‘Take it Down Act’ Signed into Law to Target Deepfakes
President Donald Trump officially signed the Take It Down Act, which makes it illegal to share explicit images or videos of someone without their consent, including content created with artificial intelligence.
During the signing ceremony, the White House Rose Garden hosted the event. First Lady Melania Trump joined the president, emphasizing how the law supports families and young people facing digital threats. Meanwhile, lawmakers from both sides of the aisle backed the legislation.
“Children should never have to face this kind of abuse. This law gives them and their families the tools they need,” the first lady said during the event.
The law applies to both real and AI-generated sexual material. Deepfake videos, which place someone’s face or likeness in sexual scenes they never participated in, have spread quickly across social media. As a response, the law requires platforms to act swiftly once someone files a complaint.
Here’s what the law requires:
- Makes it a federal offense to distribute sexual content without the subject’s consent
- Applies to AI-generated and altered content like deepfake porn
- Sets a maximum penalty of 3 years in prison, with harsher terms if minors are involved
- Requires platforms to remove reported content within 48 hours
- Obligates tech companies to prevent the same content from being reposted
- Assigns enforcement responsibility to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
- Gives platforms one year to build tools and systems to meet these rules
Importantly, the act came after reports of teenagers using AI tools to create fake images of classmates. One such case in Texas involved students making deepfake images to hurt a cheerleader’s standing at school. Because of this, incidents like these pushed lawmakers to act quickly.
Senator Amy Klobuchar, who co-sponsored the bill, explained the need for legal clarity. “No one should have to beg a tech company to remove a fake or private image,” she said. “We finally have a law that makes that right clear.”
Criticism Remains
Still, not all feedback has been positive. Digital rights groups argue that the law’s language could push platforms to monitor encrypted content or private messages. Critics say this might open the door to censorship or misuse.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation and Internet Society are calling for better checks within the law. They warn that weak safeguards could harm users’ privacy and speech rights.
Even so, the law is now active. The FTC is responsible for making sure companies comply. Victims of deepfake abuse or revenge porn now have a way to report violations and request content be removed within two days.
More…
- https://apnews.com/article/trump-melania-intimate-imagery-bill-sign-c7416b4935f8ccac9fd2909e494da9f1
- https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/05/19/take-it-down-act-trump/83731286007/
- https://www.politico.com/news/2025/05/19/trump-signs-take-it-down-act-criminalizing-deepfake-and-revenge-porn-00357151
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