US passes 'Take It Down Act' to battle deepfake nudes, awaits Trump's nod

New bipartisan bill targets nonconcensual intimate images, including AI deepfakes, as Melania Trump pushes for greater protections against cyberbullying

The US House of Representatives on Monday passed the ‘Take It Down Act’, a new Bill that cracks down on the posting of sexual images and videos without consent, including AI-generated ‘deepfake’ nudes of real people.  

 

The legislation, which had already cleared the Senate unanimously in February, now heads to President Donald Trump’s desk for final approval. Trump has indicated he plans to sign it into law, calling it a “personal boon” because, he joked, “nobody gets treated worse than I do online," reported The Washington Post. 

The ‘Take It Down Act’ makes it a federal crime to share nonconsensual intimate imagery (NCII) and requires online platforms to remove flagged content within 48 hours. If signed, it will become the first major internet regulation of Trump’s second term and the first US law directly tackling the rapidly growing issue of NCII.  

 

 

The bill’s passage, by a vote of 409-2, also marks a significant victory for First Lady Melania Trump. As part of her ‘Be Best’ campaign focused on cyberbullying and child protection, Melania has championed the legislation.   “Today’s bipartisan passage of the Take It Down Act is a powerful statement that we stand united in protecting the dignity, privacy, and safety of our children,” Melania Trump said in a statement.

 

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… https://t.co/1DfwrdUhIQ

— First Lady Melania Trump (@FLOTUS) April 28, 2025

 

Why is Melania leading the fight for the Take It Down Act? 

Melania Trump’s advocacy for the bill stems from her commitment to fighting online bullying and abuse. The ‘Take It Down Act’ targets a growing threat fuelled by AI technology — fake and real sexually explicit images being weaponised against teens, women, and public figures. Through her efforts, alongside Senators Ted Cruz and Amy Klobuchar, the bill aims to close a dangerous gap in internet law that leaves victims vulnerable and often powerless to remove harmful content. 

Real stories behind the bill 

Support for the bill intensified after a Capitol Hill roundtable in March, where Melania Trump and Sen Ted Cruz brought together survivors to share their stories.   

Elliston Berry, just 14 at the time, spoke about how a classmate used an AI app to create fake pornographic images of her and post them on Snapchat. Another testimony came from South Carolina state Rep Brandon Guffey, whose 17-year-old son tragically took his own life in 2022 after falling victim to a sextortion scam. 

These accounts helped build bipartisan support for the bill, even in a deeply divided Congress.

 

Celebrities, AI apps at the centre of the crisis 

Hundreds of AI ‘undress’ apps, capable of creating fake images of real people within seconds, have flooded the internet. Popular platforms like Meta’s Instagram have struggled to curb their spread, despite clear violations of their rules.  

 

High-profile cases have drawn even more public outrage. Celebrities such as singer Taylor Swift and comedian Bobbi Althoff were among those targeted by sexually explicit deepfakes that went viral on Elon Musk’s social network, X, in 2024.   

Victims often describe trying to remove such images as a frustrating, endless game of whack-a-mole, fuelling calls for stronger laws like the Take It Down Act.  ALSO READ: Japan worries Trump's tariffs will push Asian nations towards China

Support and criticism of the Take It Down Act 

While the act received rare bipartisan backing — with tech giants like Meta, Google, and Snap also supporting it — it hasn’t been without controversy.  

 

Lia Holland, legislative director for the digital rights group Fight for the Future, called the bill “well-intentioned but poorly drafted,” warning it could be misused, similar to past copyright laws that were abused to remove legitimate content.

 

Becca Branum, of the Center for Democracy and Technology’s Free Expression Project, also raised concerns about potential political misuse, citing worries over enforcement by Trump’s “partisan” Federal Trade Commission.

 

Despite these concerns, the bill also earned praise from progressive voices. Fordham University law professor Zephyr Teachout said the law is carefully crafted to withstand First Amendment challenges. Columbia Law School professor Tim Wu, a tech adviser to former President Joe Biden, said he hopes the bill is just the beginning of a more active Congress addressing social media harms.   

“More needs to be done to protect children and vulnerable people,” Wu said. “It’s kind of shocking how inactive Congress has been.