A bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced a bill Thursday that would make it illegal to share deepfake pornographic images and videos without consent.
The legislation, led by Senators Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) and John Cornyn (R-Texas), is the latest effort to combat the non-consensual distribution of sexually explicit deepfakes, which refer to images and videos made with advanced technology, including artificial intelligence (AI).
These doctored images are often made to resemble women, often celebrities or other public figures, and are posted online without their permission.
If passed, the bill would create a new crime for sharing these images, along with a “private right of action” for victims to bring legal action against parties – including websites – who knowingly share the images. Criminal penalties would include a fine and up to two years in prison, while civil penalties could be up to $150,000 in fines in most cases, and sometimes more.
“Sharing intimate images without consent can cause extraordinary distress and emotional harm and can put victims at risk of stalking and assault,” Hassan said in a statement Thursday.
“Especially as technology advances to the point where it is difficult to tell which photos and videos are real and which have been completely faked, we need stronger protective barriers that protect people’s safety, privacy and dignity and prevent proliferation of non-consensual intimate images everywhere. the Internet.”
The bill was co-signed by Senators Laphonza Butler (D-California) and Angus King (I-Maine).
Earlier in the day, the White House issued its latest push for the tech industry to voluntarily cooperate on the issue of sexually explicit AI deepfakes.
“When generative AI arrived on the scene, everyone speculated about where the first real damage would come from. And I think we have the answer,” said Arati Prabhakar, head of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, the Associated Press reported.
A White House document calls for action from AI developers, payment processors, search engines and those who control app stores, the AP reported.
“Artificial intelligence and the companies that exercise its possibilities will transform people’s lives around the world — there’s no doubt about that,” Biden said Tuesday on social platform X. “But first, they must earn ours. trust”.
Concerns about deepfakes have increased over the past year as AI continues to advance and become more widespread.
In January, the spread of AI-generated explicit images of Taylor Swift accelerated the effort by lawmakers and the White House to stop the spread of deepfake pornography.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
