Committee examines several bills to criminalize computer‑generated child sexual imagery and to clarify penalties

Members of the House Judiciary Committee considered multiple bills addressing computer‑generated sexual imagery, commonly described in testimony as "deepfakes," and proposed changes to statutes covering child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

Representative Bernie Satrim and others introduced House Bill 1351 (initial draft) that would criminalize production, possession and distribution of certain computer‑generated images depicting minors engaged in sexual conduct; prosecutor and victims' advocates testified that the draft should be strengthened, including upgrading penalties to felony level and narrowing or eliminating broad affirmative‑defense language. Anna Frizzell, representing Children's Advocacy Centers of North Dakota, recommended elevating the proposed misdemeanor to a class C felony and removing some blanket affirmative defenses that could permit reuse of identifiable minors' images ‘‘without the express and written permission of the minor or their parent or guardian.’'

Tech industry representatives suggested…