The US House passes the Take It Down Act to criminalize posting nonconsensual intimate imagery, including deepfakes, and require online platforms to remove them

Trump is expected to sign into law a bill that would force online platforms to quickly take down nonconsensual intimate images.

Washington Post 2025-04-29 Will Oremus

Context & Ripple Effects

The measure moves U.S. policy beyond the earlier DEFIANCE Act proposal for victim lawsuits by pairing criminal penalties with a duty for the services that distribute reported material. It also follows the UK’s effort to prohibit the creation of explicit deepfakes without consent, broadening the policy response beyond publication alone.

Its importance is the shift in responsibility from perpetrators to platforms’ response systems. Subsequent coverage records the bill’s enactment and a later effective removal deadline, showing that the House vote was the pivotal legislative step rather than a standalone symbolic action.

First-order effects

The bill advances to President Trump, who is expected to sign it; online platforms now face an impending obligation to process notices and remove covered intimate imagery quickly.
People whose intimate images are distributed without consent gain a federal criminal-law route alongside a platform-removal mechanism, including when the imagery is AI-generated.

Second-order effects

Social networks and other hosts will need notice intake, review, escalation, and removal workflows that can distinguish covered reports from ordinary content disputes; the later 48-hour removal requirement taking effect makes operational speed central.
The combined criminal and takedown model raises the stakes for platforms’ moderation policies, while critics’ concerns about political misuse of the law make safeguards around reporting, appeals, and enforcement consequential.

Third-order effects

If this model holds, likeness harms are likely to be governed increasingly through distribution-layer duties: platforms become accountable not only for policy enforcement but for statutory response times after notice.
The measure points toward a split regulatory approach to generative-AI abuse: liability for creators and removal obligations for intermediaries, with implementation likely to determine whether protection and speech safeguards remain balanced.

The trend: Nonconsensual AI imagery is pushing lawmakers toward likeness governance that combines direct penalties for abuse with mandatory platform takedown obligations.

Discussion

@bubbaprog.lol Timothy Burke on bluesky
Read this, if you want to know how bad this law is. https://www.techdirt.com/2025/04/28/ congress-moving-forward-on-unconstituti onal- take-it-down-act/
@mmasnick Mike Masnick on bluesky
A lot of people asking why Dems would vote for this and it basically comes down to this. No one wants an attack ad on this subject. bsky.app/profile/mmas... [embedded post]
@nickgarcia Nick Garcia on bluesky
Congress just passed the TAKE IT DOWN Act, with no Democratic opposition. It is a great example of how Dems are carrying handing Republicans “bipartisan” political wins and dangerous new powers, when their amendments, contributions, and concerns get repeated quashed anyway.
@jmiers230 Jess Miers on bluesky
The Take It Down Act just passed. — To give you the full scope of just how bad this bill is, advocates who typically oppose the pro-230 / online speech crowd have come forward denouncing it. — It is extraordinarily rare we are ever on the same side. — cybercivilrights.org/c…
@mmasnick Mike Masnick on bluesky
Kinda fucked up that Thomas Freaking Massie understands that the bill is wide open to abuse, but not a single Democrat voted against it. Like, what are we even doing here? [image]
@cathygellis Cathy Gellis on bluesky
Also anyone who ever complained about jawboning... Just voted for jawboning.
@mmasnick Mike Masnick on bluesky
Update on this. Apparently the bill just passed the House... 409-2. — So, uh, yeah. A ton of Dems just gave the Trump FTC more power to censor the internet. Great job guys. [embedded post]
@mmasnick Mike Masnick on bluesky
Take It Down Act is a total censorial mess. And yet, a ton of “progressive” Dems are supporting it, even as it will enable the highly politicized and weaponized FTC to go after websites and demand content be removed from the internet. www.techdirt.com/2025/04/28/ c...
@skry@mastodon.social @skry@mastodon.social on mastodon
“The TAKE IT DOWN Act, while well-intentioned, was written without appropriate safeguards to prevent the mandated removal of content that is not nonconsensual intimate imagery, making it vulnerable to constitutional challenge and abusive takedown requests. …
@repthomasmassie Thomas Massie on x
Tonight we're voting on the “TAKE IT DOWN Act,” a bill that would impose federal criminal and civil penalties for publishing unauthorized intimate pictures generated with AI. I'm voting NO because I feel this is a slippery slope, ripe for abuse, with unintended consequences. [ima…
@flotus @flotus on x
PASSED: Take It Down Act Advancing this legislation has been a key focus since I returned to my role as First Lady this past January. I am honored to have contributed to guiding it through Congress. By safeguarding children from hurtful online behavior today, we take a vital st…
@senamyklobuchar Senator Amy Klobuchar on x
Big news: my bipartisan TAKE IT DOWN Act with Senator Cruz just passed Congress. This is a huge step to protect victims of online abuse and give them the power to have non-consensual intimate images taken down.
@vernbuchanan Rep. Vern Buchanan on x
Tonight, I voted in favor of the TAKE IT DOWN Act, which protects victims of revenge pornography and requires companies to remove harmful content. I was proud to help introduce this legislation to support victims who are subject to this horrific violation. [image]
@sentedcruz Senator Ted Cruz on x
The passage of the TAKE IT DOWN Act is a historic win in the fight to protect victims of revenge porn and deepfake abuse. This victory belongs first and foremost to the heroic survivors who shared their stories and the advocates who never gave up. By requiring social media comp…
@tiktokpolicy @tiktokpolicy on x
We applaud today's passage of The TAKE IT DOWN Act and were proud to be an early supporter of this vital work to protect victims from digital harm. We commend @FLOTUS, @SenTedCruz, @SenAmyKlobuchar, @RepMariaSalazar, @RepDean, @VernBuchanan, @RepDebDingell, @RepPfluger, and
@speakerjohnson Speaker Mike Johnson on x
Today, the House took a critical step to combat the growing online publication of real and deepfake nonconsensual intimate images with the passage of the Take It Down Act...
@ncmec @ncmec on x
Today, the House passed the TAKE IT DOWN Act to protect children victimized by the distribution of authentic and digital forgery nude and exploitative images that do not constitute CSAM. For the first time, social media companies will be required to remove intimate images of [ima…
@housegop @housegop on x
Today, the House passed the TAKE IT DOWN Act to create a safer digital future and protect our kids from deepfake exploitation. Thank you to @FLOTUS, @RepMariaSalazar, and @SenTedCruz for leading this crucial legislation. [image]
@repdean Congresswoman Madeleine Dean on x
TAKE IT DOWN just passed the House! Next stop: the President's desk. We must protect victims from having intimate images — both real and AI-generated — shared without consent. Grateful to work with @RepMariaSalazar, @SenAmyKlobuchar, and @SenTedCruz on this bipartisan law. [image…
@mzanona Melanie Zanona on x
The House just overwhelmingly passed a bipartisan bill to combat non consensual, deepfake nudes. Vote was 409-2. A rare legislative feat for Congress, which is notoriously slow to keep pace with technology. https://www.nbcnews.com/...
@andymstone Andy Stone on x
Meta applauds House passage of the TAKE IT DOWN Act, which we've been proud to support. Having an intimate image - real or AI-generated - shared without consent can be awful. Thanks to @SenTedCruz, @SenAmyKlobuchar, @RepMariaSalazar, @RepDean - and to @FLOTUS for championing!
@repfeenstra Rep. Randy Feenstra on x
As a father of 4, keeping our kids safe is an important priority for me, which includes prosecuting criminals who violate others by disseminating deepfake pornography. That's why I voted for the TAKE IT DOWN Act to keep these manipulative & manufactured images off the Internet.
@reppfluger Rep. August Pfluger on x
The bipartisan TAKE IT DOWN Act just passed the House! This is a huge win for our children's safety and I was proud to co-lead this bill. Next stop: President Trump's desk to be signed into law. [image]
@repashleyhinson Ashley Hinson on x
Today I voted for the TAKE IT DOWN Act because we must do more to protect our children online—and this bill is a critical first step. Thank you @SenTedCruz, @RepMariaSalazar, & @FLOTUS for leading on this important legislation and holding bad actors accountable!
@repbrianfitz Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick on x
In an age where personal privacy — and the safety of our kids — can be violated with a click, tonight's House passage of the bipartisan TAKE IT DOWN Act marks a critical step forward. This legislation creates long-overdue federal safeguards against non-consensual intimate [image]
r/politics r on reddit
Congress passes bill to fight deepfake nudes, revenge porn
r/politics r on reddit
Congress Moving Forward On Unconstitutional Take It Down Act
r/technology r on reddit
Why Congress Is On Sound Legal Footing To Pass The TAKE IT DOWN Act
@evangreer Evan Greer on bluesky
It's pretty rare for, say, @eff.org and @maryannefranks.bsky.social to agree on a content regulation bill, which is how you know the Take It Down Act was terribly drafted and messy af www.theverge.com/news/657632/ ...
r/Piracy r on reddit
Congress Passes TAKE IT DOWN Act Despite Major Flaws
r/minnesota r on reddit
Of course Amy Klobuchar supports a bill that Republicans support (The TAKE IT DOWN Act)
r/technology r on reddit
Take It Down Act heads to Trump's desk / Critics warn it could have grave consequences for online speech and encryption.
r/technology r on reddit
Trump's hasty Take It Down Act has “gaping flaws” that threaten encryption

Chronicles