Sabrina (pseudonym) opened her phone one day to discover something that would change her life forever: Images of her body, taken from her social media accounts, had been uploaded to a pornography website where users edited them to create degrading and violent pornography.
These photos, which captured some of Sabrina’s fondest memories—from holidays with her family to photos documenting her pregnancy—would now, forever, be tainted.
Worse: Police told her nothing could be done.
Sabrina, like thousands of others, was victimized by the abhorrent crime of image-based sexual abuse (IBSA). Image-based sexual abuse includes the non-consensual creation or distribution of sexually explicit images. At the time, there were no legal repercussions for the individuals responsible for Sabrina’s abuse in her state—but now, legislators are paving the way for change at the federal level!
TAKE IT DOWN Act UNANIMOUSLY Passes the Senate!
In a massive victory, the TAKE IT DOWN Act passed the Senate unanimously on Tuesday, December 3. It now moves to the House of Representatives for consideration.
The TAKE IT DOWN Act, introduced by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), would criminalize the publication of non-consensually created or distributed sexual images, including AI-generated or computer-generated images. Importantly, this crucial bill would also require social media and similar websites to remove non-consensual content and any similar images within 48 hours of notice from a victimized person.
The TAKE IT DOWN Act targets both those who share sexually explicit photographs and videos of people without their consent (often called “revenge pornography”) and those who use AI or digital technology to generate sexual images of people and distribute them without consent. As AI is increasingly being weaponized to sexually abuse and exploit people online, this legislation is even more vital.
The historic passage of this bipartisan legislation transcends partisan differences.
Exciting Update the TAKE IT DOWN Act has unanimously passed the Senate!
— National Center on Sexual Exploitation (@NCOSE) December 4, 2024
Thank you Sen. @tedcruz and Sen. @amyklobuchar for sponsoring this bipartisan bill. This is a major victory in putting an end to image-based sexual abuse (IBSA)
We would also like to thank co-sponsors… https://t.co/jGSi8e9pza
Three Crucial Bills Combatting IBSA Now Pending in House
It gets even better. The passage of the TAKE IT DOWN Act means that all three of the IBSA bills we’ve advocated for are pending in the House! Thank you for pressing for the passage of the TAKE IT DOWN Act, DEFIANCE Act, and SHIELD Act .
These bills are complementary—each bringing justice to survivors and combatting the horrible crime of IBSA. We are hopeful that with your help, these crucial solutions will become law!
