Monday’s House overwhelmingly passed a bill backed by First Lady Melania Trump, cracking down on postings of explicit images, including “deep fake” nudes generated by artificial intelligence without consent.
The tool to address known exploitation by pinning technical deepfakes on websites and networks known as the Take It Down Act was approved by 409-2 votes and now headed to President Donald Trump’s desk.
The measure generally prohibits online publication based on the nonconsensual nature of intimate visual depictions of authentic and computer-generated individuals, and requires certain online platforms to promptly remove such depictions when they receive notification of their existence,” according to the bill’s summary.
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First Melania Trump will be greeted by President Donald Trump as he welcomes White House egg rolls on the South Lawn on April 21, 2025.
It specifically prohibits online publication of “intimate visual descriptions” of an adult subject “where publication is intended to cause or does cause harm to the subject, and where the description was published without the subject’s consent or, in the case of an authentic description, was created or obtained under circumstances where the adult had a reasonable expectation of privacy,” as well as “a minor subject where publication is intended to abuse or harass the minor or to arouse or Gratify the sexual desire of any person.
According to the bill’s summary, “violators will be subject to mandatory reparations and criminal penalties, including prison, fines, or both.” “The threat of publishing intimate visual depictions of the subject is similarly prohibited under the bill and is subject to criminal penalties.”
The law also requires a platform for establishing a process where victims of revenge porn can notify them of the presence of images and request deletion. The bill says the platform will take 48 hours to remove these images.
Sen. Ted Cruz of R-Texas introduced the Take It Down Act in January and was approved by the Upper Chamber in February. It was brought into the house by R-FLA Rep. Maria Salazar.
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First Lady Melania Trump and R-Texas Sen. Ted Cruz walk towards the meeting to encourage the passing of takedown acts at the US Capitol on March 3, 2025 (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)
House Republicans on Monday praised Cruz and Salazar, first ladies who led “critical laws” to “create a safer digital future and protect children from deep exploitation.”
“The passing of the Take it Down Act is a historic victory in the fight to protect victims of revenge porn and Deepfark’s abuses. Cruz writes in X.
“This day would have been impossible without the courage and patience of Elliston Berry, Francesca Mani, Breeze Liu and Brandon Guffy. Pennsylvania, “to secure weapons on this important mission to protect Americans from online exploitation.”
First Lady Melania Trump arrived at Capitol Hill and on March 3, 2025 to encourage the passage of a takedown act by the Senate to protect victims of Real and Deepfake’s “revenge porn” by criminalizing the publication.
“Moving this law has been a key focus since returning to her role as First Lady this January,” Melania Trump wrote to X.
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During President Trump’s first term, First Lady established the Be Best Awareness campaign. This “emphasized people and programs that focus on the happiness of children and are dedicated to ensuring a better future for the next generation,” according to the White House. Melania Trump also established “the nurturing the future, the best initiative to provide university-level scholarships to those aging from the foster care system.
Daniel Wallace is a news and political reporter for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to danielle.wallace@fox.com and to X:@danimwallace.
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