Paris Hilton joins Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to push DEFIANCE Act against AI deepfake abuse

Paris Hilton Advocates for DEFIANCE Act on Capitol Hill

Paris Hilton joined forces with Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Laurel Lee (R-Fla.) on Capitol Hill Thursday to advocate for the passage of the DEFIANCE Act, bipartisan AI deepfake legislation designed to combat the surge in deepfake pornography targeting women and children1

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. The Disrupt Explicit Forged Images and Non-Consensual Edits Act passed unanimously in the Senate earlier this month and now awaits action in the House of Representatives2

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. Speaking publicly for the first time about her 2004 sex tape scandal, the 44-year-old media personality drew parallels between her experience with non-consensual sexualized imagery and the current epidemic of AI-generated deepfake abuse3

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Personal Experience Drives Push for Legal Protections

"When I was 19 years old, a private, intimate video of me was shared with the world without my consent," Hilton told the crowd outside the Capitol. "People called it a scandal. It wasn't. It was abuse. There were no laws at the time to protect me"1

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. The hotel heiress revealed she has been targeted by over 100,000 sexually-explicit AI deepfakes, none of which are real or consensual2

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. "Each time a new one appears, that horrible feeling returns, that fear that someone somewhere is looking at it right now and thinking it's real," she said3

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. Hilton emphasized that her advocacy work on Capitol Hill has become "the most meaningful work of my life," as she uses her platform to protect women and girls who lack the resources to fight back against online sexual abuse5

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DEFIANCE Act Provides Legal Recourse for Victims

The DEFIANCE Act would give victims of AI deepfake pornography the right to sue individuals who knowingly produce, distribute, solicit, or receive non-consensual sexually explicit digital forgeries2

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. It also targets those who possess the content with intent to distribute. "TAKE IT DOWN gave us removal and DEFIANCE will give us recourse and restitution," Ocasio-Cortez explained, referencing the TAKE IT DOWN Act signed into law in 2024 that requires platforms to remove child sexual abuse material and non-consensual intimate images within 48 hours of notification1

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. Sexual Violence Prevention Association CEO Omny Miranda Martone noted that people "are really struggling to have any action taken" because district attorneys often don't consider it a significant enough case to pursue1

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. The bill would address this gap by providing legal protections and enabling victims to seek financial and reputational damages.

Grok Controversy Intensifies Push for Legislation

The recent movement on the passage of the Defiance Act comes amid heightened scrutiny of Elon Musk's Grok chatbot, which generated sexualized images at users' requests in recent weeks4

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. According to new research from the Center for Countering Digital Hate, around 23,000 sexualized images of children were generated during the 11 days after Grok launched its image-generating feature1

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. While X has since barred users from using Grok to edit images of real people in revealing clothing and restricted image generation tools to paid subscribers, the incident sparked outcry and revived calls for stronger legal frameworks4

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. "Women lose their jobs when they are targeted with this. Teenagers switch schools and children lose their lives," Ocasio-Cortez stated, emphasizing Congress has a moral obligation to address AI-generated deepfake abuse1

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. Rep. Lee said she's "very optimistic" the House Judiciary Committee will take up the bill soon before a full House vote, with supporters urging Speaker Mike Johnson to bring the measure to the floor4

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