfake content used in political campaigns may violate state and federal campaign laws. Several states have enacted specific laws prohibiting the use of AI-generated content to misrepresent candidates in election materials. The FEC is developing AI campaign content rules. Political deepfake campaigns may constitute coordinated illegal conduct subject to criminal investigation beyond the NCII framework.