The Heritage Foundation has expressed approval for President Donald J. Trump following his endorsement and signing of the Take It Down Act. This legislation targets the malicious distribution of real or deepfake intimate images by criminalizing such actions. It also mandates that social media platforms remove non-consensual intimate content within 48 hours.
President Trump signed the bill into law after First Lady Melania Trump advocated for it on Capitol Hill earlier this year. Annie Chestnut Tutor, a policy analyst at The Heritage Foundation, said, "The Take It Down Act is a landmark victory for victims—especially children—who have been targeted through real and AI-generated non-consensual intimate imagery online."
Tutor emphasized the importance of accountability as artificial intelligence continues to advance, posing new threats when misused. She added that the law punishes those who distribute or threaten to distribute such images and requires platforms to take them down. Tutor expressed gratitude towards President Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, Senator Ted Cruz, and Representative Maria Elvira Salazar for their leadership in this matter.
Paul Larkin, a senior legal research fellow at The Heritage Foundation, also commented on the issue: "Revenge porn is a despicable practice, one that can haunt a woman for the rest of her days and that has no legitimate Free Speech Clause justification." He praised the First Lady's efforts to combat this issue.
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