Three UCLA Luskin alumni helped advance California’s Higher Education AI Response (HEAR) Survivors Act (AB 2212), a new law strengthening protections for college students against technology-facilitated sexual harassment, including AI-generated sexually explicit deepfakes.
Authored by Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan and co-authored by Assemblymembers Mike Fong and Gail Pellerin, the legislation expands California’s definition of sexual harassment to include digital sexual exploitation, sextortion and technology-facilitated harassment, with provisions taking effect Aug. 1, 2027.
The legislation was co-sponsored by Survivors+Allies, a UCLA-based, student-led organization co-founded in 2020 by Social Welfare alumni Victoria Copeland, MSW, Ph.D., and Sara Wilf, Ph.D. Their policy advocacy efforts are also co-led by Selene Betancourt, a UCLA Luskin Public Policy alumna.
The legislation grew out of a community-driven effort led by student survivors across California campuses. Research conducted by Survivors+Allies found that one in seven survivors of sexual violence experienced online sexual harm, underscoring the need for stronger institutional protections.
Through research, advocacy and policy reform, the alumni-led organization continues to amplify survivors’ voices and advance safer, more supportive college environments.
