Congress: Pass the DEFIANCE Act to hold creators of deepfakes accountable
The petition to the U.S. Congress reads:
"Pass the DEFIANCE Act to hold creators of deepfakes accountable"
Why is this important?
You may have heard that deepfake pornographic images of Taylor Swift went viral on X (formerly known as Twitter) last week, but you probably haven’t heard of Francesca Mani, the 15-year-old girl in New Jersey who was also a victim of deepfake porn. While the AI-generated images of Taylor Swift may have been removed, most people don’t have an army of fans who can come to their defense online.
Believe it or not, there are currently no federal laws against the sharing or creation of harmful deepfake images. And make no mistake about it, creating non-consenual deepfake pornography is an act of sexual violence. Add your name to the petition in support of legislation to hold deepfake creators accountable!
While many platforms have rules against the publication of deepfake images, women and girls know all too well that social platforms don’t always enforce rules across the board. We need Congress to act!
Earlier this week, a bipartisan group of senators introduced the Distrupt Explicit Forged Images and Non-Consensual Edits Act of 2024 (DEFIANCE Act). The legislation would hold accountable those responsible for the proliferation of nonconsensual, sexually explicit “deepfake” images and videos.
President Biden signed an executive order last fall that raised transparency standards for AI companies and required AI-generated content to be labeled. But the White House knows it’s not enough. During a press conference on Friday, Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the White House was alarmed by the latest images of Taylor Swift and urged Congress to take legislative action
The use of AI technology has only upped the stakes. The laws have not kept up with the spread of this sophisticated technology and abusive content. To stop the proliferation of non-consensual sexually explicit deepfakes, the Sexual Violence Prevention Association (SVPA) worked with victims and members of Congress to draft the DEFIANCE Act. The DEFIANCE Act will create a federal civil remedy for victims who are identifiable in a “digital forgery,” which is defined as a visual depiction created through the use of software, machine learning, artificial intelligence, or any other computer-generated or technological means to falsely appear to be authentic.
Will you urge Congress to pass the legislation and take swift action on this issue?