What is ‘Take it Down Act’? Donald Trump signs landmark law backed by Melania to combat revenge porn and AI deepfakes

Donald Trump and FLOTUS Melania Trump signal landmark invoice

US President Donald Trump on Monday signed a brand new law that makes it unlawful to share express photographs of individuals with out their permission, together with faux photographs made utilizing AI.The laws is known as the “Take It Down Act,” and goals to defend victims of revenge porn and cease the unfold of non-consensual sexual photographs on-line.The invoice had robust bipartisan help and was backed publicly by first woman Melania Trump. The measure handed the Senate in February and the House then March, earlier than reaching the president’s desk.“This will be the first-ever federal law to combat the distribution of explicit, imagery posted without subjects’ consent,” Trump stated throughout a signing ceremony on the White House. “We will not tolerate online sexual exploitation,” he added.After signing the bill, Trump handed it to Melania to add her signature as well.The law requires social media companies and websites to remove explicit photos and videos, including those manipulated by artificial intelligence, within 48 hours of a victim’s request. Those who knowingly share such images without permission can face prison time.Melania Trump called the law a “national victory that will help parents and families protect children from online exploitation.” Speaking at the bill’s introduction in March, she pointed out the dangers faced by youth: “It’s heartbreaking to witness young teens, especially girls, grappling with the overwhelming challenges posed by malicious online content like deep fakes. This toxic environment can be severely damaging.”She also warned about the impact of new technologies, saying, “Artificial intelligence and social media are the digital candy for the next generation — sweet, addictive and engineered to have an impact on the cognitive development of our children.” She added that these technologies “can be weaponised, shape beliefs and, sadly, affect emotions and even be deadly.”The Take It Down Act represents one of the first federal laws directly addressing harms caused by AI-generated content. While laws protecting children from AI-manipulated images existed before, there was no nationwide protection for adults until now.The law additionally holds tech firms accountable for eradicating dangerous content material. Major platforms like Meta, TikTok, and Snapchat have expressed help for the invoice.Despite this, some digital rights groups have raised concerns that the law could lead to the removal of legal content and lacks safeguards against bad-faith takedown requests.The invoice’s passage adopted quite a few high-profile instances the place celebrities reminiscent of Taylor Swift and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, in addition to unusual teenage ladies, have been victims of AI-created express photographs. The law signals a stronger societal stand against intimate image abuse. The Take It Down Act was first introduced last year by Senators Ted Cruz and Amy Klobuchar and passed nearly unanimously.