WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) along with Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) introduced an act to the Senate with the goal of protecting victims of revenge porn.
The bipartisan bill would criminalize the publishing of both real and AI-generated, or “deepfake,” non-consensual intimate imagery (NCII), or “revenge pornography.” The act, named TAKE IT DOWN, would require websites to remove NCII following a credible report by a revenge porn victim — someone who’s depicted in sexually explicit photos or videos without consent.
The proposed bill specifies that someone can agree to appear in sexual content without consenting to its publication.
The Act is intended to:
- Criminalize the publication of NCII in interstate commerce, making it a federal crime to publish revenge porn
- Protect good faith efforts to assist victims
- Review websites to take down NCII after notification from a victim
- Limit what’s considered computer-generated NCII to something a “reasonable person” would say looks like a real individual, in order to protect freedom of speech
“With any new industry comes the need to ensure it is not being used by bad actors, and AI is no different,” Lummis said in a press release. “I am proud to join my colleagues in introducing legislation to protect people against malicious and dangerous deepfakes that also allows innovation to continue in the United States.”
