A coalition of advocacy groups are urging the top lawmakers on the House Energy and Commerce Committee to pass legislation that would criminalize the publication of nonconsensual sexually explicit deepfakes.
In a letter Tuesday, the groups called on Reps. Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.) and Frank Pallone (D-N.J.), the chair and ranking member of the panel, respectively, to pass the Take It Down Act.
The Take It Down Act, which passed the Senate last month, would make it a federal crime to publish nonconsensual sexual images and videos, including those generated with artificial intelligence (AI).
“Victims of authentic image-based sexual abuse have waited years for Congress to pass basic, common sense protections,” the groups, largely focused on AI policy and sexual violence prevention, wrote in the letter.
“Today, artificial intelligence is making it alarmingly easy for malicious actors to produce hyper-realistic, non-consensual intimate images (NCII) of women, LGBTQ+ individuals, and minors. Now is the time for Congress to act,” they continued.
The Take It Down Act also would require major online platforms to establish processes for victims to report and remove non-consensual sexual images. These protections, the coalition emphasized, are “narrowly scoped to respect the First Amendment.”
“[The bill] has overwhelming, bipartisan support from civil society, trade groups, and the very companies that it would cover,” they added. “That support reflects a shared understanding that protecting victims of this form of abuse is not a partisan matter but a moral imperative.”
The coalition was organized by Americans for Responsible Innovation, Encode, the Rape Abuse and Incest National Network and the Sexual Violence Prevention Association.
Other members include the National Organization for Women, Public Citizen and the Tech Oversight Project.
The push comes ahead of the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Wednesday hearing examining online harms.
The Take It Down Act has gained traction in recent weeks, as both President Trump and first lady Melania Trump have thrown their weight behind the legislation.
The first lady hosted a roundtable centered on the legislation in early March and invited Elliston Berry, a 15-year-old who was the victim of deepfake images, to be one of her guests at the president’s address to a joint session of Congress.
President Trump also promised during his address earlier this month to sign the Take It Down Act into law if it passes the House.
