Please vote in favor of SB85. This bill will help protect minors (and adults!) from dangerous online practices by allowing people, not companies, to own their photos, contacts, and online records. We continue to see addictive behavior patterns from teens on social media, but they often feel trapped to stay on these apps precisely because the company, not the individual, has full control over the data. Social media companies who do not support SB85 are not supporting healthy childhood development. Their concerns surrounding this bill should be met with raised eyebrow. Please vote in favor of SB85 so that Virginia's kids can grow up safe, healthy, and happy, not trapped by BigTech.

Dear Chair Ebbin and members of the committee, The Technology Policy Project at Reason Foundation provides pro bono consulting to public officials and stakeholders to help them design and implement technology policy reforms regarding the regulation of artificial intelligence (AI) and other emerging technologies, digital free speech, data security, child online safety, and tech industry competition policy. Our team brings practical, market-oriented strategies to help foster innovation, competition, and consumer choice through technology policies that work. We share the sponsor's goal of empowering users to control and delete their data, but Senate Bill 85, in its current state, would ultimately hinder the legislature’s ability to achieve that goal. The core of our concerns centers around the problematic interoperability requirements, which carry privacy and cybersecurity risks. Proponents of interoperability mandates, such as the one outlined in SB 85, often overemphasize the ability for companies to interoperate within a closed ecosystem of products and services. Indeed, there is a driving market incentive to make services cross-functional online. But when this kind of interoperation occurs, it is done between parties with heightened data protection practices and protocols. What this bill contemplates, on the other hand, is forcing companies to interoperate with anyone regardless of the receiving party’s data protection standards. Such a mandate would disregard the improvements made in data privacy and cyber threat minimization and significantly undermine a company’s ability to safeguard user data. When user data is transmitted, the privacy and security protections from the originating platform cannot be guaranteed to be as stringent on the receiving platform. Because companies would be required to comply with interoperability requests, even if they find the third-party platform’s data protection protocols insufficient, this bill would open the door for a new generation of online hacks and cybercrime. These concerns are compounded by SB 85’s application to certain AI “model operators” and “contextual data.” Contextual data can include prompts, chat histories, uploaded files, preferences, metadata and model generated or inferred data linked to a user’s interactions. This information is often far more sensitive than typical social media exports and more likely to include third-party information. Requiring third-party accessible interoperability interfaces for this category of data increases the attack surface and heightens privacy and security risks. Finally, the bill specifies that the other users’ data transmitted in response to a request will not include data marked as private. However, the transmission would still include data about the user’s connections, such as other people’s accounts or profiles, and the user's interactions with those people’s posts. For these reasons, we urge this committee to reject the data interoperability mandates outlined in SB 85. Thank you for the opportunity to submit this written testimony, and we welcome the opportunity to advise the legislature on this subject in the future. Sincerely, Nicole Shekhovtsova (nicole.shekhovtsova@reason.org) Caden Rosenbaum (caden.rosenbaum@reason.org)

The power hungry Spanberger, Democrats, and Socialists in the Virginia General Assembly are not doing their job to protect Virginia America citizens from dangerous criminals! This is your first priority as a politicians, but you are not. The leftists continue to promote murders and the mobs instead of the police, law abiding people. Indoctrination of our children to become propagandists protesters is morally wrong and you should be ashamed of yourselves. Shame on you all. Data centers are not the way to go and human lives will be lost. These are dark times because the left’s cruelty. Comments in the link. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/dhs-blasts-spanberger-on-potential-release-of-illegal-migrant-with-30-arrests-currently-charged-with-murder/ar-AA1Xsk8U

I oppose data centers that are costly for everyone in our state. Many of us rather have fresh water and farm land than use up technology development. Democrats and socialists are forcing us to pay more taxes so they can redistribute it to other people and have more government subsidies. These policies are wasteful and not affordable policies. Spanberger and the majority of democrats do not care about putting Virginia citizens first. We don’t want to be California, Illinois, or any socialist state.

The power hungry Spanberger, Democrats, and Socialists in the Virginia General Assembly are not doing their job to protect Virginia America citizens from dangerous criminals! This is your first priority as a politicians, but you are not. The leftists continue to promote murders and the mobs instead of the police, law abiding people. Indoctrination of our children to become propagandists protesters is morally wrong and you should be ashamed of yourselves. Shame on you all. Data centers are not the way to go and human lives will be lost. These are dark times because the left’s cruelty. Comments in the link. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/dhs-blasts-spanberger-on-potential-release-of-illegal-migrant-with-30-arrests-currently-charged-with-murder/ar-AA1Xsk8U

My name is Karen Greenaway and I support SB141. With the explosion of AI use in the creation of everything from books to deep fake political videos, voters are inundated with misleading, mischarachterized, and false information that is shaping our political discourse. While many see AI as a tool to enhance storytelling or artistic expression, it should not be a mechanism used to sell or destroy a candidate and his or her reputation. Our current use of AI has no guard rails, no mechanism to validate AI created content, and no limits on its power to manipulate our emotions and our inner sense of acceptable human behaviour. While some argue that prohibiting the use of AI inhibits free speech, I strongly disagree. Until we have established legal guard rails for the use of AI created content in our political discourse, AI as a content tool should be prohibited. This kind of content should be the equivalent of subliminal messaging which is prohibited by law , i,e, you cannot hide messages to advertise and sell products in creative content. Therefore, I urge this committe to support this bill. I also support SB699 Senator Survoll's bill on sensible campaign donation contribution limits. For more than five years, I have volunteered to advocate for campaign finance reform in the Commonwealth. I have spoken with members from both sides of the aisle, both current and past elected officials, as well as NGOs and members of civil society organizations. The bottom line is that it should be a disgrace that this Commonwealth has the most expensive election cycle in the country. The power this brings one side of the aisle or the other should not outweigh the fact that only the wealthy and arrogant corporate monopolies are the true winners in our elections. It has created a reality where hundreds of thousands of our citizens can no longer pay their tax bills, electric bills, healthcare costs, and grocery bills because greedy corporate citizens continue to have their voices and pocket books prioritized with this body under the fiction of job creation and increased tax revenue. The only reason this body cannot connect their overflowing campaign coffers with the true suffering their greedy donors are causing the average human being in the Commonwealth is because it refuses to stare that reality in the face. In five years of doing this work, the ends do not justify the means. Senator Suovell is making a well-reasoned attempt to change that. I urge this body to support his efforts. Thank you.

I strongly urge your support for SB141 and SB688. SB141 addresses a growing and dangerous threat to our elections: the use of synthetic media to deceive voters. Deepfakes and AI-generated political content can fabricate speech, manipulate images, and distort reality itself. Requiring clear disclosure when synthetic media is used is not censorship — it is basic transparency. Voters deserve to know when what they are seeing or hearing has been artificially generated. Truth is foundational to democracy, and this bill protects that foundation. SB688 confronts another serious distortion: unlimited money in politics. The consequences of Citizens United and related decisions are visible in declining public trust and the outsized influence of concentrated wealth. Establishing reasonable contribution and expenditure limits — even contingent on constitutional viability — signals that Virginia will not normalize a system where money outweighs voters. These bills defend two pillars of democracy: truth and accountability. I respectfully ask you to move them forward.

My name is Raymond Fary, a citizen residing in Rockingham County. I wish to urge the Committee to vote in support of full passage by the House of Senate Bills 141 and 688. Like a large majority of our countrymen across the political spectrum, I believe that representative government: 1. depends on an electorate that is well informed and entitled to the means to evaluate the truthfulness of campaign information. Just as the law requires disclosure of the funders of campaign advertising, it should compel advertisers to identify imagery and animation that is manipulated by artificial intelligence, as SB 141 would mandate. 2. should not be for sale to the highest bidder. Constitutionally defensible limits must be placed on the contributions of corporations and political action committees, SB 688 is an important first step in this direction It is unfortunate that more of the campaign finance reform proposals introduced this session have been killed by an entrenched leadership. I hope that passage of these bills will provide a glimmer of hope, and a foundation to build on in the future. Tahnk you for your consideration.

The many ways political campaigns manipulate communications to disguise their sponsorship have rapidly expanded to include altering communications in ways that mislead and misinform. Add to that the rapidly increasing tendency for altered communications to spread like wildfire, and we have a recipe for adversely affecting voters’ ability to make informed decisions. Requirements that electioneering communications containing synthetic media should be clearly identified as to the manipulated content, and including meaningful penalties for violations, are essential to a well-informed electorate. The provision that permits a registered voter on the receiving end of such communications to institute action for preventive relief brings enforcement to the grass-roots level and increases the electorate’s participation in the process. We know our members and many voters in Virginia consider this an important issue. Please report SB141.

Virginia needs campaign finance reform. Stop big money and manipulation of campaigns through finance control and hidden donors.

I strongly support SB141 because I want to be an accurately informed voter. Disclosure of synthetic media will benefit voters and candidates. I believe voters want honesty in elections and I hope you do too. Please support SB141.

I am Jessica Mott of Arlington VA, representing We of Action VA. I urge you to support SB141 which requires that any electioneering communications containing synthetic media contain the following phrase: " This message contains synthetic media that has been altered from its original source or artificially generated and may present conduct or speech that did not occur." Voters need to be able to make informed decisions on how to vote, and if not disclosed, synthetic media can distort facts and associated opinions of voters, and undermine voters' trust in the electoral process, and this bill would address this need. Many legislators have noted to me the problems they have encountered with AI-generated misinformation. This bill has widespread support and no down sides.

I strong encourage the passage of SB688, which will establish campaign contribution and expenditure limits for all persons and committees in Virginia. Excessive campaign donations, dark money, and 'pay-for-play' are at the heart of what is currently destroying our country's democracy. Virginia's campaign finance laws are among the WORST in the nation, and not fitting of the leadership the Commonwealth had taken in other areas. Please take this first step to stop our country's slide into oligarchy and dictator ship. Relatedly, please also pass SB 141, which requires disclosure if campaign ads and other materials contain AI-generated content. Most state statues either (a) require disclosure when campaign material uses synthetic media; or prohibit disclosure of deceptive deepfakes with a fixed pre-election window. Elections depend on informed decisions. When synthetic media is shared without clear labels, it can distort public opinion, unfairly influence voters, and undermine trust in the electoral process. A disclosure requirement helps maintain fair competition and electoral legitimacy. Thank you.

I support the required disclosure of "synthetic" media or information used in campaign materials. I support institution of campaign contribution and expendature limits - campaigns have gotten too expensive and we don't need people buying our elections.

As a citizen, I’m writing to express my strong support for SB141, which requires disclosure of AI-generated and synthetic media in political electioneering communications. Democracy depends on an informed electorate. As AI tools become increasingly sophisticated and accessible, the potential for synthetic media to deceive voters, depicting candidates saying or doing things they never did, poses a direct threat to the integrity of our elections. We have already seen other politicians use this technology to miscommunicate and sow misunderstanding among their constituents. Virginians deserve to know when the political content they see or hear has been artificially generated or manipulated. This bill takes a reasonable, targeted approach: it does not ban the use of AI in campaigns, but simply requires transparency. A clear, conspicuous disclosure label is a minimal ask with significant democratic benefit. The civil penalties and voter standing to seek injunctive relief further ensure that this requirement has real teeth. The polling data speaks for itself: large majorities of Americans, across party lines, oppose the use of AI to create misleading political media. Virginia has an opportunity to lead on this issue and protect its voters ahead of future election cycles. I urge the committee to advance these bills without delay.

Deepfake and AI-generated content in election campaigns can be deliberate misinformation and may even harm an individual's reputation. Synthetic media (e.g., deepfake videos/audio) can convincingly depict candidates saying or doing things they never did. A required disclosure helps voters avoid being misled by helping them to recognize manipulated content. A vote to require conspicuous disclosure could help to mitigate potential harm. Fair elections depend on informed decisions based on facts. According to the National Conference of State Legislators (NCSL.org) most states have already enacted penalties, and Virginia must catch up to this trend and be proactive in minimizing damage from fake content. Making disclosure mandatory and enacting penalties for non-compliance could discourage bad actors from producing or distributing manipulated content andreduce the deceptive impact.

Disclosure of AI-use in election ads (SB141). My name is Nancy Morgan, and I coordinate BigMoneyOutVA. We’re an all-volunteer, nonpartisan organization, and we support this bill and thank Senator Salim for introducing it. Why do we need this bill? Virginians deserve honest elections and clear information when they vote and candidates running for office deserve to be protected from false/misleading ads. Candidates running for office can attest that AI misuse in campaigns is no longer theoretical. In our most recent elections, candidates have already seen manipulated videos and AI-generated images used in political messaging. These materials can look and sound real. Without disclosure, voters have no reliable way to know what they’re seeing has been manipulated. This bill is a no-brainer. It passed both chambers last year and was vetoed, not because it limited speech, but because our laws haven’t caught up with the technology. This bill does not ban speech. It simply requires transparency. Virginia would not be acting alone. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, most states now either require disclosure of synthetic media or restrict deceptive deepfakes near elections. This is quickly becoming the national standard. We also have the resources to do this right. The current budget includes funding ($3 million) to support oversight through proposed improvements to the campaign finance reporting system. Polling shows overwhelming public concern about AI-driven misinformation, and more than 80 percent of Americans believe it’s wrong to use false or misleading media in political ads. This bill protects voters, candidates, and trust in our elections. I urge you to support this bill.

I am writing in support of disclosure of AI use in political campaigns as well as a civil penalty not to exceed $25,000. It is critical that Virginians are not misled by dishonest, AI generated information. Virginians need truthful, authentic campaign messaging in order to make decisions based on fact. This bill will help rein in deceptive campaigning and promote fair elections. A national poll showed that 83% believed it would be bad for candidates to create false or misleading ads. A large percentage of these respondents also thought that these types of ads should be labelled or banned. Please support this bill to protect Virginians from mis-information and to ensure fair elections. Thank you.

We are the political swamp and it is blight on the reputation of this great commonwealth. Please pass all campaign finance reform and please allow the Corporate Power Reset legislation to committee next year and to the ballot. It would pass here. You work for the people and we want reform.

The power hungry Spanberger, Democrats, and Socialists in the Virginia General Assembly are not doing their job to protect Virginia America citizens from dangerous criminals! This is your first priority as a politicians, but you are not. The leftists continue to promote murders and the mobs instead of the police, law abiding people. Indoctrination of our children to become propagandists protesters is morally wrong and you should be ashamed of yourselves. Shame on you all. Data centers are not the way to go and human lives will be lost. These are dark times because the left’s cruelty. Comments in the link. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/dhs-blasts-spanberger-on-potential-release-of-illegal-migrant-with-30-arrests-currently-charged-with-murder/ar-AA1Xsk8U