Source: Office of the Attorney General of Connecticut (CT.gov)

Hartford, CT — May 7, 2026: Attorney General William Tong praised final passage of House Bill No. 5312, which establishes civil enforcement mechanisms targeted at deepfake digital sexual assault. The act, entitled "An Act Establishing a Civil Action for the Office of the Attorney General and a Private Right of Action for Victims of Unlawful Dissemination of a Synthetically Created Intimate Images," builds on a 2015 Connecticut law and a subsequent expansion last year to cover digitally created images. The statute grants victims a private right of action to sue individuals who use AI to create intimate deepfake images resembling another person, and empowers the Office of the Attorney General to seek civil injunctions and penalties against platforms that host or fail to mitigate the spread of such illegal images. The release specifies that the AG’s civil authority includes addressing AI-generated child pornography among the illegal content covered. Legislative leaders quoted in the release—Rep. Steve Stafstrom, Rep. Craig Fishbein, Sen. Gary Winfield, and Sen. John Kissel—emphasized victim relief, platform accountability, and Connecticut’s leadership on this issue.

Attorney General Tong described deepfakes as "digital sexual assault" and stated his office will use the full extent of its law-enforcement authority to hold abusers and facilitators accountable. Sponsors noted that HB 5312 provides civil tools in state court that complement criminal penalties by affording victims additional rights and remedies not available under criminal law. The press release includes media and consumer contact information (media contact Elizabeth Benton; general AG contacts) and references the Office’s social media accounts. The extracted text does not state whether the Governor has signed the bill or provide an effective date for the legislation.