29-04-2025
First bill targeting deepfake pornography passed by Congress
Related video: Pasco teacher arrested: is AI-generated child porn illegal?
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — The TAKE IT DOWN Act, a bill targeting nonconsensual, sexually exploitative images, passed the House on Monday and now heads to the president's desk.
The bill was sponsored by Florida Rep. Maria Eliva Salazar, a Republican who represents parts of Miami.
If signed by Trump, the TAKE IT DOWN Act will criminalize the publication of nonconsensual explicit images, commonly referred to as 'revenge porn' on social media and other online platforms, including images that are AI-generated.
Deepfake pornography has been a growing issue across the country as generative AI tools have evolved and become more available to the general public.
Up to this point, it has been difficult to prosecute cases of deepfake pornography because there were no laws explicitly criminalizing it.
It was a problem recently faced by the Pasco County Sheriff's Office when it was discovered that a teacher who was charged with possessing child pornography had also used yearbook photos to create AI-generated child pornography with images of his students.
The Pasco County Sheriff's Office was unable to charge him for those images because, at the time, it was legal.
A.I. generated child pornography legal under current laws; legislators work to close loophole
This act will ensure that in future cases, perpetrators can be charged for AI-generated content as they would be for authentic content.
The act will also require websites to take down explicit images within 48 hours of a victim requesting their removal and make reasonable efforts to remove copies of the images.
The bill is the first major piece of legislation targeting AI-generated explicit images and was passed by both the House and Senate with bipartisan support.
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