Bill by Sens. Cruz and Klobuchar combats non-consensual deepfakes online
On Thursday, the U.S. Senate passed the TAKE IT DOWN Act, a bipartisan bill that would criminalize the publication of non-consensual, sexually exploitative images — including AI-generated deepfakes — and require online platforms to have in place notice and takedown processes. The legislation was introduced by Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN).
“We have a moral imperative to stop the spread of non-consensual deepfakes from harming another generation of victims,” said ARI President Brad Carson. “Last year, Congress came an inch from the goal line of passing the TAKE IT DOWN Act and preventing the spread of exploitative images online. This year it’s going all the way to the President’s desk for a signature. This bill is bipartisan, there’s grassroots energy behind it, and now it’s up to Congress to act.”
Last year, ARI helped to lead a coalition of over two dozen organizations in a letter urging the House of Representatives to pass the TAKE IT DOWN Act and DEFIANCE Act following their passage in the Senate. ARI and AI policy group ENCODE also led a joint petition, gathering over 7,500 petitions in support of the two bills. The Senate passed the TAKE IT DOWN Act and the bill was included in omnibus legislation that was tabled in the final days of the last Congress.
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Americans for Responsible Innovation (ARI) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to policy advocacy in the public interest, focused on emerging technologies like artificial intelligence (AI). Learn more at ARI.us.