LaLota Backs Bipartisan Effort to Protect Minors from AI-Generated Exploitation
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Rep. Nick LaLota (NY-01) today issued the following statement after voting to pass S. 146, the TAKE IT DOWN Act, bipartisan legislation focused on stopping the abuse of minors through AI-created explicit online material.
“As a father raising three daughters in an increasingly digital world, I’m alarmed by the rise of AI-generated explicit content and the exploitation of innocent people online,” said LaLota. “The TAKE IT DOWN Act is a critical step to hold bad actors accountable and ensure that social media and web platforms aren’t complicit in the spread of digitally forged, graphic images. This bill updates outdated laws and gives victims—especially minors—the tools they need to fight back. I fully support the TAKE IT DOWN Act, and am proud to support its House companion because no one should have their likeness twisted and weaponized against them.”
To read the full text of the legislation, please click HERE.
Background:
The TAKE IT DOWN Act strengthens protections for young individuals by targeting the non-consensual spread of digitally forged, explicit images. It builds upon existing laws to safeguard minors' digital privacy rights, holds social media platforms and web hosts accountable for knowingly enabling AI-generated exploitation, and updates outdated legal frameworks to confront the challenges posed by emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and deepfakes.
Congressman LaLota is cosponsor of the companion legislation, H.R. 633, introduced by Rep. María Elvira Salazar (FL-27). Just like its Senate counterpart bearing the same name, the House bill provides robust protections for young individuals from online exploitation and builds upon existing laws to safeguard minors' digital privacy rights.
While nearly all states have laws protecting their citizens from unwanted distribution of sexually explicit material, also known as revenge porn, only 20 states have clear laws covering deepfake non-consensual intimate imagery (NCII). Among those states, there is a high degree of variance in classification of crime, penalty, and even criminal prosecution. Victims also struggle to have images depicting them removed from websites in a timely manner, potentially contributing to more spread and retraumatization.
The TAKE IT DOWN Act is supported by over 100 different organizations and advocacy groups. A full list can be found here.