FREEDOM ON THE NET 2026 Seismic Shifts on the Global Internet Freedom House AI Regulation Starts with Internet Content While policy conversation around AI often fixated on comprehensive regulatory frameworks and safety concerns, lawmakers advanced measures to address specific issues relating to online content. Some measures raised concerns about overreach. United Kingdom: Online harassment UK authorities amended a law in February 2026 that penalizes people who create or commission sexual imagery of people without their consent so that it covers the use of AI tools. Officials also launched an investigation into X’s Grok service after the platform failed to remove such images, including abuse material depicting children. China: Labeling Measures that require the labeling of AI-generated content entered into effect in September 2025. The law sets out provisions for both human-readable labels and “implicit” labels that are more subtly embedded, such as a unique signature in file metadata. Australia: Child protection The eSafety commissioner announced in September 2025 that the country’s under-16 age-assurance framework would apply to certain AI companies, particularly those that host “AI companions” designed to simulate friendship or romantic relationships. United States: Online harassment In May 2026, content-removal provisions of the TAKE IT DOWN Act entered into effect. The law, which President Donald Trump signed the previous year, criminalized the nonconsensual distribution of intimate images, including “digital forgeries” generated by AI tools. 12 @freedomhouse Mexico: Impersonation India: Labeling The state of San Luis Potosí barred the unauthorized AI-generated use of a person’s image or voice. Despite a carveout for journalism, authorities used the law to arrest and detain two online journalists in May 2026, apparently because they reported on a video in which a local gang accused the state’s governor of corruption; the governor said the video was AI-generated. In February 2026, the Indian government passed new rules requiring companies to ensure that “synthetically generated information” content features prominent labels. While labeling is a positive step, the new law also mandated that social media platforms remove any content flagged by the authorities within 3 hours, reduced from 36 hours, prompting concerns from civil society about censorship. #FreedomOnTheNet freedomhouse.org 13