Trump Signs New Revenge Porn Law That’s Earning Praise For Its Potential To Make A Big Difference
Donald Trump has officially signed the Take It Down Act into law, giving victims of deepfake pornography the right to take legal action against those responsible.
With artificial intelligence tools becoming more widespread, it’s become alarmingly easy for bad actors to generate fake but convincing explicit images of real people, including celebrities.
One major case that sparked outrage was when AI-generated sexual images of Taylor Swift went viral last year. The incident led to public outcry, with fans demanding laws to stop this kind of digital abuse.
Many of these AI-manipulated images end up being shared on social media or uploaded to adult sites, causing serious emotional harm to the people depicted especially when they never gave permission in the first place.
Now, under this new act signed by Trump, victims finally have legal tools to respond and hold platforms and perpetrators accountable.
What is the Take It Down Act?
The Take It Down Act was created to tackle the fast-growing problem of non-consensual explicit content especially when fueled by artificial intelligence.
How does it work?
Although the conversation has largely focused on AI-generated images, the law applies more broadly. It covers any intimate photo or video shared without the subject’s consent—what’s commonly known as ‘revenge porn’ and makes it a federal offense.
Under the new law, anyone involved in making or spreading these images faces serious consequences. That includes required restitution for victims and the possibility of jail time, fines, or both.
“Threats to publish intimate visual depictions of a subject are similarly prohibited under the bill and subject to criminal penalties.” the bill continues.
The law also puts pressure on tech companies and platforms. They’ll now be required to remove any reported non-consensual content within 48 hours after a victim notifies them, or face potential penalties.
In addition, all sites will have roughly a year to set up proper systems that let users report this type of content and request removal.
What Trump has said?
Speaking at the White House, Trump addressed the media and said: “Today it is my honor to officially sign the Take it Down act into law, it is a big thing, it is very important, it is horrible what takes place.”
“This will be the first ever federal law to combat the distribution of explicit imagery posted without subjects consent, take horrible pictures and I guess sometimes even make up the pictures then they post it without consent.”
“This includes for forgeries generated by artificial intelligence, known as deep fakes, we have all heard of them.”
He went on to talk more about the importance of the legislation, especially when it comes to protecting women. Trump continued: “With the rise of AI image generation countless women have been harassed with deep fakes and other explicit images distributed against their will.”
“This is wrong, so horribly wrong and it is a very abusive situation, in some cases people have never seen such things before and today we are making it totally illegal.”
What have people said about the bill?
The Take It Down Act passed with overwhelming support in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, showing just how urgently lawmakers saw the need for this change.
First Lady Melania Trump, who had previously encouraged lawmakers to pass the bill back in March, called it a “national victory” that would help parents and families protect children from exploitation online, according to the BBC.
Senator Ted Cruz also praised the law, calling it a “historic win” for those harmed by revenge porn and deepfake abuse. Meanwhile, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) said this landmark legislation finally addresses a major loophole by targeting both real and AI-manipulated content involving minors.
The response on social media has been mostly positive, too. One person posted: “Aye this is actually a good thing. First good thing he’s done all year.”
Another user commented that it was “actually something good” to come from the current administration. A third added: “He’s completely right to do this. A positive move.”
