US Congress backs 'Take It Down' act in bipartisan vote

New law criminalises deepfakes, revenge porn

In a rare show of bipartisan unity, Congress has passed the Take It Down act, legislation aimed at curbing the spread of non-consensual intimate imagery, including revenge porn and AI-generated deepfakes. CNN reported that the act is now headed to President Donald Trump's desk, where he is expected to sign it into law.

Passed by a sweeping 409-2 vote in the House on Monday and unanimously in the Senate earlier this year, the act mandates that social media platforms remove such images within 48 hours of receiving notice. More significantly, it makes it a federal crime to knowingly publish intimate visual material without the subject's consent.

The legislation comes amid growing concern over the misuse of artificial intelligence to create hyper-realistic, manipulated images, often targeting women and public figures. It also addresses long-standing gaps in legal recourse for victims of revenge porn, who frequently struggle to have their images removed from digital platforms.

Sen Amy Klobuchar, one of the act's lead sponsors along with Sen Ted Cruz, highlighted the urgency of the issue. "We must provide victims of online abuse with the legal protections they need," Klobuchar said. "Deepfakes are creating horrifying new opportunities for abuse." Cruz added that the act's swift takedown requirement would help "spare victims from repeated trauma and hold predators accountable."

First Lady Melania Trump also played a visible role in advancing the act, making her first solo appearance of the new presidential term on Capitol Hill in March. She praised its passage as "a powerful statement that we stand united in protecting the dignity, privacy, and safety of our children."

The act nearly became law last year, having been included in a year-end spending package. However, it was ultimately scrapped after President Trump and tech mogul Elon Musk objected to broader provisions in the funding plan.

Now revived and passed on its own merits, the Take It Down act is poised to set a national precedent for regulating digital consent and accountability in the age of AI. As concerns over tech-fuelled abuse grow, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are signalling a willingness to draw legal lines around digital exploitation.