'Streisand effect': Musk reshares parody AI video of Kamala after California bans deepfakes

Elon Musk took to X to mock California’s new AI regulations, sharing a satirical video that he claims would now be illegal under the state’s recent laws. “The governor of California just made this parody video illegal in violation of the Constitution of the United States. Would be a shame if it went viral,” Musk posted.
Musk had earlier shared the video on July 27, with the caption "This is amazing." This post by Musk drew criticism with the Kamala Campaign lashing out at the "manipulated lies of Elon Musk and Donald Trump".
The video Musk referenced features a parody of Vice President Kamala Harris, critiquing her credentials while making satirical remarks about diversity hiring and political competence. The AI-generated video includes statements like, “I was selected because I am the ultimate diversity hire. If you criticise anything I say, you're both sexist and racist,” taking a jab at Harris’ role in US politics.

Musk continued to mock the law, comparing it to the “Streisand effect,” a term referring to attempts to suppress information that lead to it spreading more widely. He referred to an incident where Barbara Streisand sued to prevent her home’s address from being revealed, which ironically drew more attention to it.
Musk’s post came in response to California Governor Gavin Newsom's new legislation targeting AI-generated content, particularly deepfakes, ahead of the 2024 elections. The law, which takes effect immediately, prohibits creating and distributing AI-manipulated political content within 120 days before and 60 days after Election Day. The legislation aims to preserve election integrity and prevent AI from spreading disinformation.
Newsom defended the move, saying, “It’s critical that we ensure AI is not deployed to undermine the public’s trust through disinformation.”
X, despite criticism, also allows parody accounts, as long as they “distinguish themselves in their account name and in their bio.” The platform does not have specific rules around individual posts that constitute parody. Other major social media platforms, like Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, have a manipulated media policy that doesn’t apply to satire and parody. X doesn’t differentiate between posts that are parody or not in its manipulated media policy.