Senate-Passed Bill Outlawing AI-Generated Explicit Deepfakes Moves To House
The U.S. Senate on Thursday unanimously approved the Disrupt Explicit Forged Images and Non-Consensual Edits Act, known as the DEFIANCE Act, a bipartisan measure aimed at strengthening legal protections for victims of nonconsensual deepfake pornography. The bill now advances to the House of Representatives for consideration.
Under the legislation, individuals depicted in sexually explicit deepfake images or videos created or distributed without their consent would be able to seek civil damages of at least $150,000 per violation from those responsible. Lawmakers backing the bill said current legal tools have failed to keep pace with rapid advances in artificial intelligence and digital manipulation.
Supporters argued that while earlier federal and state laws addressed certain forms of nonconsensual intimate imagery, they fall short when applied to AI-generated deepfakes. The DEFIANCE Act expands and clarifies remedies under federal civil law, giving victims a direct path to pursue accountability in court.
The rise of deepfake technology — synthetic media generated using artificial intelligence and machine learning — has fueled growing concern in Washington over privacy violations, harassment, fraud, and even national security risks. In recent sessions, lawmakers from both parties have introduced proposals to modernize laws governing digital impersonation and manipulated media.
Previous efforts largely focused on criminal penalties, particularly for deepfakes targeting public officials, political candidates, or election-related content, as well as measures to strengthen law enforcement’s ability to investigate AI-driven fraud and identity theft. The DEFIANCE Act takes a different approach by creating a federal civil right of action, empowering private citizens rather than relying solely on government prosecutors.
The bill would also supplement a patchwork of state laws that vary widely in how they address deepfake and so-called revenge-porn imagery, both in enforcement and penalties.
Advocates for the measure stressed that civil remedies are critical, noting that victims often suffer long-term reputational damage and emotional harm long after illicit content is released. Allowing victims to seek damages, they argued, provides both meaningful compensation and a deterrent against future abuse.
If approved by the House and signed into law by President Donald J. Trump, the DEFIANCE Act would significantly expand legal options for victims of nonconsensual deepfakes and digitally forged imagery. Supporters say it could also serve as a blueprint for future legislation addressing other abuses tied to rapidly evolving digital technologies.
The unanimous Senate vote underscored rare bipartisan agreement on the need to update legal frameworks in response to artificial intelligence’s accelerating capabilities and misuse.
Meanwhile, attention on the issue intensified this week as social media influencer and entrepreneur Paris Hilton joined Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) to announce a new initiative aimed at combating AI-generated sexually explicit imagery created without consent.
The effort, unveiled Thursday, focuses on raising awareness of how easily modern AI tools can produce realistic deepfake pornography using real individuals’ likenesses. The initiative calls for both legislative action and technological safeguards to protect potential victims and hold offenders accountable.
Hilton, who has previously spoken about being targeted by nonconsensual explicit content earlier in her career, warned that AI technology “makes it easier than ever” for harmful imagery to spread rapidly and cause lasting damage. She urged lawmakers and tech companies to act quickly.
Ocasio-Cortez emphasized that existing privacy and harassment laws may not adequately address the complexities of AI-driven manipulation, calling for stronger and more precise legal standards.
The announcement follows mounting concern among lawmakers, advocacy groups, and researchers over how artificial intelligence intersects with consent, privacy, and online safety — issues now moving closer to legislative action as Congress weighs the DEFIANCE Act.