Today, April 28th, 2025, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to pass the TAKE IT DOWN Act 409-2. Having already passed the Senate in February, the bill now heads to the President’s desk for signature. With bipartisan support and endorsements from over 120 civil society organizations, companies, trade groups, and unions the bill is primed to become law.
“Just a few years ago it was unthinkable that everyday people would have the technical expertise to generate realistic intimate deepfake content. But today anyone can open an app or website and create realistic nude images of anyone—an ex, a classmate, a coworker—in minutes. The resulting wave of abuse, compounded with the existing crisis of image-based sexual exploitation, has already robbed thousands of victims of their personhood and sense of self,” said Adam Billen, Vice President of Public Policy at Encode. “Congress has taken a critical step in addressing AI harms by passing the TAKE IT DOWN Act, which will not only hold perpetrators accountable but empower millions of victims to reclaim control of their images in the aftermath of abuse.”
Encode organized multiple coalition letters in support of the bill, published op-eds in Tech Policy Press and the Seattle Times, convened victims, students, and lawmakers including sponsors Senators Cruz and Klobuchar to prevent deepfake porn in schools, and built a website tracking deepfake porn incidents in schools around the country. This morning, Encode’s Adam spoke at a virtual press conference addressing the legislation’s constitutional grounding.
