Act Protecting Adults From Deepfaked Porn To Be Signed Into Federal Law

AI-configured images are much more realistic than they used to be. This article, written in 2024, takes a semi-nostalgic look back at what AI-generated images looked like in 2022. Looking at the quality of images being assembled now, you could do the same with AI pictures from just a year ago. But the boost in quality and realism doesn’t come without drawbacks — the potential for deepfakes to cause social harms has risen in kind. Washington was one of the first states to make creating and sharing pornographic deepfakes punishable by law, but federal consequences for deepfaking have lagged behind. That is set to change today. CNN has coverage:

President Donald Trump is set to sign the Take It Down Act in a ceremony at the White House on Monday. In addition to making it to illegal to share online nonconsensual, explicit images — real or computer-generated — the law will also require tech platforms to remove such images within 48 hours of being notified about them.

The law will boost protections for victims of revenge porn and nonconsensual, AI-generated sexual images, increase accountability for the tech platforms where the content is shared and provide law enforcement with clarity about how to prosecute such activity.

While this won’t be the be-all and end-all for our AI woes, it is definitely a step in the right direction. The law should make would be revenge porners or school bullies think twice about being weirdos. Maybe the next issue to tackle on the deepfake front will be to prevent their use during runs for office? Donald Trump already snuck by with his faux Taylor Swift endorsement, but doubling down on some regulation could stop him from trying the trick when he runs for his third term.

Victims Of Explicit Deepfakes Will Soon Be Able To Take Legal Action Against People Who Create Them [CNN]

Earlier: Washington State Takes A Stand Against Deepfake Porn

Taylor Swift Breaks Open Trump-Harris Race Over AI Regulatory Policy… Because Sure, Why Not?

Chris Williams became a social media manager and assistant editor for Above the Law in June 2021. Prior to joining the staff, he moonlighted as a minor Memelord™ in the Facebook group Law School Memes for Edgy T14s.  He endured Missouri long enough to graduate from Washington University in St. Louis School of Law. He is a former boatbuilder who is learning to swim, is interested in critical race theory, philosophy, and humor, and has a love for cycling that occasionally annoys his peers. You can reach him by email at cwilliams@abovethelaw.com and by tweet at @WritesForRent.

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