Senate Passes DEFIANCE Act Allowing Victims of Nonconsensual Deepfakes to Sue Creators
By
Lauren Feiner
Fresh out the oven, still warm. Top of the tray.
Summary
The U.S. Senate passed the DEFIANCE Act (Disrupt Explicit Forged Images and Non-Consensual Edits Act), which creates a civil right of action for victims of nonconsensual sexually explicit deepfakes. The legislation allows victims to sue individuals who create AI-generated explicit images without their consent for civil damages. The bill passed with unanimous consent, building on previous legislation that criminalizes distribution of nonconsensual intimate images.
Key quotes
· 4 pulledThe Senate passed a bill that could give people who've found their likeness deepfaked into sexually explicit images without their consent a new way to fight back.
The Disrupt Explicit Forged Images and Non-Consensual Edits Act (DEFIANCE Act), would let victims sue the individuals who created the images for civil damages.
The bill passed with unanimous consent — meaning there was no roll-call vote, and no Senator objected to its passage on the floor Tuesday.
It's meant to build on the work of the Take It Down Act, a law that criminalizes the distribution of nonconsensual intimate images (NCII).
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