Can you impersonate someone as a joke? No.
Parody is not identity theft.
When a comedian "impersonates" a politicians we all partake in a temporary delusion aided by the comic's ability to mimick the politician. Everyone knows it's fake but we laugh nonetheless.
Making a hyper-realistic deep fake video of a politician saying absurd stuff is not free speech without appropriate labelling.
You've characterized this as "impersonation" in order to exclude the possibility of parody, it's merely sophistry. This is a view of parody that falls apart when you look at actual parody. There have been many times I've been absentmindedly reading an article, been incredulous, and then realize it was from The Onion.
I have characterized it as impersonation because this is exactly what has been done in this case.
It's funny that you mention The Onion, because they are impersonating nobody since there is no legitimate news outlet named "The Onion". Their articles might mimick the writing style of legitimate ones, but they are not claiming to be CNN or Fox.
> Can you impersonate someone as a joke? No. Parody is not identity theft.
Can you point to case law that makes this clear? Intent highly matters and I don't see anyone facing legal repercussions for impersonating someone for comic intent or even politically motivated intentions. Not to mention, Twitter already has a mechanism identifying verified accounts, doesn't it?
> Making a hyper-realistic deep fake video of a politician saying absurd stuff is not free speech without appropriate labelling.
Lying is mostly not against the law and is covered under free speech. In fact in 2012 the Supreme Court ruled that lying can be Constitutionally protected under free speech. [1] Whether or not such video would be ethically wrong is another matter. But I think you are wrong is in saying it is not free speech.
