ISD supports proposed bipartisan deepfake pornography bill which will be an important step for online safety

ISD endorsed bipartisan legislation that would require social media platforms to take down non-consensual intimate imagery (NCII), including AI-generated NCII (also known as “deepfake pornography”) and criminalize its publication.

The bill, Tools to Address Known Exploitation by Immobilizing Technological Deepfakes on Websites and Networks (TAKE IT DOWN), was introduced by U.S. Senate Commerce Committee Ranking Member Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and co-sponsored by Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Laphonza Butler (D-Calif.), Todd Young (R-Ind.), Joe Manchin (I-W.Va.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and Martin Heinrich (N. Mex.).

ISD’s Digital Policy Manager, Ellen Jacobs, submitted a statement of support highlighting how the TAKE IT DOWN Act marks a significant milestone towards platform accountability and deepfake regulation:

“The pain caused by the sharing of nonconsensual intimate deepfakes to those who have their likeness used and published without their consent is immense. This suffering is only compounded by how quickly the content can spread online and how difficult it is to get it taken down.

“The onus to remove these images should be on the platforms, not the victims. The TAKE IT DOWN Act is an important step towards shifting that burden. By creating a clear reporting mechanism for victims that requires platforms to remove the image within a specified timeline, this bill provides crucial guidelines for platforms and, more importantly, offers much-needed remediation for victims.”

The proposed bill is available here.