Bipartisan, bicameral bill empowers victims of revenge porn by forcing social media to remove explicit images
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the bipartisan, bicameral TAKE IT DOWN Act, authored by Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and co-led by Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), by a vote of 409-2. Having passed the Senate in February, the TAKE IT DOWN Act now heads to the President to be signed into law.
The TAKE IT DOWN Act criminalizes the publication of non-consensual intimate imagery (NCII), including AI-generated NCII (or “deepfake revenge pornography”), and requires social media and similar websites to remove such content within 48 hours of notice from a victim.
Upon passage of the TAKE IT DOWN Act, Sen. Cruz said:
“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. This day would not have been possible without the courage and perseverance of Elliston Berry, Francesca Mani, Breeze Liu, and Brandon Guffey, whose powerful voices drove this legislation forward. I am especially grateful to my colleagues—including Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Rep. Maria Salazar, Rep. Madeleine Dean, First Lady Melania Trump, and House Leadership—for locking arms in this critical mission to protect Americans from online exploitation.”
Sen. Klobuchar said:
“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. 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.”
The House companion was introduced by Reps. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-Fla.) and Madeleine Dean (D-Pa.).
Rep. Salazar said:
“The TAKE IT DOWN Act’s passage is a bipartisan victory to protect victims of real and deepfake revenge pornography. This bill shows Congress at its best, working together to empower victims, especially women and girls. It equally holds offenders and Big Tech accountable.”
