A bill backed by first lady Melania Trump, known as the TAKE IT DOWN Act, is on its way to President Donald Trump’s desk.
Per Fox News, the House passed the measure by a vote of 409-2 vote. The bill imposes strict penalties for those who publish and promote revenge porn.
TAKE IT DOWN Act stands for The Tools to Address Known Exploitation by Immobilizing Technological Deepfakes on Websites and Networks.
The bill “generally prohibits the nonconsensual online publication of intimate visual depictions of individuals, both authentic and computer-generated, and requires certain online platforms to promptly remove such depictions upon receiving notice of their existence,” according to the bill summary.
It prohibits online publication “where publication is intended to cause or does cause harm to the subject, and where the depiction was published without the subject’s consent or, in the case of an authentic depiction, was created or obtained under circumstances where the adult had a reasonable expectation of privacy,” and “a minor subject where publication is intended to abuse or harass the minor or to arouse or gratify the sexual desire of any person,” per the bill summary.
“Violators are subject to mandatory restitution and criminal penalties, including prison, a fine, or both,” according to the bill summary. “Threats to publish intimate visual depictions of a subject are similarly prohibited under the bill and subject to criminal penalties.”
Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Eric Burlison (R-Mo.) were the lone House members to vote against it.
Massie said the act “would impose federal criminal and civil penalties for publishing unauthorized intimate pictures generated with AI.”
“I’m voting NO because I feel this is a slippery slope, ripe for abuse, with unintended consequences,” Massie posted on X.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) touted the win.
“The passage of the TAKE IT DOWN Act is a historic win in the fight to protect victims of revenge porn and deepfake abuse,” Cruz wrote on X. “This victory belongs first and foremost to the heroic survivors who shared their stories and the advocates who never gave up. By requiring social media companies to take down this abusive content quickly, we are sparing victims from repeated trauma and holding predators accountable.”
“This day would not have been possible without the courage and perseverance of Elliston Berry, Francesca Mani, Breeze Liu, and Brandon Guffey, whose powerful voices drove this legislation forward,” Cruz wrote.
“Advancing this legislation has been a key focus since I returned to my role as First Lady this past January,” Melania Trump wrote on X. “I am honored to have contributed to guiding it through Congress. By safeguarding children from hurtful online behavior today, we take a vital step in nurturing our leaders of tomorrow. #BeBest”
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