China has enacted the world's strictest deepfake law, imposing prison sentences of up to 10 years for creating or distributing AI-generated content that impersonates real people without their consent.

The Law

The regulation requires all AI-generated content to carry visible watermarks and metadata. Social media platforms face shutdown if they fail to remove unlabeled deepfakes within 2 hours of notification.

Global Comparison

China's penalties far exceed those in the EU (fines only) and the US (no federal law). Digital rights groups are concerned the law could be used to suppress legitimate political speech.