X Corp. disputes Minnesota's deepfake election law in federal court

In April 2023, Minnesota enacted a law prohibiting the creation and sharing of deepfakes intended to influence elections or damage candidates' reputations. This legislation specifically applies to the 90 days leading up to an election, imposing criminal penalties—including jail time—for violators. The law defines deepfakes as extremely realistic audio, video, or images that misrepresent someone's actions without their consent. In response, X Corp, owned by Elon Musk, filed a federal lawsuit against this statute, claiming it violates free speech protections under the First and Fourteenth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution. X argues that the law's vague language could lead to excessive censorship of political discourse, thus undermining essential democratic principles. Together with concerns over ambiguities, X contends that the law conflicts with the1996 federal law designed to protect social media companies from liability over user-generated content. The case was filed on April 23, 2025, against Minnesota's Attorney General Keith Ellison, as the state defends its law, asserting it's a necessary measure against digital misinformation and a threat to electoral integrity. The law has also faced challenges from local figures in the past. However, X hopes to obtain a preliminary injunction to prevent enforcement while the lawsuit is pending, establishing its position on maintaining a platform that allows open political debate. This situation has raised broader discussions on regulation of digital content, free speech rights, and how legislation can adapt to evolving technologies like AI-generated media.