Melania Trump Advocates for 'Take It Down Act' to Combat Revenge Porn and AI-Generated Deepfakes

What is Revenge Porn?

First Lady Melania Trump appeared in front of Congress on Monday to lobby to take on revenge porn. In her first solo public appearance since she resumed the role of first lady, Trump met with Congress to advocate for the "Take it Down Act" which would make it a federal crime to knowingly publish or threaten to publish intimate imagery online without an individual's consent. The act would also include any "deepfake" content generated by AI that resembles an identifiable person. During a roundtable discussion, the First Lady spoke of the threat the issue poses for young women and girls."It's heartbreaking to witness young teens, especially girls, grappling with the overwhelming challenges posed by malicious online content, like deepfakes," Trump said. "Every young person deserves a safe online space to express themself freely, without the looming threat of exploitation or harm." Do all states protect against it? While there is no federal law addressing revenge porn, nearly all states -- save for South Carolina -- have laws around the issue. However, the laws and penalties vary widely from state to state -- and not all laws extend to cover AI generated images. What are some high-profile examples? Many revenge porn cases are beginning to go to court as more states adopt laws criminalizing non-consentual pornography. In 2024, a Texas woman was awarded $1.2 billion dollars after her boyfriend posted intimate photos of her online after their breakup. In the first two cases to be tried under New York's 2019 revenge porn law the plaintiffs were awarded $1.5 million and $2 million.

What to know about deepfakes bill backed by Melania Trump

The big picture: The bipartisan bill aims to bolster protections against the non-consensual dissemination of sexual images, including those generated through artificial intelligence and targets deepfake and revenge pornography. Driving the news: The first lady and House Speaker Mike Johnson joined a roundtable on Capitol Hill on Monday with congressional leaders and victims of child sexual abuse material. What is the TAKE IT DOWN Act? The TAKE IT DOWN Act would require tech and social media platforms to remove CSAM and non-consensual intimate images within 48 hours of being notified by a victim, and it criminalizes posting such content, per Axios' Maria Curi. Who is supporting the bill? The bill is sponsored by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), and has bipartisan support including from cosponsors like Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn) and Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.). Where it stands House leaders said Monday they're ready to pass the bill.

Melania Trump to tackle revenge porn in second first lady stint

Melania Trump will tackle revenge porn and deepfakes in her first public comments since becoming first lady for the second time. Mrs Trump is set to host a roundtable to discuss the Take It Down Act, which aims to clamp down on the non-consensual sharing of sexual images and videos. Deepfake porn uses AI to create illicit videos by superimposing a person's face into pornographic content without their consent. Deepfakes currently occupy something of a legal grey area in the US, with some states like Indiana, Texas and Virginia enacting laws. There is no national legislation criminalising the fakes, however revenge porn, the leaking of sexual content without consent, is illegal in 49 states. Trump to take on 'new issues' Mrs Trump's meeting on Capitol Hill will be an opportunity to return to her campaigning for safer internet use. After Mr Trump took office for the first time, Mrs Trump launched her "Be Best" initiative to combat online bullying but it struggled as critics pointed out Donald Trump, her husband, used social media to do just that. While Mrs Trump is not publicly known to have been a victim of revenge or deepfake porn, nude images of her from her modelling days were published by the New York Post in 2016 during Mr Trump's first presidential campaign. They were shot by photographer Alé de Basse­ville in 1996 in New York and published in Max, a French magazine. However Mrs Trump said last year during a promotional video for her memoir that her nude shots were a "celebration of the human form". Mrs Trump signalled her interest in online safety in October and said she could take on "new issues". She told Fox News: "Children are suffering. We need to help them and educate them." A 2023 study found there had been a 550 per cent rise in the manipulated content since 2019, much of it fuelled by AI. The Take It Down Act was introduced by Senator Ted Cruz, the Texas Republican, and would "criminalise the publication of non-consensual intimate imagery (NCII)" including material generated by AI.

Melania Trump calls out low Democrat attendance at revenge porn roundtable

First lady Melania Trump took a swipe at Democratic lawmakers for their low attendance at a roundtable on deepfakes and revenge porn legislation in what marked her first public remarks since President Trump was sworn in to his second term. "I was heartened to learn that Senator [Ted] Cruz (R-Texas) and Senator [Amy] Klobuchar (D-Minn.) unified to prioritize this fundamental matter," the first lady told the roundtable at the Capitol. "I must admit, however, I expected to see more Democrat leaders with us here today to address this serious issue. Surely as adults, we can prioritize America's children ahead of partisan politics." The roundtable was centered around The Take It Down Act, a bill sponsored by Cruz and Klobuchar that would make it a federal crime to knowingly post or threaten to publish realistic, computer-generated pornographic images and videos that attempt to show identifiable, real people on social media and elsewhere online. The bill passed in the Senate last month and heads to the GOP-controlled House. The measure also passed the upper chamber last session and was included in an original end-of-year funding plan in the House but was later taken out amid funding negotiations. The co-leads of the House and Senate versions of the bill were invited to the roundtable. Neither Klobuchar, nor Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-Pa.) -- the House version's co-lead -- attended. When reached for comment, Klobuchar thanked the first lady "for shining a light on this important issue" and said she "welcome[s] her support for the bill." "We must provide victims of online abuse with legal protections when intimate images are shared without their consent, especially now that deepfakes are creating horrifying new opportunities for abuse," she added. Dean's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) was the only Democrat present for the event. While not a co-lead on the House bill, the California Democrat has spoken out in support of the measure in the past. Republicans present included Cruz, House Speaker Mike Johnson (La.), Majority Whip Steve Scalise (La.), Conference Chair Lisa McClain (Mich.), Assistant Whip Maria Elvira Salazar (Fla.), policy committee chair Rep. Kevin Hern (Okla.) and House Commerce and Energy Committee Chair Brett Guthrie (Ky.). The first lady said she hoped the roundtable boosts awareness of the harms caused by nonconsensual image posting and the approval of the Take it Down Act in Congress. The widespread presence of abusive behavior in the digital domain affects the daily lives of our children, families, and communities," Trump said. "Addressing this issue is essential for fostering a safe and supportive environment for our young people." The first lady pointed to the increasing use of artificial intelligence (AI), adding it is "heartbreaking" to see teenagers grapple with the challenges posed by intimate imagery online. "We must prioritize their well-being by equipping them with support and tools necessary to navigate this hostile digital landscape," Trump said. "Every young person deserves a safe online space to express themselves freely without the looming threat of exploitation or harm." The first lady spearheaded a youth initiative, "Be Best," during her husband's first term, which focused on combatting issues facing children with regards to well-being, online safety and opioid abuse. She has reportedly expressed interest in bringing the initiative back and referenced it in her remarks. "I can think of no more important issue for our first lady to lead on than protecting children online," Cruz said as he introduced Trump. Online safety advocates, including survivors of nonconsensual intimate imagery, were given the chance to speak on their experiences and call for the passage of the measure in the House. "If you're a victim of revenge porn or AI generated explicit imagery, your life changes forever," Cruz said during opening remarks. "Most likely, you've been targeted by someone you know, and you're likely struggling to have that material removed from the internet. Disturbingly, many of these victims are teenagers at American high schools who are facing a surge in AI-generated sexual images." Cruz said the Take It Down Act would empower victims across the U.S. and requires leading technology companies to have a notice of takedown process to speed up the process of getting distributed images removed from the internet.

Melania Trump to deliver public remarks on nonconsensual sexually exploitative images

President Donald Trump danced on stage with First Lady Melania Trump at three inaugural balls. First lady Melania Trump will be making her first public comments against the publication of non-consensual sexually explicit images at a roundtable on Capitol Hill on Monday, a day before she joins President Donald Trump for his first joint congressional address of his second presidency. The remarks will be in support of the Take it Down Act, which was unanimously passed by the Senate earlier this month. The bill, which includes "digital forgeries" created with AI software, requires technology platforms to remove reported content after receiving a valid request. The bill, introduced in August by Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and co-authored by Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., criminalizes the publication of "non-consensual, sexually exploitative images, including AI-generated deepfakes." The nation's largest anti-sexual violence organization, RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network), issued a letter with 23 additional groups has called for the swift passage of the legislation. "While popular celebrities like Taylor Swift have been victimized, there are also countless stories of adult victims as well as teenage girls at high schools in your community," the letter said. "Currently, no federal law requires online platforms to remove non-consensual intimate images upon request." On January 24, 2024, users created sexually explicit images depicting Swift at a football game. These images spread like "wildfire" despite very clearly violating the platform's policies, according to the Sexual Violence Resource Center. The AI-generated pictures gained over 45 million views, along with hundreds of thousands of likes, bookmarks, and reposts over a 17-hour period before they were taken down, the organization said. The roundtable, to be held at Capitol Hill at 2 p.m. Monday, will also survivors of non-consensual intimate imagery and advocates for online safety along with lawmakers. During her first tenure as first lady, Trump advocated against cyberbullying with her "Be Best" campaign. The campaign focused on the "social, emotional, and physical health" of children, broken down into three pillars: well-being, social media and opioid abuse. Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy is a White House Correspondent for USA TODAY. You can follow her on X @SwapnaVenugopal