Posted by Alumni from The Conversation
May 9, 2025
In a rare bipartisan move, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Take It Down Act by a vote of 409-2 on April 28, 2025. The bill is an effort to confront one of the internet's most appalling abuses: the viral spread of nonconsensual sexual imagery, including AI-generated deepfake pornography and real photos shared as revenge porn. Now awaiting President Trump's expected signature, the bill offers victims a mechanism to force platforms to remove intimate content shared without their permission ' and to hold those responsible for distributing it to account. As a scholar focused on AI and digital harms, I see this bill as a critical milestone. Yet it leaves troubling gaps. Without stronger protections and a more robust legal framework, the law may end up offering a promise it cannot keep. Enforcement issues and privacy blind spots could leave victims just as vulnerable. The Take It Down Act targets 'non-consensual intimate visual depictions' ' a legal term that encompasses what... learn more