apparently texas has forgotten that first amendment thing;

A new piece of legislation passed by the Texas House of Representatives has drawn fierce backlash for what many see as a direct assault on political speech and internet freedom. House Bill 366, deceptively framed as a measure to combat AI “misinformation”, would in reality make it a criminal offense to share altered political content; such as memes or edited videos, unless it carries a government-mandated disclaimer.

Championed by former House Speaker Dade Phelan, whose political career has been marred by controversy, the bill passed with bipartisan support.

If enacted, it would treat the unapproved sharing of such content by campaigns or candidates as a Class A misdemeanor, punishable by up to a year behind bars.

Simply spending more than $100 to promote an altered image, video, or audio clip without the required government-approved language would be enough to trigger prosecution.

What’s being dressed up as election integrity is, at its core, a disturbing attempt to police satire, commentary, and political expression.

The text of the bill prohibits publishing or distributing political advertising that includes any media “that did not occur in reality,” including content altered with generative AI, without a prominently displayed disclaimer.

The Texas Ethics Commission would be tasked with deciding exactly what this mandated language should look like, right down to its size and color.........more........