‘Outrageously sick’: House passes bill with bipartisan support to protect victims of revenge content

The House of Representatives (Congress) voted almost unanimously to pass the Take It Down Act on Monday, taking a major step toward stopping the spread of sexually explicit images and videos online without the consent of the people shown, including fake AI-generated videos known as deepfakes. The bill, which had support from both political parties, passed with a vote of 409 to 2 and now goes to President Trump, who is expected to sign it into law.

The law makes it a crime to share “revenge p**n,” which means posting private images or videos of someone without their permission. This also covers fake content made using artificial intelligence, often called deepfakes. As reported by CNN and the NY Times, under the new law, online platforms must take down this kind of content within 48 hours after being notified by a victim.

This bill is the result of years of work. Senators Ted Cruz and Amy Klobuchar first introduced the legislation last year, and while it passed the Senate, it stalled in the House, which was then controlled by Republicans. This year, the bill gained more support, partly due to the efforts of First Lady Melania Trump.

Posting revenge p**n may soon be illegal

She pushed for the bill by talking to lawmakers in the House and speaking publicly about how online harm, especially to young people and girls, needs to be addressed. Her work was seen as part of her ongoing “Be Best” campaign, which focuses on children’s well-being and internet safety. Both she and Senator Klobuchar also made sure the President was aware of the bill.

The strong support for the bill shows that many lawmakers are unhappy with how social media companies have dealt with harmful content. The problem of revenge porn, which often affects teenage girls through apps that can alter photos to make them explicit, added urgency to the bill. One lawmaker called the use of such images to shame and control young women “disgusting and cruel.”

While the bill specifically targets revenge porn and deepfakes, it is also seen as an important move toward more regulation of internet companies, something the government has mostly avoided for years. This is the first major internet content law passed by Congress since 2018, when a law aimed at stopping online sex trafficking was approved.

Even though the bill had nearly unanimous support, two representatives voted against it. They worried that the law might have unintended effects or could be misused, calling it a “slippery slope.” Some free speech advocates also raised concerns, saying the requirement to remove content quickly might accidentally lead to legitimate images being taken down along with nonconsensual ones. They argued that the law could be abused and might limit free speech online.

The Take It Down Act adds to laws that already exist in many states. Every state except South Carolina has laws against revenge porn, and at least 20 have laws addressing deepfake pornography. The new federal law will work alongside these state laws, creating a consistent legal standard across the country.

Once President Trump signs the bill, as expected, the Take It Down Act will have a big impact on online platforms. The 48-hour removal rule will force companies to act faster when dealing with reports of nonconsensual intimate images.