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The House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed the “Take It Down Act” on Monday, a landmark bipartisan bill that makes it a federal crime to post real or fake sexually explicit images of individuals without their consent. The measure now heads to President Trump’s desk for his signature.
The bill cleared the House in a 409-2 vote, with only two Republicans voting against it. The Senate had already unanimously passed the legislation in February.
Under the Take It Down Act, social media companies and other websites must remove nonconsensual explicit images — including AI-generated deepfakes — within 48 hours of a victim’s request.
“If you’re a victim of revenge porn or AI-generated explicit imagery, your life changes forever,” said Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), who introduced the bill, during a March 3 roundtable promoting its passage. Cruz shared the story of teenage victim Elliston Berry, whose classmates circulated fake explicit images of her created with an app. After months of failing to get Snapchat to remove the images, Berry’s mother turned to Cruz’s office for help.
“It should not take a sitting senator or member of Congress picking up the phone to get a picture or video taken down,” Cruz emphasized.
First Lady Melania Trump, who rarely makes public appearances, attended the March Capitol event advocating for the legislation.
“It’s heartbreaking to witness young teens, especially girls, grappling with the overwhelming challenges posed by malicious online content like deep fakes,” the First Lady said. “This toxic environment can be severely damaging.”
Following the House vote, she issued a statement applauding the bipartisan effort, calling it a “powerful statement that we stand united in protecting the dignity, privacy, and safety of our children.”
Lawmakers stressed the life-saving potential of the bill. According to the FBI, online extortion involving explicit imagery has tragically led to numerous suicides.
“The mission of this bill is simple, profound, and long-lasting,” said Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-Fla.), a House co-sponsor. “It stops cyber abuse. It prevents the bullying of one child against another, and even more importantly, it prevents suicide born out of shame.”
Major tech companies, including Meta (owner of Facebook and Instagram), TikTok, and Snapchat, have expressed support for the legislation.
However, digital rights groups have raised concerns that the bill could inadvertently suppress lawful online speech, including legitimate adult content, and lacks safeguards to prevent abuse of the takedown request process.
Despite these concerns, bipartisan leaders believe the Take It Down Act represents a significant step forward in protecting victims from online exploitation in an increasingly AI-driven digital landscape.
