SAG-AFTRA Issues Statement On The Passing Of New York Assembly Bill A.8155-B

On behalf of New York's SAG-AFTRA members, the union commends New York Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, Majority Leader Joseph Morelle, and Assemblywoman Helene Weinstein and their colleagues in the New York State Assembly for passing A.8155-B. SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris said the following:

"Today's historic vote supports an incredibly important 34-year campaign by the performance community giving families the right to prevent unwanted commercial exploitation of their deceased loved ones. A.8155-B better protects individuals from unwanted image and voice manipulation and unauthorized advertisements, while prohibiting deepfake pornography, and clarifying the digital replica rights of entertainers. The bill extends rights to survivors 40 years past death."

Adds SAG-AFTRA Executive Vice President and New York Local President Rebecca Damon, "New York State has long been the home of tens of thousands of professional entertainers, athletes, and their respective families. In an era of rapid technological advancements and unprecedented information sharing, we must fight to ensure individuals and their families have the tools they need to protect against misappropriation of their image and voice."

SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director David White says, "In an increasingly digital world, new technologies can be used for good and expand the boundaries of storytelling, but they can also be used to disregard consent and an artist's rights to their craft and livelihood. This bill protects performers against these negatives and explicitly communicates the legislature's intention of maintaining the free speech rights afforded to the media and content creators; protections that SAG-AFTRA members rely on for their work as journalists and artists. We look forward to working with the Senate to make this bill law."

About SAG-AFTRA
SAG-AFTRA represents approximately 160,000 actors, announcers, broadcast journalists, dancers, DJs, news writers, news editors, program hosts, puppeteers, recording artists, singers, stunt performers, voiceover artists and other entertainment and media professionals. SAG-AFTRA members are the faces and voices that entertain and inform America and the world. A proud affiliate of the AFL-CIO, SAG-AFTRA has national offices in Los Angeles and New York and local offices nationwide representing members working together to secure the strongest protections for entertainment and media artists into the 21st century and beyond. Visit SAG-AFTRA online at SAGAFTRA.org.