# Minnesota Bans Nonconsensual AI Deepfake Imagery, First in Nation

> Minnesota has enacted what it bills as the first law of its kind in the country, HF 1606, which took effect on August 1 and targets the tools that generate nonconsensual nude deepfakes rather than only the people who misuse them. The statute allows civil penalties of up to 500,000 dollars each time prohibited content is generated, and lets a depicted person bring action directly against the company providing the tool. Aiming at the app makers is the legally interesting part. Most deepfake laws chase individual bad actors after the harm is done, while this approach tries to make offering the capability itself expensive. A legal challenge, reportedly from xAI, did not stop the law from taking effect. Whether it survives the inevitable First Amendment and jurisdiction fights is an open question, and enforcing it against tools hosted anywhere in the world will be hard. But as a template for regulating the supply side of synthetic abuse imagery, other states will be watching Minnesota closely.

_Section: [Daily AI Updates](https://www.wortins.com/daily-ai) · Source: Recording Law · Published Saturday, August 15, 2026_

## Wortins' read

Minnesota has enacted what it bills as the first law of its kind in the country, HF 1606, which took effect on August 1 and targets the tools that generate nonconsensual nude deepfakes rather than only the people who misuse them. The statute allows civil penalties of up to 500,000 dollars each time prohibited content is generated, and lets a depicted person bring action directly against the company providing the tool. Aiming at the app makers is the legally interesting part. Most deepfake laws chase individual bad actors after the harm is done, while this approach tries to make offering the capability itself expensive. A legal challenge, reportedly from xAI, did not stop the law from taking effect. Whether it survives the inevitable First Amendment and jurisdiction fights is an open question, and enforcing it against tools hosted anywhere in the world will be hard. But as a template for regulating the supply side of synthetic abuse imagery, other states will be watching Minnesota closely.

## Source

[Read the full story at Recording Law](https://www.recordinglaw.com/us-laws/deepfake-laws/minnesota-deepfake-laws/)

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