[ad_1]
\n<\/p>\n
The US Senate unanimously passed<\/a> a bill on Tuesday designed to hold accountable those who make or share deepfake porn. The Disrupt Explicit Forged Images and Non-Consensual Edits Act (DEFIANCE Act) would allow victims to sue those who create, share or possess AI-generated sexual images or videos using their likeness. The issue took root in the public consciousness after the infamous Taylor Swift deepfake that circulated among online lowlifes<\/a> early this year.<\/p>\n The bill would let victims sue for up to $150,000 in damages. That number grows to $250,000 if it\u2019s related to attempted sexual assault, stalking or harassment.<\/p>\n It now moves to the House, where a companion bill awaits. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) sponsors the sister bill<\/a>. If it passes there (which sounds likely, given the unanimous nature of the Senate\u2019s vote), it will move to President Biden\u2019s desk for final passage.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a shock to seeing images of yourself that someone could think are real,\u201d Ocasio-Cortez told<\/a> Rolling Stone<\/em> earlier this year. \u201cAnd once you\u2019ve seen it, you\u2019ve seen it. It parallels the same exact intention of physical rape and sexual assault, [which] is about power, domination, and humiliation. Deepfakes are absolutely a way of digitizing violent humiliation against other people.\u201d<\/p>\n The bill, sponsored by Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), lets the victims of intimate digital forgeries (deepfakes) sue for damages. It would give victims a 10-year statute of limitations, beginning either from the discovery of the content or when they turn 18 in the (even more disturbing) case of minors.<\/p>\n \u201cAs we know, AI plays a bigger role in our lives than ever before, and while it has many benefits, it\u2019s also easier than ever to create sexually explicit deep fakes without a person\u2019s consent,\u201d Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said<\/a> on the Senate floor late Tuesday. \u201cIt is a horrible attack on someone\u2019s privacy and dignity to have these fake images of them circulating online without recourse.\u201d<\/p>\n Schumer cited Swift and Megan Thee Stallion in his floor speech as two celebrity examples who have fallen victim to the types of content the bill targets. However, The Verge <\/em>notes<\/a> online sexual deepfakes have affected those with much less clout (and money for lawyers) than A-list pop stars, like high school girls, some of whom have found out about contrived sexual images of them being passed around among their peers.<\/p>\n Fortunately, the bill stipulates that victims would have privacy protections during court proceedings and that they could recover legal costs. \u201cIt\u2019s a grotesque practice and victims of these deep fakes deserve justice,\u201d Schumer said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n