Key Takeaways
- The Take It Down Act passed Congress with overwhelming bipartisan backing and is expected to be signed into law by Donald Trump.
- Key figures, including Senator Ted Cruz and First Lady Melania Trump, have championed the law.
- While many officials support the bill, privacy and free speech advocates warn that the law could encourage over-censorship.
Donald Trump has announced he looks forward to signing a new measure that criminalizes the publication of nonconsensual sexual deepfakes, following its overwhelming approval in Congress on Monday.
The legislation, known as the Take It Down Act, passed with a bipartisan vote of 409–2 and has drawn some criticism from digital rights advocates, who argue that it grants excessive power to online service providers.
Take It Down Act Advances
On Monday, April 29, the Take It Down Act cleared its final hurdle in Congress and is now on its way to the President’s desk for his signature, The Hill reported.
Once signed by Trump, the bill will make it a federal crime to publish—or even threaten to publish—AI-generated deepfakes that depict real, identifiable people engaged in sexually explicit acts without their consent.
The law mandates that social media platforms and other online service providers remove flagged images and videos within 48 hours of receiving a takedown request.
“The Senate just passed the Take It Down Act. Once it passes the House, I look forward to signing that bill into law,” Trump said in March.
“And I’m going to use that bill for myself too, if you don’t mind—because nobody gets treated worse than I do online. Nobody,” he added.
Widespread Political Support
The bill has received strong bipartisan support across Congress.
Republican Senator Ted Cruz, who introduced the legislation, emphasized the need for proactive measures:
“It shouldn’t take a sitting senator or member of Congress picking up the phone to get a harmful photo or video taken down.”
Only two Republicans voted against the bill in the House.
First Lady Melania Trump also endorsed the legislation, appearing at a public discussion in March to promote its passage.
“It’s heartbreaking to witness young teens, especially girls, grappling with the overwhelming challenges posed by malicious online content like deepfakes,” she said. “This toxic environment can be severely damaging.”
Concerns From Digital Rights Groups
Despite its broad support, the legislation has been criticized by advocates of digital privacy and civil liberties.
Jason Kelley, Activism Director at the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), warned that the law poses “a huge threat to security and privacy online.”
Critics argue that the 48-hour takedown window may not provide sufficient time to verify whether the content is illegal, prompting platforms to remove questionable material by default to avoid legal risk.
“Lawmakers should focus on strengthening and enforcing existing protections for victims, rather than creating new takedown systems that are vulnerable to abuse,” Kelley said.
Kelley also warned that online service providers will likely utilize automated filters, which are “infamously blunt tools.”
Kurt Robson is a London-based reporter at CCN, specialising in the fast-moving worlds of crypto and emerging technology. He began his career covering local news in Cornwall after graduating from Falmouth University with First Class Honours in Journalism. There, he cut his teeth on everything from council meetings to missing swans.
He quickly rose through the ranks to become a frontline journalist at several of the UK’s leading national newspapers. Over the years, he has interviewed musicians and celebrities, reported from courtrooms and crime scenes, and secured multiple front-page exclusives.
Following the upheaval of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kurt shifted his focus to technology journalism—just ahead of the AI boom. With a natural curiosity and a trained eye for emerging trends, he has found a new rhythm in reporting on innovation.
At CCN, Kurt's work focuses on the cutting edge of crypto, blockchain, AI, and the evolving digital world. Drawing on his background in people-first reporting and his deep interest in disruptive tech, Kurt delivers stories that are insightful, entertaining, and human-centric.
