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Committee backs expansion of civil remedies for nonconsensual AI 'nudify' sites after survivor testimony
Summary
AB 621 would expand enforcement and damages against websites that create or facilitate nonconsensual AI‑generated nude images; a young survivor testified and the San Francisco City Attorney’s office sponsored the bill.
The Assembly Privacy and Consumer Protection Committee voted to advance AB 621, a bill sponsored by the San Francisco City Attorney that increases civil enforcement options and damages against websites that create or facilitate nonconsensual AI‑generated nude images.
The author said the bill updates existing statutes to expressly cover operators of so‑called “nudify” sites and those who knowingly or recklessly facilitate their operation. Rebecca Krell of the San Francisco City Attorney’s Office explained the office’s interest after filing a lawsuit last year alleging violations by large websites that create and distribute nonconsensual AI‑generated sexual imagery.
A 17‑year‑old witness, Kaylin, described being a victim of AI‑generated child sexual images and urged the committee to support the bill. "These circumstances make me feel uneasy and angry," she told members, adding that the images caused social and mental‑health harms.
Supporters included the California District Attorneys Association and local civil‑rights advocates; Civil Liberties Advocacy said it had previously raised First Amendment concerns but told the committee that, after discussion with the author, its objections were narrowed and it was a "soft opposition" on limited free‑speech questions. Committee members from both parties thanked the witness for her testimony and expressed bipartisan support for stronger tools to hold operators of these sites accountable.
The committee adopted the author’s amendments and approved the bill for referral to the Judiciary Committee. The amendments expand the statute’s civil standing for public prosecutors, make operators and facilitators explicitly liable, and increase the damages violators may face, the San Francisco City Attorney’s office said.
The bill was approved in committee and will next be considered by the Judiciary Committee.
Sources and attribution: Assemblymember Bauer‑Kahan (author); Kaylin (survivor witness); Rebecca Krell, San Francisco City Attorney’s Office (sponsor); California District Attorneys Association (support).
