President Donald Trump signed the Take It Down Act on Monday, a bipartisan legislation that enacts stricter penalties for distributing nonconsensual express photographs, together with deepfakes and revenge porn.
The invoice criminalizes the publication of such photographs, whether or not they’re genuine or AI-generated. Whoever publishes the images or movies can face felony penalties, together with fines, imprisonment, and restitution.
Underneath the brand new legislation, social media firms and on-line platforms should take away such materials inside 48 hours of discover from the sufferer. The platforms additionally should take steps to delete duplicate content material.
Many states have already banned sexually express deepfakes and revenge porn, however this would be the first time federal regulators step in to impose restrictions on web firms.
First Girl Melania Trump lobbied for the invoice, which was sponsored by Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.). Cruz mentioned he was impressed to behave after listening to that Snapchat refused for almost a yr to take away an AI-generated deepfake of a 14-year-old woman.
Free speech advocates and digital rights teams have raised considerations, saying the legislation is too broad and will result in censorship of authentic photographs, like authorized pornography, in addition to authorities critics.