A synthetic version of you becomes illegal at predictable thresholds:

  1. Commercial use without consent. Right-of-publicity laws in most states cover name, image, and likeness. Tennessee's ELVIS Act (July 2024) explicitly added voice.
  2. Fraud. A fake CEO voice authorizing a wire transfer is wire fraud. The synthetic medium changes nothing.
  3. Defamation. A deepfake showing you saying things you never said, published as real, meets the classic elements if it causes reputational harm.
  4. Intimate imagery. Federally criminal since the TAKE IT DOWN Act (May 2025).
  5. Election interference. State laws from California to Texas cover deceptive candidate fakes near elections.

What does not break the law: parody, satire, and commentary, which every major statute exempts, plus licensed replicas. Sources: Congress.gov, NCSL The gap Congress keeps circling: a general federal right to your own digital replica. The NO FAKES Act would create exactly that, licensable like any other IP right.