Photo: JIM WATSON / AFP / Getty Images
President Donald Trump signed the Take It Down Act into law on Monday (May 19), cracking down on the distribution of non-consensual intimate imagery, including AI-generated deepfakes and revenge porn. The bipartisan bill, introduced by Senator Ted Cruz of Texas and Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, aims to impose stricter penalties on those who publish or threaten to publish intimate images without consent.
The new law requires websites and social media platforms to remove such content within 48 hours of notification from a victim and mandates steps to delete duplicate content. The legislation has received strong support from First Lady Melania Trump, who has been vocal about the emotional toll these images can take, especially on teenagers.
The Take It Down Act was inspired by the story of Elliston Berry, a teenager from Aledo, Texas, who was a victim of explicit deepfake images. Berry's experience highlighted the challenges victims face in getting such content removed, and she played a key role in advocating for the bill alongside Senator Cruz and the First Lady.
While the bill has been praised for providing legal protections to victims, it has also faced criticism from digital rights groups. The Electronic Frontier Foundation expressed concerns that the bill's broad language could lead to censorship and infringe on First Amendment rights. They argue that the law could pressure platforms to monitor speech actively, including encrypted content, and may result in the removal of legitimate images.
Despite these concerns, the bill's supporters believe it is a crucial step in addressing the growing issue of non-consensual intimate imagery, which has been exacerbated by advances in AI technology. The number of explicit deepfakes has increased in recent years as the technology becomes more accessible.