The Alabama Child Protection Act was moved forward by the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday. HB168, sponsored by State Rep. Matt Woods (R-Jasper) would make computer-generated child pornography illegal in Alabama.
“AI-generated child porn is not a victimless crime,” Woods told committee members on Wednesday.
“And this is a growing issue nationwide and I’m hearing from folks all over the state. I have personal connections to people who have experienced this. We even have some folks who work here in the State House who unfortunately have children who’ve experienced this. And so it just seems to be a growing problem with technology evolving. We have new challenges, and we certainly need to be able to address those as it relates to this bill.”
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The topic gained traction on a regulatory level after a recent incident in Demopolis where ordinary photos of female middle school students were uploaded to an artificial intelligence website by male classmates who generated explicit material.
Woods received support in crafting the legislation from Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall, who praised the bill’s progress on Wednesday.
— Attorney General Steve Marshall (@AGSteveMarshall) February 21, 2024
Woods also received some praise from State Rep. David Faulkner (R-Mountain Brook) during the hearing.
“Representative woods, I want to thank you for bringing this bill,” Faulkner said. “As technology goes where it is in our society, it is gone ahead of us and in our laws, and this is something I think is really needed. And I know you’ve worked with law enforcement or agencies on this and AG and so really appreciate you bringing the bill.”
Yaffee is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts “The Yaffee Program” weekdays 9-11 a.m. on WVNN. You can follow him on Twitter @Yaffee
