In one paragraph
Maine requires campaign ads that contain 'synthetic media' of a candidate to carry the disclosure 'THIS COMMUNICATION CONTAINS AUDIO, VIDEO AND/OR IMAGES THAT HAVE BEEN MANIPULATED OR ALTERED.' Synthetic media is an image, audio or video of a candidate that deceptively shows them saying or doing something they did not, or is altered to give a materially different impression; clarity edits, captions, satire and parody are excluded. Violations can bring civil penalties of up to 500% of the expenditure, and the Attorney General can seek injunctions. Broadcasters and newspapers are liable only with actual knowledge. Effective July 29, 2026.
Plain-English summary, written with AI assistance. The official text controls.
What it means for business
Campaigns, PACs, ad agencies and media buyers running Maine election ads with AI-altered candidate media must add the required disclosure or face penalties up to 500% of the spend.
Key provisions
- Public communications that already need a disclosure under 21-A M.R.S. § 1014 must add the manipulated-media statement when they contain synthetic media (§ 1014(5-C))
- Synthetic media: a candidate image, audio or video that deceptively depicts things the candidate did not say or do, or gives a materially different impression than the original
- Excludes edits for clarity, captions or highlighting that don't change the impression, and satire or parody
- Civil penalty up to 500% of the expenditure in violation, with no 10-day cure option (§ 1014(4))
- Broadcasters and newspapers violate the rule only if they run a paid communication with actual knowledge it contains synthetic media; a third-party allegation alone is not knowledge
- The Ethics Commission sets rules for the disclosure's manner, size and placement; the Attorney General may sue for injunctive relief
- Effective July 29, 2026, the general effective date for the session's nonemergency laws
Latest legislative action
Mar 23, 2026. Signed by the Governor (Public Law chapter 593)
Sponsors (showing 5 of 37)
| Name | Role |
|---|---|
| Amy KUHN D | Primary |
| Billy Bob FAULKINGHAM R | Primary |
| Christopher BABBIDGE | Primary |
| John ANDREWS | Primary |
| MAKER | Primary |
Roll call votes
ACCEPT MAJORITY OUGHT TO PASS AS AMENDED REPORT Mar 12, 2026
20 yea14 nay1 otherPassed
ACC MAJ OTP AS AMENDED REP Mar 10, 2026
73 yea65 nay12 otherPassed
Amendments (1)
-
House: C-A (H-837) Adopted
Topics and industries
Related topics
Affected industries
This page is general information, not legal advice. Summaries are AI-assisted and may contain errors; read the statute for the controlling text and talk to a lawyer about your situation. Full disclaimer · Report an error