OLYMPIA — Legislation sponsored by Sen. Matt Boehnke to strengthen protections against AI-generated impersonations and other digital misuse of a person’s identity was signed into law today, Monday, March 16, by Gov. Bob Ferguson.
Substitute Senate Bill 5886 updates Washington’s personality rights law to address the growing use of artificial intelligence to create realistic but deceptive audio and video, often referred to as “deepfakes.” The new law clarifies that using a person’s forged digital likeness without their consent violates their personality rights.
“As technology evolves, so do the risks of having someone’s image or voice used without their permission,” said Boehnke, R-Kennewick. “This law helps ensure Washingtonians have clear protections when their identity or likeness is misused.”
Under existing statute, individuals have a property right in the use of their name, voice, signature, photograph, or likeness. SSB 5886 expands those protections to include a person’s forged digital likeness, defined as a visual or audio representation that has been digitally created or altered to convincingly mimic a real person.
Boehnke’s legislation also increases the civil penalty for violating personality rights and allows courts to order injunctions to stop the unauthorized use of a person’s digital likeness.
“Deepfake technology can be used to deceive people and damage someone’s reputation,” Boehnke concluded. “This legislation updates our laws, so Washingtonians have the tools to protect themselves when their identity is manipulated or exploited.”
SSB 5886 passed the Senate unanimously on Feb. 5 and was approved by the House on March 4 with strong bipartisan support before being delivered to the governor.
The new law takes effect June 10, 2026.
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