Latest news with #TAKEITDOWN
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Melania Trump Affirms Commitment To Protecting Children Online
First Lady Melania Trump sent a message to Federal Trade Commission officials on Wednesday, pledging continued support for protecting children from online exploitation as the agency hosted a workshop examining how tech companies harm young users. The message, delivered to participants of the FTC's 'Attention Economy: How Big Tech Firms Exploit Children and Hurt Families' workshop, signals the Trump administration's focus on digital safety for minors. 'I look forward to hearing the outcomes from this workshop so we can continue to shape federal policies that protect children,' Melania said in her written remarks. 'We will work together to develop tools to empower parents and youth, and we will lean on tech executives in the private sector to do their part.' The First Lady thanked FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson for his leadership on the issue. Ferguson, in turn, credited Melania with helping pass recent legislation targeting online abuse. 'I'm also incredibly grateful to the First Lady for her leadership on the 'TAKE IT DOWN Act,'' Ferguson said. 'Getting legislation done in any circumstance is very difficult, and the 'TAKE IT DOWN' Act could not have gotten through Congress without the First Lady's intervention and leadership.' The law, signed by President Donald Trump in May, allows victims to request the swift removal of non-consensual explicit imagery online. That includes content created by artificial intelligence. Melania championed the legislation as part of her BE BEST initiative, which focuses on children's well-being and online protection. The workshop appearance continues that advocacy. In her full message to workshop attendees, Melania acknowledged meeting survivors and families affected by non-consensual intimate imagery. 'Let their courage continue to inspire us to find solutions to protect children and youth from online harm,' she wrote. Still, the First Lady emphasized that passing the TAKE IT DOWN Act marked progress but not completion. The administration plans to develop additional tools for parents while pressing tech executives to increase safeguards.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Photos show every time Melania Trump has appeared at a public White House event this year
First lady Melania Trump is keeping a low profile during President Donald Trump's second term. An infrequent White House presence, she divides her time between homes in Florida, New York, and DC. Her latest appearances included the "TAKE IT DOWN" Act signing and an event for military mothers. It's a refrain dating back to the first Trump White House: Where's Melania? First lady Melania Trump, who remained an enigmatic figure during President Donald Trump's first term, has kept an even lower profile during his second. Ahead of the inauguration, Melania Trump told Fox News that she planned to divide her time between the White House, Trump Tower in New York City, and Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida. This schedule has made her an infrequent White House presence, averaging one to three appearances at public events each month. Melania Trump's communications director, Nicholas Clemens, declined to comment. Take a look at the first lady's White House activities and appearances thus far. January 20: Melania Trump attended the inauguration. Melania Trump held the Bible as Donald Trump was sworn in for his second non-consecutive term, and the couple danced together at several inaugural balls later that evening. For the swearing-in ceremony, Melania Trump wore a navy coat and skirt by Adam Lippes, an American designer. She accessorized with a matching wide-brimmed hat by Eric Javits. Her black-and-white inaugural gown was designed by Hervé Pierre. January 21: The president and first lady joined Vice President JD Vance and Usha Vance at the National Day of Prayer Service. The service, the last of Donald Trump's inaugural events, was held at the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, DC. January 24: Melania Trump and Donald Trump visited California and North Carolina to survey damage caused by natural disasters. Melania Trump joined Donald Trump to visit Los Angeles in the aftermath of multiple wildfires and neighborhoods in North Carolina damaged by Hurricane Helene. Together, they met with first responders and residents who had lost their homes and businesses. Melania Trump was photographed hugging and shaking hands with those affected by the natural disasters. February 22: Donald Trump and Melania Trump hosted the National Governors Association dinner at the White House. Melania Trump wore a black Dolce & Gabbana tuxedo, similar to the outfit she chose for her official White House portrait, while posing for photos with governors from across the US. Donald Trump thanked Melania Trump in his speech, saying that she "made the evening beautiful." March 3: She participated in a roundtable discussion on the "TAKE IT DOWN" Act targeting revenge porn. "TAKE IT DOWN" is an acronym for "Tools to Address Known Exploitation by Immobilizing Technological Deepfakes on Websites and Networks." The act criminalizes the publication of non-consensual intimate imagery, including AI-generated deepfakes, and requires websites to remove them. "Every young person deserves a safe online space to express themself freely, without the looming threat of exploitation or harm," Melania Trump said in her opening remarks. March 4: Melania Trump attended Donald Trump's speech to a joint session of Congress. The first lady's guests included the families of Corey Comperatore, the firefighter who was fatally shot during an assassination attempt against Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, and Laken Riley, who was killed by a man who had entered the US illegally. Melania Trump wore a gray skirt suit by Dior. April 1: She attended the International Women of Courage Awards. Melania Trump, joined by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, presented awards to several notable women in a ceremony held at the State Department. "These extraordinary women illuminate the transformative power of love in shaping our world," she said in her remarks at the event. "Their journeys remind us that true courage is born from a deep commitment to others, showing that love fuels the call for justice." April 21: She appeared alongside Donald Trump at the White House Easter Egg Roll. Melania Trump read the book "Bunny with a Big Heart" to a group of children at the event. April 25: Donald Trump and Melania Trump departed the White House together to travel to Pope Francis' funeral. The president and first lady were among several world leaders who attended the late pope's funeral in Vatican City. May 8: She hosted an event for military mothers and unveiled a US postage stamp honoring Barbara Bush at the White House. "I applaud Mrs. Bush's mark defending our society's vital need for women across all avenues, whether CEO or homemaker," Melania Trump said at the unveiling. "We have, can, and will build better families and run innovative businesses at the same time, ultimately shaping a brighter future." May 19: Melania Trump spoke at the signing ceremony for the "TAKE IT DOWN" Act in the Rose Garden. The bill, which was first presented to Congress in 2024 before Donald Trump took office, received widespread bipartisan support. "Artificial intelligence and social media are the digital candy for the next generation: sweet, addictive, and engineered to have an impact on the cognitive development of our children," Melania Trump said in her remarks at the signing ceremony. May 20: Melania Trump hosted a Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day event for children in the Kennedy Garden. The first lady greeted the children of White House staffers as they participated in an arts-and-crafts activity. "It is always special to see children's creativity and spirit on display, especially here at the White House where so many hardworking men and women support the success of our nation every day," she said in a White House statement. May 21: She spoke at the Senate Spouses Luncheon held at the National Gallery of Art. Melania Trump, accompanied by Usha Vance, spoke about her Be Best platform, which focuses on children's well-being, and her Fostering the Future initiative, which supports children transitioning out of foster care. "Together, we will uplift and empower our children, ensuring they have the support needed to thrive," the first lady wrote in a post on X. "Let's continue this vital mission and inspire a brighter future for all!" Read the original article on Business Insider
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Photos show every time Melania Trump has appeared at a public White House event this year
First lady Melania Trump is keeping a low profile during President Donald Trump's second term. An infrequent White House presence, she divides her time between homes in Florida, New York, and DC. Her latest appearances included the "TAKE IT DOWN" Act signing and an event for military mothers. It's a refrain dating back to the first Trump White House: Where's Melania? First lady Melania Trump, who remained an enigmatic figure during President Donald Trump's first term, has kept an even lower profile during his second. Ahead of the inauguration, Melania Trump told Fox News that she planned to divide her time between the White House, Trump Tower in New York City, and Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida. This schedule has made her an infrequent White House presence, averaging one to three appearances at public events each month. Melania Trump's communications director, Nicholas Clemens, declined to comment. Take a look at the first lady's White House activities and appearances thus far. January 20: Melania Trump attended the inauguration. Melania Trump held the Bible as Donald Trump was sworn in for his second non-consecutive term, and the couple danced together at several inaugural balls later that evening. For the swearing-in ceremony, Melania Trump wore a navy coat and skirt by Adam Lippes, an American designer. She accessorized with a matching wide-brimmed hat by Eric Javits. Her black-and-white inaugural gown was designed by Hervé Pierre. January 21: The president and first lady joined Vice President JD Vance and Usha Vance at the National Day of Prayer Service. The service, the last of Donald Trump's inaugural events, was held at the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, DC. January 24: Melania Trump and Donald Trump visited California and North Carolina to survey damage caused by natural disasters. Melania Trump joined Donald Trump to visit Los Angeles in the aftermath of multiple wildfires and neighborhoods in North Carolina damaged by Hurricane Helene. Together, they met with first responders and residents who had lost their homes and businesses. Melania Trump was photographed hugging and shaking hands with those affected by the natural disasters. February 22: Donald Trump and Melania Trump hosted the National Governors Association dinner at the White House. Melania Trump wore a black Dolce & Gabbana tuxedo, similar to the outfit she chose for her official White House portrait, while posing for photos with governors from across the US. Donald Trump thanked Melania Trump in his speech, saying that she "made the evening beautiful." March 3: She participated in a roundtable discussion on the "TAKE IT DOWN" Act targeting revenge porn. "TAKE IT DOWN" is an acronym for "Tools to Address Known Exploitation by Immobilizing Technological Deepfakes on Websites and Networks." The act criminalizes the publication of non-consensual intimate imagery, including AI-generated deepfakes, and requires websites to remove them. "Every young person deserves a safe online space to express themself freely, without the looming threat of exploitation or harm," Melania Trump said in her opening remarks. March 4: Melania Trump attended Donald Trump's speech to a joint session of Congress. The first lady's guests included the families of Corey Comperatore, the firefighter who was fatally shot during an assassination attempt against Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, and Laken Riley, who was killed by a man who had entered the US illegally. Melania Trump wore a gray skirt suit by Dior. April 1: She attended the International Women of Courage Awards. Melania Trump, joined by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, presented awards to several notable women in a ceremony held at the State Department. "These extraordinary women illuminate the transformative power of love in shaping our world," she said in her remarks at the event. "Their journeys remind us that true courage is born from a deep commitment to others, showing that love fuels the call for justice." April 21: She appeared alongside Donald Trump at the White House Easter Egg Roll. Melania Trump read the book "Bunny with a Big Heart" to a group of children at the event. April 25: Donald Trump and Melania Trump departed the White House together to travel to Pope Francis' funeral. The president and first lady were among several world leaders who attended the late pope's funeral in Vatican City. May 8: She hosted an event for military mothers and unveiled a US postage stamp honoring Barbara Bush at the White House. "I applaud Mrs. Bush's mark defending our society's vital need for women across all avenues, whether CEO or homemaker," Melania Trump said at the unveiling. "We have, can, and will build better families and run innovative businesses at the same time, ultimately shaping a brighter future." May 19: Melania Trump spoke at the signing ceremony for the "TAKE IT DOWN" Act in the Rose Garden. The bill, which was first presented to Congress in 2024 before Donald Trump took office, received widespread bipartisan support. "Artificial intelligence and social media are the digital candy for the next generation: sweet, addictive, and engineered to have an impact on the cognitive development of our children," Melania Trump said in her remarks at the signing ceremony. May 20: Melania Trump hosted a Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day event for children in the Kennedy Garden. The first lady greeted the children of White House staffers as they participated in an arts-and-crafts activity. "It is always special to see children's creativity and spirit on display, especially here at the White House where so many hardworking men and women support the success of our nation every day," she said in a White House statement. May 21: She spoke at the Senate Spouses Luncheon held at the National Gallery of Art. Melania Trump, accompanied by Usha Vance, spoke about her Be Best platform, which focuses on children's well-being, and her Fostering the Future initiative, which supports children transitioning out of foster care. "Together, we will uplift and empower our children, ensuring they have the support needed to thrive," the first lady wrote in a post on X. "Let's continue this vital mission and inspire a brighter future for all!" Read the original article on Business Insider
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump Just Gained Frightening New Powers to Muzzle Your Free Speech
Sign up for the Slatest to get the most insightful analysis, criticism, and advice out there, delivered to your inbox daily. Had you scanned any of the latest headlines around the TAKE IT DOWN Act, legislation that President Donald Trump signed into law Monday, you would have come away with a deeply mistaken impression of the bill and its true purpose. The surface-level pitch is that this is a necessary law for addressing nonconsensual intimate images—known more widely as revenge porn. Obfuscating its intent with a classic congressional acronym (Tools to Address Known Exploitation by Immobilizing Technological Deepfakes on Websites and Networks), the TAKE IT DOWN Act purports to help scrub the internet of exploitative, nonconsensual sexual media, whether real or digitally mocked up, at a time when artificial intelligence tools and automated image generators have supercharged its spread. Enforcement is delegated to the Federal Trade Commission, which will give online communities that specialize primarily in user-generated content (e.g., social media, message boards) a heads-up and a 48-hour takedown deadline whenever an appropriate example is reported. These platforms have also been directed to set up on-site reporting systems by May 2026. Penalties for violations include prison sentences of two to three years and steep monetary fines. Public reception has been rapturous. CNN is gushing that 'victims of explicit deepfakes will now be able to take legal action against people who create them.' A few local Fox affiliates are taking the government at its word that TAKE IT DOWN is designed to target revenge porn. Other outlets, like the BBC and USA Today, led off by noting first lady Melania Trump's appearance at the bill signing. Yet these headlines and pieces ignore TAKE IT DOWN's serious potential for abuse. (Jezebel and Wired were perhaps the only publications to point out in both a headline and subhead that the law merely 'claims to offer victims greater protections' and that 'free speech advocates warn it could be weaponized to fuel censorship.') Rarer still, with the exception of sites like the Verge, has there been any acknowledgment of Trump's own stated motivation for passing the act, as he'd underlined in a joint address to Congress in March: 'I'm going to use that bill for myself too, if you don't mind, because nobody gets treated worse than I do online, nobody.' Sure, it's typical for this president to make such serious matters about himself. But Trump's blathering about having it 'worse' than revenge-porn survivors, and his quip about 'using that bill for myself,' is not a fluke. For a while now, activists who specialize in free speech, digital privacy, and even stopping child sexual abuse have attempted to warn that the bill will not do what it purports to do. Late last month, after TAKE IT DOWN had passed both the House and Senate, the Electronic Frontier Foundation wrote that the bill's legislative mechanism 'lacks critical safeguards against frivolous or bad-faith takedown requests.' For one, the 48-hour takedown deadline means that digital platforms (especially smaller, less-resourced websites) will be forced to use automated filters that often flag legal content—because there won't be 'enough time to verify whether the speech is actually illegal.' The EFF also warns that TAKE IT DOWN requires monitoring that could reach into even encrypted messages between users. If this legislation has the effect of granting law enforcement a means of bypassing encrypted communications, we may as well bid farewell to the very concept of digital privacy. A February letter addressed to the Senate from a wide range of free-expression nonprofits—including Fight for the Future and the Authors Guild—also raised concerns over TAKE IT DOWN's implications for content moderation and encryption. The groups noted that although the bill makes allowances for legal porn and newsworthy content, 'those exceptions are not included in the bill's takedown system.' They added that private tools like direct messages and cloud storage aren't protected either, which could leave them open to invasive monitoring with little justification. The Center for Democracy and Technology, a signatory to the letter, later noted in a follow-up statement that the powers granted to the FTC in enforcing such a vague law could lead to politically motivated attacks, undermining progress in tackling actual nonconsensual imagery. Techdirt's Mike Masnick wrote last month that TAKE IT DOWN is 'so badly designed that the people it's meant to help oppose it,' pointing to public statements from the advocacy group Cyber Civil Rights Initiative, 'whose entire existence is based on representing the interests of victims' of nonconsensual intimate imagery. CCRI has long criticized the bill's takedown provisions and ultimately concluded that the nonprofit 'cannot support legislation that risks endangering the very communities it is dedicated to protecting, including LGBTQIA+ individuals, people of color, and other vulnerable groups.' (In a separate statement, the CCRI highlighted other oddities within the bill, like a loophole allowing for nonconsensual sexual media to be posted if the uploader happens to appear in the image, and the explicit inclusion of forums that specialize in 'audio files,' despite otherwise focusing on visual materials.) 'The concerns are not theoretical,' Masnick continued. 'The bill's vague standards combined with harsh criminal penalties create a perfect storm for censorship and abuse.' Let's be clear: No one here is at all opposed to sound legislation that tackles the inescapable, undeniable problem of nonconsensual sexual material. All 50 states, along with the District of Columbia, have enacted laws criminalizing exploitative sexual photos and videos to varying degrees. TAKE IT DOWN extends such coverage to deepfake revenge porn, a change that makes the bill a necessary complement to these state laws—but its text is shockingly narrow on the digital front, criminalizing only A.I. imagery that's deemed to be 'indistinguishable from an authentic visual depiction.' This just leads to more vague language that hardly addresses the underlying issue. The CCRI has spent a full decade fighting for laws to address the crisis of nonconsensual sexual imagery, even drafting model legislation—parts of which did make it into TAKE IT DOWN. On Bluesky, CCRI President Mary Anne Franks called this fact 'bittersweet,' proclaiming that the long-overdue criminalization of exploitative sexual imagery is undermined by the final law's 'lack of adequate safeguards against false reports.' A few House Democrats looked to the group's proposed fixes and attempted to pass amendments that would have added such safeguards, only to be obstructed by their Republican colleagues. This should worry everyone. These groups made concerted efforts to inform Congress of the issues with TAKE IT DOWN and to propose solutions, only to be all but ignored. As Masnick wrote in another Techdirt post, the United States already has enough of a problem with the infamous Digital Millennium Copyright Act, the only other American law with a notice-and-takedown measure like TAKE IT DOWN's, albeit designed to prevent the unauthorized spread of copyright works. Just ask any creatives or platform operators who've had to deal with abusive flurries of bad-faith DMCA takedown requests—even though the law includes a clause meant to protect against such weaponization. There's no reason to believe that TAKE IT DOWN won't be similarly exploited to go after sex workers and LGBTQ+ users, as well as anyone who posts an image or animation that another user simply doesn't like and decides to report. It's not dissimilar to other pieces of proposed legislation, like the Kids Online Safety Act, that purport to protect young netizens via wishy-washy terms that could criminalize all sorts of free expression. Here's a hypothetical: A satirical cartoonist comes up with an illustration of Trump as a baby and publishes it on a niche social media platform that they use to showcase their art. A Trump supporter finds this cartoon and decides to report it as abusive pornography, leading to a takedown notice on the cartoonist's website. The artist and the platform do not comply, and a pissed-off Trump brings the full force of the law against this creator. The process of discovery leads prosecutors to break into the artist's encrypted communications, revealing drafts of the drawing that the cartoonist had shared with friends. All of this gets the illustrator punished with a brief prison sentence and steep fine, fully sabotaging their bank account and career; the social media platform they used is left bankrupt and shutters. The artists are forced to migrate to another site, whose administrators see what happened to their former home and decide to censor political works. All the while, an underage user finds that their likeness has been used to generate a sexually explicit deepfake that has been spread all over Discord—yet their case is found to have no merit because the deepfake in question is not considered 'indistinguishable from an authentic visual depiction,' despite all the Discord-based abusers recognizing exactly whom that deepfake is meant to represent. It's a hypothetical—but not an unimaginable one. It's a danger that too few Americans understand, thanks to congressional ignorance and the media's credulous reporting on TAKE IT DOWN. The result is a law that's supposedly meant to protect the vulnerable but ends up shielding the powerful—and punishing the very people it promised to help.
Indian Express
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Trump signs ‘Take it Down Act' to combat deepfakes and online exploitation: Here are its key aspects
United States President Donald Trump, on Monday (May 19), signed a landmark law making it illegal to share explicit images of individuals without their consent. The legislation, called the 'Take It Down Act', targets revenge porn and aims to combat the distribution of non-consensual sexual images on the internet, including the fake images created using artificial intelligence (AI). 'With the rise of AI image generation, countless women have been harassed with deepfakes and other explicit images distributed against their will,' Trump said at a signing ceremony in the Rose Garden of the White House. 'And today we're making it totally illegal,' the US president said. 'Anyone who intentionally distributes explicit images without the subject's consent will face up to three years in prison.' One of the key aspects of the law is that it holds online platforms accountable for removing harmful content. Under this, tech companies must remove explicit images within 48 hours of notification, and if the websites fail to do so, they could face legal penalties. The bill received strong bipartisan support and was publicly backed by First Lady Melania Trump. Aimed at safeguarding the victims of revenge porn and non-consensual image sharing, the ones who put out such content without consent can face prison time. 'This will be the first-ever federal law to combat the distribution of explicit imagery posted without subjects' consent,' Trump said. 'We will not tolerate online sexual exploitation,' he added. 'Today, through the 'TAKE IT DOWN' Act, we affirm that the well-being of our children is central to the future of our families and America. I am proud to say that the values of BE BEST will be reflected in the law of the land.' – FLOTUS — First Lady Melania Trump (@FLOTUS) May 19, 2025 'National victory' After signing the bill, Trump passed it to his wife, Melania, to sign it, 'C'mon, sign it anyway,' the US president told the first lady. 'She deserves to sign it.' Calling the law a 'national victory', Melania said that it will help families and parents to safeguard their children from 'online exploitation.' The first lady endorsed the bill in her first solo engagement after her husband's return to the White House. 'AI and social media are the digital candy for the next generation, sweet addictive and engineered to have an impact on the cognitive development of our children,' she said at the signing ceremony. 'But unlike sugar, these new technologies can be weaponized, shape beliefs and, sadly, affect emotions and even be deadly.' Earlier in March, Melania convened a roundtable discussion on Capitol Hill, highlighting that it was extremely 'heartbreaking to witness young teens, especially girls, grappling with the overwhelming challenges posed by malicious online content.' Key aspects of Take It Down Act – Mandatory 48-hour takedown: The online platforms must remove content reported by the victim within 48 hours of receiving a complaint. The tech companies are also required to take 'reasonable steps' to ensure that the same image is not reappearing elsewhere on their service. – Scope The law covers both real and digitally-created explicit images, including those generated or manipulated by artificial intelligence. – Criminalisation The Take It Down Act makes it a crime to knowingly publish or threaten to publish explicit images of someone without their consent. – Platform Accountability Online platforms are required to remove non-consensual intimate images promptly. Failure to comply may result in enforcement actions from the Federal Trade Commission.
