A bill that criminalizes the publication of non-consensual intimate imagery is headed to President Donald Trump's desk.
The House of Representatives approved Senate Bill 146, known as the TAKE IT DOWN Act. Monday's vote passed by a 409-2 margin. The bill's passage followed the Senate’s approval of the legislation by unanimous consent.
The bill was sponsored by Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a Minnesota Democrat, and Sen. Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican.
President Trump is expected to sign the legislation.
Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, was among the two legislators who voted against the bill, calling the potential new law "a slippery slope, ripe for abuse, with unintended consequences."
Advocates for the legislation say it would make it "unlawful for a person to knowingly publish, or threaten to publish, non-consensual intimate imagery on social media and other online platforms." The bill specifically makes it unlawful for someone to use artificial intelligence to create "deepfake" pornography of a person without their permission.
If a person consents to AI-generated porn being created of them, the potential new law would make it illegal to publish the content without that person’s consent.
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The legislation also requires social media platforms and websites to remove material within 48 hours of being notified by a victim.
“We must provide victims of online abuse with the legal protections they need when intimate images are shared without their consent, especially now that deepfakes are creating horrifying new opportunities for abuse,” said Klobuchar. “These images can ruin lives and reputations, but now that our bipartisan legislation is becoming law, victims will be able to have this material removed from social media platforms and law enforcement can hold perpetrators accountable.”
Lawmakers hailed the bill's passage after similar legislation was proposed nearly eight years ago.
"The passage of the TAKE IT DOWN Act is a historic win in the fight to protect victims of revenge porn and deepfake abuse. 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,” said Cruz.
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