President Donald Trump signed into law the Take It Down Act on Monday, a significant bipartisan legislation designed to impose stricter penalties on individuals who distribute nonconsensual explicit images, including so-called revenge porn and explicit deepfakes generated by artificial intelligence.
Under the new measure, publishing such images—whether authentic or AI-generated—will now carry severe criminal consequences, potentially leading to fines, imprisonment, and mandatory restitution to victims.
The legislation mandates that social media platforms and other internet companies remove reported explicit content within 48 hours after a victim communicates a notice. These companies must also proactively take measures to identify and remove duplicate or similar material.
While a number of states have previously adopted similar laws focused on explicit deepfakes and revenge porn, this federal law is historic in that it includes sweeping nationwide requirements explicitly targeting internet companies for compliance with content-removal demands.
The legislation received notable advocacy from First Lady Melania Trump and was co-sponsored by Senator Ted Cruz, a Republican from Texas, and Senator Amy Klobuchar, a Democrat from Minnesota. Senator Cruz publicly cited his motivation for championing the legislation after coming to learn of Snapchat’s persistent refusal, over nearly a year, to remove an AI-generated explicit image involving a minor.
Yet the new law has raised considerable concern among digital rights advocates and supporters of free speech. Critics have argued that the language of the bill is overly broad, posing significant risks of unintended censorship of legitimate materials, such as lawful adult content or critical expression aimed at political figures or authorities.
