John, Elon Musk is suing to overturn one of California Common Cause's flagship anti-disinformation laws — and the outcome of this case will have nationwide implications.

I'm writing to mobilize Common Cause members across the country to fuel our fight against this lawsuit in court.

Let's back up: you've probably heard about "deepfakes" on the news — realistic-looking, but totally fake video and audio of public figures. This 21st-century scam exists because of the rise of AI (Artificial Intelligence) — and it poses a serious threat to our democracy.

In New Hampshire earlier this year, voters got deepfaked calls from "Joe Biden" telling them not to vote. It put a major strain on election officials — who spent hours they didn't have to clean that mess up — with no way of knowing how many voters ended up getting tricked out of their rights.

The perpetrators behind that scheme got caught and fined, but deepfake videos and audio of Donald Trump, Kamala Harris, and other politicians are everywhere online. It's only a matter of time before we're talking about millions — not just thousands — of voters potentially silenced by these dirty tricks.

The truth is, no matter how savvy you think you are, any of us can get tricked — and this technology's getting more powerful by the day. That's why the only *lasting* solution is passing common sense regulations to make sure our democracy is safe from AI-driven disinformation.

Even worse, this could be just the beginning. If left unchecked, this technology could be used to harm the credibility of life-saving agencies like the Food and Drug Administration and FEMA.

But here's the good news — Common Cause is on the case:

FIRST... Common Cause identified deepfakes and AI-driven disinformation as a serious threat to our democracy years ago. It was true then and it's true now: letting bad actors put words in what *looks like* political leaders' mouths is a recipe for disaster.

THEN... with Congress hopelessly gridlocked, our California Common Cause team passed the country's toughest laws to fix the problem in their state — because just like with climate standards and auto emissions, passing a law there can have nationwide results.

BUT NOW... Elon Musk is suing to throw out this bill — claiming an absolute "free speech" right to profit from computer-generated lies, no matter how many voters they harm.

John, Common Cause is on the cutting edge to stop this new threat to our democracy. And what makes the bill we passed in California special is that it puts the responsibility on tech companies, like Elon Musk's X (formerly Twitter) to deal with the problem.

Elon Musk knows that'd be bad for his bottom line — so he's throwing all the high-powered lawyers he can at this fight. I'm asking Common Cause members like you to step up and help us push back — and make sure we hold firm to defend our democracy against AI-powered disinfo.

Your support enables us to take hard-hitting legal action for our democracy – and to STOP billionaire disinformation peddlers like Elon Musk. Can you rush your contribution to our Stop Disinfo Legal Fund today? >>

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This is about people power vs. billionaires who want to profit off of lies. I’m glad to know that with your support, we won’t let this stand.

Thank you,

Ishan Mehta, Director of Media & Democracy
and the team at Common Cause