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Boston Globe
02-07-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
R.I. poised to join N.H. with ban on deepfakes within 90 days of elections unless disclosed
Advertisement The action comes as the Get Rhode Map A weekday briefing from veteran Rhode Island reporters, focused on the things that matter most in the Ocean State. Enter Email Sign Up 'This could have been a pyrrhic victory on our part if the Senate hadn't stripped out that language,' said John M. Marion, executive director of Common Cause Rhode Island. 'It's a good thing that Rhode Island is trying to stay ahead of the curve on requiring disclosure of deepfakes in elections.' Marion said Rhode Island has a history of 'ahead of the curve' on campaign finance disclosure. He noted that in 2012, the state enacted legislation requiring the disclosure of independent expenditures in the wake of the Advertisement The Rhode Island bill would prohibit rival candidates, political parties, and political action committees from creating and publishing recordings or videos that have been manipulated or generated by AI within 90 days of elections. But the prohibition would not apply if that manipulation or use of AI is disclosed, and the prohibition would not apply to 'synthetic media that constitutes satire or parody.' The legislation allows candidates who are the targets of such 'synthetic media' to seek injunctions and to file civil lawsuits seeking damages. Ilana Beller, organizing manager for the democracy team at Public Citizen, based in Washington, D.C., called Rhode Island's 'synthetic media' bill 'a huge win for democracy.' She noted that deepfakes depict a person saying or doing things they never actually said or did. 'That is a form of fraud,' Beller said. 'The concern here is that, with this new ability to create deepfakes using AI, folks are being given the tools to create an alternative reality that looks factual to other people. We don't want voters to make these critical democratic decisions based on something fraudulent.' The American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island and Common Cause agree on many legislative matters. But the ACLU opposed the 'synthetic media' bill, saying the group appreciates the legislation's intent but fears it could be used to infringe on First Amendment rights. 'In order to ensure that debate on public issues is, in the words of the US Supreme Court, 'uninhibited, robust, and wide-open,' the First Amendment provides special protection to even allegedly false statements about public officials and public figures,' the ACLU said in written testimony. 'AI-generated campaign communications are entitled to these protections.' Advertisement The ACLU acknowledged that free speech rights are not unlimited in the political arena. But it argued that the First Amendment does not allow the government to declare any image or recording fraudulent if it fits the bill's definition of 'synthetic media.' As an example, the ACLU noted that science-fiction Netflix series ' The Senate passed the bill The two legislators who voted against the legislation — Representatives Jennifer A. Stewart and Cherie L. Cruz, both Pawtucket Democrats — said they shared the ACLU's concerns about First Amendment freedoms. When asked about First Amendment concerns, Marion said, 'This is a bill about disclosure of the use of AI, not the prohibition of the use of AI. Courts have consistently upheld the use of disclosure in elections.' Marion said the number of states passing deepfake regulations is growing rapidly. 'It's incredibly popular and bipartisan at a time when almost all election legislation is passed on a party line vote,' he said. Advertisement He noted that in 2024 a Secretary Gregg M. Amore, a Democrat, pushed for the legislation. 'As artificial intelligence becomes more and more prevalent in our society — especially in the world of elections — we have a responsibility to do everything we can to ensure that voters have access to truthful, accurate information," Amore said in a statement this week. Senator Louis P. DiPalma, the Middletown Democrat who introduced the 'synthetic media' bill, said he was not surprised to read a recent New York Times story, ' The article reports that a Russian influence operation using AI tainted the first round of last year's presidential election in Romania, and a court there nullified that result, forcing a new vote and marking the first major election in which AI played a decisive role in the outcome. The article also includes the AI-generated image purporting to show a Canadian prime minister candidate in a pool with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. 'I am surprised it has not happened more in the United States,' DiPalma said. 'It's going to happen. But this shows we can get ahead of the power curve once in a while.' The bill's House sponsor was Representative Jacquelyn Baginski, the Cranston Democrat who chairs the state House Innovation, Internet and Technology Committee. The General Assembly also recently passed Advertisement 'Rapidly evolving and easily accessible AI technology necessitate this update as celebrities and everyday citizens have been the victims of image-based sexual abuse and exploitation,' said Senator Elaine J. Morgan, a Hopkinton Republican. 'Deepfake pornographic images can cause enduring emotional harm, financial hardship, and permanent damage to the reputation of its victims.' Edward Fitzpatrick can be reached at
Boston Globe
16-06-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Bill to increase access to public records in R.I. will die in committee — again
DiPalma, a Middletown Democrat, said that while the governor's office and an array of state agencies opposed the bill, the administration offered few, if any, recommendations on how to improve the state's public records law. Advertisement 'Categorically, it is going to take someone at the top saying, 'Here is how we can get it done,' ' DiPalma said. 'It's OK to say 'no.' But you need to come to the table with suggestions on how to make it better — unless you believe it's perfect.' Get Rhode Map A weekday briefing from veteran Rhode Island reporters, focused on the things that matter most in the Ocean State. Enter Email Sign Up DiPalma, seen as a potential lieutenant governor candidate in 2026, said he will seek to have the bill heard earlier in next year's legislative session. 'I am not stopping,' he said. 'This is just cueing me to work harder.' DiPalma said he feels sorry for 'all the people who are impacted by this — those seeking information — and also for the cities and towns and others that asked us to address 'vexatious' records requests. That is falling on deaf ears.' Advertisement McKee spokesperson Laura Hart said, 'Transparency is in the public's interest — that's not in dispute — but the state must balance transparency with privacy rights and costs to the taxpayer. State and municipal experts who do this work every day have brought up numerous privacy concerns.' Among other issues, she said, 'Disclosing the names of preferred license plate owners violates the Driver's Privacy Protection Act. Disclosing subpoenas prematurely could negatively impact investigations,' and 'Narrowing the exceptions for doctor/patient communications could put health care privacy at risk.' Hart said the public records law was designed with the ability to charge fees to cover the costs of document collection, review, and redactions 'and to discourage overly broad requests that take staff time and taxpayer dollars to complete.' 'Requiring public records officer, instead of the courts, to determine fee waivers based on 'public interest' or when there is a 'denial' will add significant risk and expense, both in staff time and in unnecessary litigation, all financed by taxpayer dollars," Hart said. Steven Brown, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island, said the McKee administration 'bombarded' legislators with objections to the bill. 'We just have to keep at it,' Brown said. 'At some point, I am hopeful the legislature will recognize that reform is absolutely essential, notwithstanding bogus objections from the executive branch.' John M. Marion, executive director of Common Cause Rhode Island, said, 'It's sad that the legislature just doesn't find it a priority to advance transparency in government. That's the single bill that would do the most, of the thousands of bills before them, to advance open government in Rhode Island at a time when people don't have a lot of trust in government.' Advertisement Advocates need to continue to link the legislation to people's everyday lives, Marion said. 'We also need to convince every legislator that this is really a bread-and-butter issue for them,' he said. 'This is about how government runs and how people can find out how government runs.' Justin Silverman, executive director of the New England First Amendment Coalition, said, 'Government decisions affect the life of every Rhode Islander. From the Washington Bridge to local law enforcement, these are issues that matter to everyone. This APRA bill would allow us to better understand the decisions government makes and how our tax dollars are being spent. The bill will get passed one way or another, this year or next. Transparency and accountability are far too important to give up on.' This story first appeared in Rhode Map, our free newsletter about Rhode Island that also contains information about local events, links to interesting stories, and more. If you'd like to receive it via e-mail Monday through Friday, Edward Fitzpatrick can be reached at
Boston Globe
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Lawson may serve as president of both the state Senate and teachers union, R.I. Ethics Commission says
Commission member Hugo L. Ricci Jr., a retired judge, issued the lone 'no' vote, asking if the staff had taken into consideration 'the vast power' that the Senate president holds. Advertisement 'Mere recusal may not be sufficient,' Ricci said. 'She is in a class of one. She is not a general member of the Senate. She is the president of the Senate, and with that comes vast powers.' Get Rhode Map A weekday briefing from veteran Rhode Island reporters, focused on the things that matter most in the Ocean State. Enter Email Sign Up Ricci noted that former Senate President Dominick J. Ruggerio, He said Ruggerio represents the only precedent for this specific situation, and he sought to ask Lawson, who attended the meeting, whether she agreed with what Ruggerio did. But other commission members cut off that line of questioning, saying Tuesday's meeting was not an investigatory hearing. Ricci also asked what others states do regarding situations of this type. But the commission chairman, Lauren E. Jones, said the Ethics Commission can only apply Rhode Island statutes and regulations. 'What other states do in this context is really irrelevant to our situation,' he said. Advertisement After the meeting, reporters asked what Lawson thought of Ruggerio's decision to leave his union post, 'I can't speak to the legality of a precedent, whether that applies or not,' Lawson said, adding that she's not sure why Ruggerio did not hold both positions simultaneously. Lawson said she has recused herself from certain votes during her tenure in the Senate, including two recent votes on labor-related bills. And, she said, 'I'll continue to be thoughtful and mindful in the process and use the standards outlined by the commission.' In a written statement, Lawson said, 'I am pleased that the Ethics Commission has affirmed that the standard I had been using as a senator, as whip, and as majority leader remains applicable in my role as president of the Senate. She said the Ethics Commission decision 'helps to distinguish between a vague notion of a perceived, general conflict and an actual, specific conflict requiring recusal under the Code of Ethics.' Also, Lawson said, 'It ensures that one does not have to be retired or independently wealthy to serve in this role. This decision supports the operation of our legislative body as the framers intended: a part-time, citizen legislature comprised of a diverse membership from all walks of life, who can draw from their varied experiences to best serve the public.' Lawson, who is 58, earns After the meeting, Common Cause Rhode Island executive director John M. Marion said the advisory opinion analysis is 'a little naive' about what the office of Senate president involves. Advertisement While it mentions the Senate president sets the 'consent calendar,' it doesn't mention her influence over the calendar of bills voted on the Senate floor, he said. And while it mentions she no longer sits on particular committee, it doesn't mention that the Senate president has ex officio power to sit on any committee, he said. Marion said he is glad that Lawson sought guidance from the Ethics Commission, but he said it's unusual for an opinion to address a potential conflict without reference to specific legislation. And he said he expects Lawson will be back before the Ethics Commission to address whether she may vote on particular bills. Marion noted that two of the four Senate presidents in state history stepped away from their day jobs to lead the chamber, and the two Senate president who kept their other jobs — William V. Irons and Joseph A. Montalbano — " were pursued by the Ethics Commission." In 2019, the state Ethics Commission And in 2024, the Ethics Commission But the circumstances are different now that Lawson is president of both the Senate and NEARI, Marion has said. Advertisement 'Lawson is no longer a classroom teacher or vice president of NEARI,' he said. 'She's president of NEARI, responsible for a very large organization with lots of business before the state Senate. Her duty to lead NEARI at the same time as exercising the vast powers of Senate president create a unique challenge.' Marion said other legislators might be able to sidestep conflicts of interest by recusing themselves from certain votes and stepping out of the room during any debate. 'But as Senate president, you can't really step out of the room when the final decision needs to be made,' he said, noting the Senate president plays a pivotal role in deciding which bills make it to floor votes and in negotiating with the House and the governor. Edward Fitzpatrick can be reached at
Boston Globe
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Advocates push for updated R.I. public records law, seeking access to state's crash data
Advertisement 'When government hides information like crash data from the public, it is not just advocates and journalists that suffer,' Giles said. 'It is every Rhode Islander who walks, bikes, drives, takes public transit, or relies on emergency services. It is every family seeking answers after a tragedy.' Get Rhode Map A weekday briefing from veteran Rhode Island reporters, focused on the things that matter most in the Ocean State. Enter Email Sign Up Giles joined the legislative sponsors and advocates at a news conference in the State Library on Wednesday. 'Rhode Island should not remain a national outlier in secrecy,' he said. 'We deserve better.' The legislation is scheduled to come before the This is the third straight year that Advertisement DiPalma, a Middletown Democrat, said he saw the need for greater government transparency when he chaired the Senate oversight committee and found it difficult to get certain information. Also, he said the law needs to reflect new technology such as police body-worn cameras. 'We've waited too long,' DiPalma said. 'The time to to do it is now.' The proposed changes include: Body camera footage from use-of-force incidents would be made public within 30 days. Final reports of police internal affairs investigations would be accessible to the public, with personally identifiable information redacted. 911 call recordings would be more easily available to those directly affected. All documents discussed at a public meeting must be available to the public at the time they are being discussed. Requesters could seek a public interest exemption to, or reduction of, search and retrieval fees for public records. The blanket exemption for any correspondence of or to elected officials in their official capacities would be removed, but it would keep confidential records that are not related to official business. Fines would double for 'knowing and willful' violations to $4,000 from $2,000, and fines for 'recklessly' violating the law would double to $2,000 from $1,000. No fee would be charged for the first two hours of time spent searching for and retrieving documents (up from one hour), and no charge would be allowed for the denial of a records request. While this bill aims to reduce such costs, advocates noted that DiPalma said he added one new provision to this year's bill to address concerns, raised by the That section states that, 'If a person makes a request to view or copy a public record that is part of a series of contemporaneous requests filed with the intent to disrupt government operations, the chief administrative officer of the public body may petition the Superior Court for an order to relieve the custodian of the records from fulfilling the request.' Senator Louis P. DiPalma, a Middletown Democrat, speaks about his bill to update the state Access to Public Records Act. Edward Fitzpatrick John M. Marion, executive director of Common Cause Rhode Island, said that after the 2020 election, there was 'a coordinated effort to really gum up the works at election offices around the country by making vexatious requests, particularly about Dominion voting systems. They weren't made in good faith.' Advertisement So the new provision aims to head off such requests, Marion said. 'It's not to deal with the requests that all of us make in the public interest,' he said. The legislation has been 'We often complete oversight hearings, and we feel that information has been withheld,' Serpa said. 'The withholding of information is counterproductive to the purposes of oversight meetings in the first place.' In December, DiPalma said residents might not mention the Access to Public Records Act when a politician knocks on their door. 'But I think when you say to somebody, 'Do you want your government to be open, fair, and transparent?' Of course, absolutely. No one will say no.' Charlie Galligan, a private investigator who spoke at the news conference, said, 'No disrespect to the speaker, but that sounds kind of dismissive.' Members of the public might not have a detailed grasp of the Access to Public Records Act, he said. 'But when they consume news, they're all the beneficiary of the APRA law. When the media is prevented from access, that does negatively impact the citizenry.' Scott Pickering, president of Advertisement For example, he said the Barrington School Department lost a court case and then pursued a series of lengthy appeals. Citizens began to question how much the legal battle was costing the school department, but the district refused to release that information, saying the documents were held by an outside law firm that wasn't subject to the open records law. So this legislation would close that 'loophole,' making records public even if they are held by a third party, he said. During the news conference, DiPalma quoted the late US Supreme Court Justice Louis D. Brandeis: 'Publicity is justly commended as a remedy for social and industrial diseases. Sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants; electric light the most efficient policeman.' Edward Fitzpatrick can be reached at
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
McKee isn't budging on changes to public records law. Neither are reform advocates.
Sen. Lou DiPalma, a Middletown Democrat and sponsor of legislation reforming Rhode Island's Access to Public Records Act, speaks at a State House press conference on Wednesday, May 21, 2025. (Photo by Nancy Lavin/Rhode Island Current) Attempts to compromise haven't appeared to reduce the state administration's objections to reforming Rhode Island's public records law. This year, advocates didn't bother consulting with Gov. Dan McKee's office for feedback prior to unveiling proposed changes to the Access to Public Records Act. Instead, they made the case directly to lawmakers, and the public, at a State House press conference Wednesday, one day before an initial Senate panel hearing on the legislation. 'Last year, we made a number of changes after dozens of meetings with the administration, and we still got opposition,' said John Marion, executive director of Common Cause Rhode Island. 'We didn't want to compromise against ourselves this year.' Indeed, the companion bills introduced by Sen. Lou DiPalma, a Middletown Democrat, and Rep. Pat Serpa, a West Warwick Democrat, are nearly identical to the sweeping set of reforms pitched during the 2024 session. The bills failed to advance out of committee in either chamber last year, buried in a mountain of objections by state agencies. Scott Pickering, publisher of East Bay Media Group and president of ACCESS/RI, called the administration's past concerns 'exaggerated' and 'intended to create fear.' 'I don't buy it,' Pickering said of arguments that the proposed reforms burdened state agencies and jeopardized sensitive information. 'Look at the groups supporting it. These are not radical groups hoping to undermine the government. These are groups devoted to the best interests of our democracy with noble intentions rooted in the public interest.' Supporters also include the American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island, the New England First Amendment Coalition, the League of Women Voters of Rhode Island and the Rhode Island Press Association, of which Rhode Island Current is a member. McKee's office did not respond to inquiries for comment Wednesday. Despite Pickering's adamant refusal to kowtow to 'scare tactics,' one new addition this year aims to assuage objections by municipalities. Among the 48 proposed amendments to the 1978 law — last updated in 2012 — is a section addressing 'vexatious requests.' The caveat weeds out requests intended to 'disrupt government operations,' authorizing the chief administrator of any public body subject to open records laws to seek a Rhode Island Superior Court order exempting them from fulfilling a records request. Across the country, and in Rhode Island, public bodies are seeing records requests for no other reason than to take them away from their regular duties. Marion referred to a coordinated effort on the heels of the 2020 election to bombard local elections officials with requests about voting equipment, with the intent to 'gum up the works of election offices around the country.' DiPalma stressed the 'fine line' between nuisance requests and those with good intentions, but noted that the proposed bill still requires public bodies to proceed with filling 'vexatious' requests if and until a court orders otherwise. Under the proposed legislation, anyone who obtains records through a request later determined to be vexatious will have to reimburse the public body for the time and cost to complete the task. Much of the remaining reforms, however, aim to make it easier, and more affordable, for the public to request and obtain various forms of public information, including body camera footage, traffic accident data and investigations into police misconduct. 'We're really here to make sure members of the public have access to public information without having to pay burdensome costs, and when the government withholds it, they do it for a good reason,' said Michael McDermott, a board member for ACCESS/RI. For example, the reform bill clarifies that university police departments given power to make arrests are subject to the same public disclosure of arrest records as other public law enforcement groups. Brown University's police department has argued it is exempt from the state public records law, said Steven Brown, executive director for the RI ACLU. Another paragraph specifies that traffic accident data is subject to public records laws, reflecting the Rhode Island Department of Transportation's use of existing loopholes to refuse to provide crash data requested by community advocates with the Providence Streets Coalition. Other changes reflect modern technology which was nonexistent, or at least less heavily relied upon, when the law was last updated more than a decade ago. Police body camera footage is among the new types of records that would be added to the law under the legislation, as well as text messages and emails sent in official government capacity — previously exempt but now subject to sharing unless they are unrelated to official government business. Another nod to the shift to the digital age: requiring public bodies to upload any documents related to their meetings online beforehand, like a contract for a new hire or a proposed policy change. The proposal also reduces the cost charged for locating and sharing public records — increasing the number of free hours of work from one to two hours while cutting the cost-per-page for copies of information from 15 to five cents. And it specifies that fees for records requests 'shall' be waived if the person requesting them can demonstrate the information is of public interest. The existing law offers the option that fees 'may' be waived for public interest reasons. Several tweaks aim to head off privacy concerns voiced by state agencies during the 2024 session hearings, narrowing the scope of medical records subject to public disclosure, for example, and allowing identifying information in police misconduct reports to be redacted to protect privacy. Charlie Galligan, a criminal defense private investigator, was optimistic that the amendments would pass muster with McKee's office. 'I can only imagine [the amendments have] addressed concerns and removed concerns by Governor McKee and other entities that have objected to previous versions of this legislation,' Galligan said. DiPalma was less certain of the administration's viewpoint, but pointed to the change in Senate leadership as a potential advantage; newly elected Senate President Valarie Lawson and Senate Majority Leader Frank Ciccone are both co-sponsors on the Senate bill. The bill is scheduled to have a first hearing before the Senate Committee on Judiciary Thursday night. 'As a former history teacher, I am very mindful of the importance of robust public records laws to the strength of our democracy, and to maintaining public trust,' Lawson said in an emailed statement Wednesday. 'I am grateful to Senator DiPalma for his passion and his tireless work on this issue. When concerns were raised with previous versions of this proposal, Chairman DiPalma worked to bring parties together and address those concerns. Subsequent to the Senate hearing tomorrow evening, I will review the testimony regarding this year's version of the bill with an open mind.' House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi, however, noted past opposition from the administration, without taking a position on the bill either way. 'I look forward to reviewing Senator DiPalma's amended language after his bill is heard in the Senate,' Shekarchi said in an emailed statement Wednesday. A hearing on the House companion bill has also not been scheduled as of Wednesday. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
