Congress approves a revenge porn bill backed by first lady Melania Trump

www.npr.org /2025/04/28/nx-s1-5380236/take-it-down-act-melania-trump

A bill supported by Melania Trump that aims to implement strict penalties and guidelines for those who publish and promote revenge porn is on its way to President Trump's desk.

More than 400 House representatives voted in favor of the TAKE IT DOWN Act, which doubles as an acronym that stands for: Tools to Address Known Exploitation by Immobilizing Technological Deepfakes on Websites and Networks.

The bill was introduced by Texas Sen. Ted Cruz in January, and approved by the Senate in February.

"Today's bipartisan passage of the Take It Down Act is a powerful statement that we stand united in protecting the dignity, privacy, and safety of our children," Melania Trump said Monday. "I am thankful to the Members of Congress — both in the House and Senate — who voted to protect the well-being of our youth."

United States | News & Politics @midwest.social

cm0002 @lemmy.world

3mo ago

Congress approves a revenge porn bill backed by first lady Melania Trump

www.npr.org /2025/04/28/nx-s1-5380236/take-it-down-act-melania-trump

11 comments

EFF has an interesting article on the topic: https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2025/04/congress-passes-take-it-down-act-despite-major-flaws
Congress is using the wrong approach to helping people whose intimate images are shared without their consent. TAKE IT DOWN pressures platforms to actively monitor speech, including speech that is presently encrypted. The law thus presents a huge threat to security and privacy online.
- I'll read up on that, thank you, but after QAnon, the notion of speech online being actively monitored isn't quite the boogeyman it would seem from my point of view. It's the lack of any regulation that got us where we are today.
  
  A truly insane take. Jesus.
There's the small government in action.
It's honestly wild to me that the first federal anti-revenge porn law is going to originate from the Trump Administration and introduced by effing Rafael "Ted" Cruz.
- What are the odds it's just a surveillance and censorship bill with pig's lipstick? but with a fancy name that sounds reasonable.
  
  From what I've read, the worst critique that can be made here is that it's an infringement on the First Amendment, but I'd argue that it's clearly one that's necessary. (And will become more necessary over time as video AI generators become more sophisticated.)
  Admittedly, I'm no expert on constitutional law. I only know what I'm reading.
- Especially as Ted Cruz is definitely a singular human being, and not a collection of spider-like creatures in a human suit.
- Because it's an anti-privacy law wearing a costume, genius.

11 comments