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Read. Follow. Verify.Utah regulates AI-generated deepfakes in defamation claims and establishes exclusive rights to personal identity
Last action · March 26, 2026: Governor SignedSponsors: Kirk Cullimore and 1 other
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What This Bill Does
Utah enacts SB 256, clarifying that defamation laws apply to AI-generated and digitally manipulated content while establishing pre-suit notice requirements and limiting damage recovery if publishers remove contested material within 10 days. The legislation creates an exclusive, transferable right to personal identity lasting up to 70 years after death, criminalizes trafficking in identity-replication tools for commercial use, and takes effect on May 6, 2026.
Residents gain explicit legal protections against unauthorized digital recreations of their voice, likeness, and name while publishers face specific procedural requirements and liability limits when handling AI-generated media.
Who It Affects
Groups the bill's text affects, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Publishers
Publishers face new notice and removal timelines to limit defamation damage exposure and are prohibited from distributing unauthorized commercial identity-replication tools.
Right holders
Right holders receive an explicit, transferable 70-year post-mortem right to control and authorize the replication of an individual's personal identity.
Interactive computer services
Interactive computer services remain exempt from liability for third-party content under federal statute standards.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
What must someone do before suing for defamation over AI-generated content?
How long do personal identity rights last after an individual dies?
Are interactive computer services held liable for user-generated AI content under this law?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Current status: Signed into law.
Procedural history
46 actions- Mar 26, 2026Lieutenant Governor's office for filingEnrolledGovernor Signed
- Mar 13, 2026SenateSenate/ to Governor
- Mar 13, 2026SenateSenate/ received enrolled bill from Printing
- Mar 11, 2026SenateSenate/ enrolled bill to Printing
- Mar 11, 2026Senate SecretaryEnrolled Bill Returned to House or Senate
- Mar 6, 2026Legislative Research and General Counsel / EnrollingDraft of Enrolled Bill Prepared
Show 40 earlier actions
- Mar 6, 2026Legislative Research and General Counsel / EnrollingBill Received from Senate for Enrolling
- Mar 6, 2026SenateSenate/ signed by President/ sent for enrolling
- Mar 6, 2026SenateSenate/ received from House
- Mar 5, 2026HouseHouse/ to Senate
- Mar 5, 2026HouseHouse/ signed by Speaker/ returned to Senate
- Mar 5, 2026HouseFloorHouse/ passed 3rd reading
- Mar 5, 2026HouseHouse/ 3rd reading
- Mar 2, 2026HouseHouse/ 2nd reading
- Mar 2, 2026HouseHouse/ committee report favorable
- Feb 27, 2026HouseHouse Comm - Favorable Recommendation
- Feb 26, 2026HouseCommitteeHouse/ to standing committee
- Feb 26, 2026HouseIntroducedHouse/ 1st reading (Introduced)
- Feb 25, 2026HouseHouse/ received from Senate
- Feb 25, 2026SenateSenate/ to House
- Feb 25, 2026SenateFloorSenate/ passed 3rd reading
- Feb 25, 2026SenateSenate/ uncircled
- Feb 25, 2026SenateSenate/ circled
- Feb 25, 2026SenateSenate/ 3rd reading
- Feb 25, 2026ReleasedLFA/ fiscal note publicly available for SB0256S01
- Feb 25, 2026Version SponsorLFA/ fiscal note sent to sponsor for SB0256S01
- Feb 24, 2026SenateFloorSenate/ passed 2nd reading
- Feb 24, 2026SenateSenate/ substituted
- Feb 24, 2026SenateSenate/ uncircled
- Feb 24, 2026Legislative Fiscal AgencyLFA/ bill sent to agencies for fiscal input for SB0256S01
- Feb 24, 2026Legislative Fiscal AnalystLFA/ bill assigned to staff for fiscal analysis for SB0256S01
- Feb 23, 2026SenateSenate/ circled
- Feb 23, 2026SenateSenate/ 2nd reading
- Feb 10, 2026SenateSenate/ placed on 2nd Reading Calendar
- Feb 10, 2026SenateSenate/ committee report favorable
- Feb 9, 2026SenateSenate Comm - Favorable Recommendation
- Feb 9, 2026SenateSenate/ received fiscal note from Fiscal Analyst
- Feb 8, 2026ReleasedLFA/ fiscal note publicly available for SB0256
- Feb 8, 2026Version SponsorLFA/ fiscal note sent to sponsor for SB0256
- Feb 6, 2026SenateCommitteeSenate/ to standing committee
- Feb 5, 2026SenateIntroducedSenate/ 1st reading (Introduced)
- Feb 5, 2026SenateSenate/ received bill from Legislative Research
- Feb 5, 2026Legislative Fiscal AgencyLFA/ bill sent to agencies for fiscal input for SB0256
- Feb 5, 2026Legislative Fiscal AnalystLFA/ bill assigned to staff for fiscal analysis for SB0256
- Feb 5, 2026Legislative Research and General CounselNumbered Bill Publicly Distributed
- Feb 5, 2026Legislative Research and General CounselBill Numbered but not Distributed
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Retroactive Identity Protection
The law applies retroactively for up to 70 years for individuals who died prior to May 6, 2026, vesting rights in their heirs and executors.
Sources
le.utah.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance85How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy45Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz60Current news / social attention level
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