President Trump, alongside his wife, Melania, signed the Take It Down Act on Monday, a measure the first lady helped usher through Congress to set stricter penalties for the distribution of non-consensual intimate imagery online, or "revenge porn." In March, Melania Trump used her first solo public appearance since resuming the role of first lady to travel to Capitol Hill to lobby House members to pass the bill following its approval by the Senate. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters earlier Monday that the first lady was "instrumental in getting this important legislation passed," the AP reports.
The bill makes it a federal crime to "knowingly publish" or threaten to publish intimate images without a person's consent, including AI-created "deepfakes." Websites and social media companies will be required to remove such material within 48 hours after a victim requests it. The platforms must also take steps to delete duplicate content. Many states have already banned the dissemination of sexually explicit deepfakes or revenge porn, but the Take It Down Act is a rare example of federal regulators imposing on internet companies.
- "This legislation is a powerful step forward in our efforts to ensure that every American, especially young people, can feel better protected from their image or identity being abused through nonconsensual, intimate imagery," Melania Trump said at Monday's ceremony. "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, but unlike sugar, these new technologies can be weaponized, shape beliefs and sadly, affect emotions and even be deadly," she added, per ABC News.
- The bill, sponsored by GOP Sen. Ted Cruz and Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar, received overwhelming bipartisan support in Congress, passing the House in April by a 409-2 vote and clearing the Senate by unanimous consent. Republican Reps. Eric Burlison and Thomas Massie were the only "Nay" votes in the House.
- The measure isn't without critics. Free speech advocates and digital rights groups say the bill is too broad and could lead to censorship of legitimate images, including legal pornography and LGBTQ content. Others say it could allow the government to monitor private communications and undermine due process.
- This is the sixth bill Trump has signed into law in his second term, NBC reports.
- The New York Times reports that both Trumps signed the bill. After the president signed it, he passed the pen to the first lady, saying: "You want to sign it anyway? Come on, sign it anyway. She deserves to sign it."
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