On Monday, May 19, President Trump signed the “Take it Down Act” in the Rose Garden, which prohibits the dissemination of any intimate images without the consent of the individuals involved, including deepfake photos created using artificial intelligence (AI) technology, and requires social media platforms to immediately remove such photos upon notification.
The bill was successfully passed in both houses of Congress, with support from numerous technology companies, parents and youth advocates, as well as First Lady Melania Trump.
Before the President signed the bill, the First Lady stated, “This legislation is a powerful step forward in our efforts to ensure that every American, particularly young people, can feel better protected against the misuse of their images or identities…”
“As First Lady, my ‘Be Best’ initiative is dedicated to improving child welfare, promoting kindness, and creating a safer online environment for our youth,” she added.
The law stipulates that posting non-consensual intimate photos (whether real or AI-generated) can result in a maximum penalty of three years in prison and fines. The legislation also requires social media platforms to establish a process for removing such photos within 48 hours of receiving notice and to make “reasonable efforts” to delete any copies.
The Federal Trade Commission will be responsible for enforcing the law, with companies given one year to comply.
Melania Trump has publicly stated that criminals use AI technology to create pornographic images and videos and spread them on social media, causing significant harm to victims (mostly women, especially young girls), with some victims choosing suicide as a result, leaving lasting scars on their families, while offenders evade justice, shifting blame, allowing pornographic images and videos to spread online.
The First Lady emphasized that high technology should benefit human society, serve as a tool to combat crime, not a tool for committing crime.
President Trump expressed his honor in signing the “Take it Down Act” official.
“With the rise of AI-generated images, countless women suffer from deepfakes and other explicit images circulating against their will… We must unequivocally categorize such actions as illegal,” he stated.