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H8060ANon-Violent Crime Penalties

Criminal Offenses - Impersonation and Identity Fraud

This bill makes it a felony to use deepfakes, impersonate businesses, or possess fake IDs to commit fraud.

Introduced65 Yea0 Nay10 Not voting
Population
Affected
35
Email Legislator
Introduced Feb 27, 2026Committee House Judiciary

Plain-English Summary

This bill updates the state's identity fraud laws to include modern technology. It makes it a felony to create or distribute a "forged digital likeness," such as computer-generated video or audio (often called deepfakes), to trick or defraud someone without their permission. It also expands the definition of identity fraud to include impersonating businesses, organizations, or government agencies, not just individuals. Additionally, it protects unique biometric data like fingerprints and voice prints. The bill removes the requirement that a person must possess at least five fake IDs to be charged, making possession of any fake ID for unlawful use a crime.

For younger readers

This bill changes the rules about pretending to be someone else. It makes it against the law to use a computer to create fake videos or fake voice recordings of a real person to trick others and steal from them. It also makes it illegal to pretend to be a real business or a town government. If someone has even one fake ID card that they plan to use to break the rules, they can get in big trouble. It also protects special things that make you unique, like your fingerprints or the sound of your voice.

Who & Where It Applies

Impacted groups
Victims of identity fraudTechnology developersLaw enforcement officersBusiness ownersElderly adults
Impacted communities
All

Constitutional & Fiscal Check

Low risk

Minimal risk. The bill regulates speech by criminalizing "digital forgery" and forged digital likenesses, which could raise First Amendment concerns regarding political satire or artistic expression. However, the bill mitigates this risk by explicitly requiring the act to be done to "facilitate fraud" and by including a specific exemption for "constitutionally protected activity." Regulating speech used to commit fraud is a well-established exception to First Amendment protections.

Estimated cost
None
Estimated revenue
Amount unknown

Bill Analysis

Both viewpoints
For Progressives
  • Protects vulnerable populations, including the elderly, from sophisticated digital fraud and deepfake scams that could easily drain their savings.
  • Explicitly exempts constitutionally protected activities, safeguarding free speech, parody, and artistic expression from overzealous prosecution.
  • Expands identity protections to include unique biometric data, safeguarding individuals' fundamental physical privacy rights from malicious exploitation.
  • Removes the five-document threshold for possessing false IDs, which could lead to harsher felony charges for vulnerable individuals, such as undocumented immigrants using a single fake ID to work.
  • Exempts law enforcement from the digital forgery rules, potentially allowing police to use deceptive deepfakes during investigations or interrogations, raising civil rights and entrapment concerns.
  • Expands the scope of felony charges in the criminal justice system, which historically disproportionately impacts marginalized and low-income communities.
For Conservatives
  • Strengthens law and order by expanding the definition of identity fraud and removing the lenient threshold of needing five fake IDs to prosecute offenders.
  • Protects businesses and corporations from financial harm and reputational damage by making it a felony to impersonate an entity or use its trademark to commit fraud.
  • Exempts law enforcement officers engaged in official duties, ensuring police have the tools they need to conduct undercover operations and investigations without fear of prosecution.
  • Creates broad new definitions for digital forgery that could potentially be weaponized by the government to target political satire or opponents under the guise of fraud.
  • Exempts technology providers and developers from liability, protecting big tech companies rather than holding them accountable for the platforms and algorithms they create.
  • Expands government regulations regarding digital content and biometric data, which could lead to increased government surveillance or interference in private technology use.

Votes

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Full Bill Text

2 versions
Changes to existing Rhode Island law · 51 additions · 14 deletions

SECTION 1. Sections 11-49.1-2 and 11-49.1-3 of the General Laws in Chapter 11-49.1 entitled "Impersonation and Identity Fraud" are hereby amended to read as follows: 11-49.1-2. Definitions. As used in this chapter:

(1) “Document-making implement” means any implement, impression, electronic device, or computer hardware or software, that is specifically configured or primarily used for making an identification document, a false identification document, or another document-making implement;

(2) “Identification document” means a document made or card issued by or under the authority of the United States Government, a state, political subdivision of a state, a foreign government, political subdivision of a foreign government, an international governmental or an international quasi-governmental organization which, when completed with information concerning a particular individual, is of a type intended or commonly accepted for the purpose of identification of individuals;

(3) “Digital forgery” means a person:

(i) Participates in the generation, creation, or distribution of a forged digital likeness of a person or entity as genuine to facilitate fraud; and

(ii) Knows or reasonably should know the visual representation or audio recording is a forged digital likeness.

(4) "Forged digital likeness" means a computer- or other electronic system-generated visual representation of an actual and identifiable individual or audio recording of an actual and identifiable individual's voice that:

(i) Has been created, adapted or modified to closely resemble a genuine visual representation or audio record of the individual;

(ii) Is likely to deceive a reasonable person to believe that the visual representation or audio recording is genuine;

(iii) Is created and distributed without the consent of the depicted individual; and

(iv) The creation and distribution without the consent of the depicted individual or entity is not otherwise protected by state or federal law.

(5) "Entity" means any corporation, limited liability company, trust, estate, partnership, incorporated or unincorporated association or organization, and any other legal entity or combination of entities, including any state, or municipal government and any subdivision, branch, department, or agency thereof. (3)(6) “Means of identification” means any name, or number, or other data unique to a person or entity that may be used, alone or in conjunction with any other information, to identify a specific individual or entity, including any:

(i) Name, social security number, date of birth, official state or government issued driver’s license or identification number, alien registration number, government passport number, employer or taxpayer identification number, logo, trademark, or other mark used to identify an entity;

(ii) Unique biometric data, such as fingerprint, voice print, retina or iris image, or other unique physical representation;

(iii) Unique electronic identification number, address, or routing code; or

(iv) Telecommunication identifying information or access device as defined in 18 U.S.C. § 1029(e).

(4) “Produce” means to manufacture, alter, authenticate, or assemble an identification document;

(5) “State” includes any state of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and any other commonwealth, possession, or territory of the United States; and

(6) “Financial information” means any of the following information identifiable to an individual that concerns the amount and/or condition of an individual’s assets, liabilities or credit:

(i) Account numbers and balances;

(ii) Transactional information concerning any account; or

(iii) Codes, passwords, social security numbers, tax identification numbers, driver’s license numbers or any other information held for the purpose of account access or transaction initiation or processing.

(7) “Elderly adult” means a person sixty (60) years of age or older. 11-49.1-3. Identity fraud.

(a) Any person who shall:

(1) knowingly Knowingly and without lawful authority produce an identification document or a false identification document;

(2) knowingly Knowingly transfer an identification document or a false identification document knowing that the document was stolen obtained or produced without lawful authority;

(3) knowingly Knowingly possess with intent to use unlawfully or transfer unlawfully five

(5) or more identification documents (other than those issued lawfully for the use of the possessor) or false identification documents;

(4) knowingly Knowingly possess an identification document (other than one issued lawfully for the use of the possessor) or a false identification document, or financial information with the intent that the document or financial information be used to defraud the United States, the State of Rhode Island, any political subdivision of it or any public or private entity or person;

(5) knowingly Knowingly transfer, or possess a document-making implement with the intent that the document-making implement will be used in the production of a false identification document or another document-making implement which will be so used;

(6) knowingly Knowingly possess a false identification document that is or appears to be a genuine identification document of the United States, the State of Rhode Island or any political subdivision of it or any public or private entity or person, living or dead which is stolen or produced without lawful authority knowing that the document was stolen or produced without such authority; or

(7) Knowingly impersonate an entity or person, living or dead, with intent to defraud or injure any individual, business, or the State of Rhode Island, any political subdivision thereof, or any city or town;

(8) Knowingly engage in digital forgery; or (7)(9) knowingly Knowingly transfer or use with intent to defraud, without lawful authority, a means of identification or financial information of another person living or dead, with the intent to commit, or to aid or abet, any unlawful activity that constitutes a violation of federal, state or local law; shall be guilty of a felony and shall be subject to the penalties set forth in § 11- 49.1-4.

(b) The provisions of this section shall not apply to any person who has not reached his or her twenty-first (21st) birthday who misrepresents or misstates his or her age through the presentation of any document in order to enter any premises licensed for the retail sale of alcoholic beverages for the purpose of purchasing or having served or delivered to him or her alcoholic beverages or attempting to purchase or have another person purchase for him or her any alcoholic beverage pursuant to § 3-8-6.

(c) Exceptions. This section shall not apply to:

(1) A constitutionally protected activity;

(2) A law enforcement officer engaged in the performance of the law enforcement officer's official duties;

(3) A provider or developer of any technology used in the creation of a visual representation or audio recording; or

(4) An activity otherwise protected by state or federal law.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.