Take It Down Act

U.S. President Donald Trump has signed into law the Take It Down Act—a bipartisan bill that makes it a federal crime to knowingly publish or threaten to publish non-consensual intimate images, including AI-generated deepfakes.

The legislation specifically targets the rising tide of “revenge porn” and non-consensual AI-generated content, mandating that:

• Social media platforms and websites must remove such content within 48 hours of a victim’s request.
• Platforms must also take steps to delete duplicates of the reported content to prevent re-circulation.

The Take It Down Act was inspired by the real-life ordeal of Elliston Berry, a 14-year-old whose AI-generated deepfake was circulated on Snapchat. Despite pleas, the platform refused for nearly a year to remove the image, prompting Berry and her mother to advocate directly for legal reform.

The law comes amid an alarming rise in AI-powered abuse, including apps that can digitally undress women and generate pornographic deepfakes without consent. A wave of scandals involving AI pornography in schools across several U.S. states has brought the issue into sharp focus, with hundreds of teenagers victimized by classmates using AI tools.

Experts warn that non-consensual deepfakes and intimate imagery can lead to harassment, bullying, blackmail, and severe mental health impacts, especially among adolescents.