Digital Readiness · Deepfakes

Where the law has caught up — and where it hasn't.

Every U.S. state, mapped against the topics moving fastest at the legislature. Click any state for the law and where enforcement actually stands.

Deepfakes

Maryland

In motion.Trending toward more guardrails.

Effective 2026-06-01 · 1 June 2026Next review by 2026-08-06 · 6 August 2026

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Not yet effective. The rule has been adopted but its effective date has not arrived.

Sources

mgaleg.maryland.govMaryland SB 141 — Election Misinformation, Election Disinformation, and Deepfakes

Why this status

Maryland SB 141 has cleared both chambers and is enrolled, with a stated effective date of June 1, 2026. The law would prohibit knowingly or recklessly creating or sharing election-context deepfakes that produce materially false election information, and gives the State Board of Elections tools to respond to credible reports of election misinformation. The Governor's signature was not visible in the cited record at the May 5, 2026 review — enrollment indicates passage by both chambers, not necessarily signed-into-law status.

What this means

There is no enforceable Maryland rule today — the start date is June 1, 2026, and that date is what matters for enforcement. Whether the bill is signed, allowed to become law without signature, or vetoed before then is the operative question.
The rule, when it takes effect, will be focused on elections — deepfakes that produce materially false election information. It does not establish a broad rule covering deepfakes involving minors, consumer fraud, or general intimate-image scenarios.
When the rule becomes active, the State Board of Elections gets a defined response path for credible reports of election misinformation — that's the structural change.

What to verify next

Confirm the bill's enacted-or-vetoed status on the Maryland General Assembly's SB 141 page, and check whether the cross-filed companion HB 0145 was separately enacted.
If you're concerned about a deepfake outside an election context — in a social feed or directed at a private individual — Maryland SB 141 won't reach it. Federal protections and the platform's own policy are where to look today.

How this was scored →

Public-source posture estimateNot legal adviceMap regenerated2026-05-08 · 8 May 2026