Rhode Island law makes fraud-focused impersonation and digital forgery felonies

Knowingly impersonating a person or organization to defraud or harm someone, or knowingly engaging in digital forgery, is a felony. The impersonation rule covers living or dead people and organizations, including government bodies. Digital forgery covers a fake image or voice recording of an identifiable person. Impersonation must be intended to defraud or injure an individual, business, or government. Digital forgery involves a fake image or voice recording made and shared without the depicted person's consent, likely to deceive a reasonable person, and not otherwise protected by state or federal law; the person must know or reasonably be expected to know it is fake and participate in it as genuine to facilitate fraud. The section does not apply to constitutionally protected activity, officers doing their official duties, providers or developers of technology used to create the image or recording, or other activity protected by state or federal law. The act takes effect upon passage.