Bipartisan group of senators target deepfakes

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – Lawmakers in Washington are pushing to crackdown on revenge porn, in particular, the kind generated by artificial intelligence.

If passed, big tech companies could be forced to get more aggressive in policing

Lawmakers say Washington and Big Tech need to get ahead of this problem, especially as it relates to kids in school.

“It was really scary to even go to school…just out of fear,” said teenager Elliston Berry.

Elliston Berry told senators her sense of security was shattered after someone at school used AI to create and share nude pictures featuring her.

“I was so excited for high school, but this totally threw off my year,” said Berry.

Lawmakers say big tech companies must take this emerging problem more seriously.

“He didn’t take someone else’s nude images and put their faces on them. Instead, he took their actual bodies, using AI, to make the images look even more real,” said Anna McAdams.

Now senators are pushing for passage of the “Take It Down” act.

The proposal builds on existing federal law and would force social media companies to remove deepfake revenge porn images within 48 hours.

“We’re going to look for a way to move those bills forward…very important bills to us,” said Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.).

The move is a rare bipartisan effort in Congress, to address a problem some lawmakers say tech companies already know exactly how to handle.

“If you put online a scene from the Lion King, that’ll get pulled down immediately,” said Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas.).

Senators say tech companies would be held to account by FTC action, potentially including fines if the law passes, and said those corporations will soon have to decide soon how to respond.

“This is the right solution, and frankly it’s what they should be doing anyway,” said Cruz.

The legislation was introduced this week, so far, it’s not scheduled for a full floor vote.

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