Sens. Cruz and Klobuchar’s Bipartisan TAKE IT DOWN Act Clears House Committee

Tech industry rallies behind TAKE IT DOWN Act to empower victims of AI-Generated explicit images

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- In case you missed it, the House Energy and Commerce Committee today advanced the bipartisan, bicameral TAKE IT DOWN Act, introduced in the Senate by Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), and in the House by Reps. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-Fla.) and Madeleine Dean (D-Pa.).

Upon passage of the TAKE IT DOWN Act in the House, Sen. Cruz said:

"As bad actors continue to exploit new technologies like generative artificial intelligence, the TAKE IT DOWN Act is crucial for ending the spread of exploitative sexual material online, holding Big Tech accountable, and empowering victims of revenge and deepfake pornography. I am thankful to House Energy and Commerce Chairman Brett Guthrie for his leadership in advancing this common-sense legislation and getting it one step closer to President Trump's desk."

The TAKE IT DOWN Act, which passed the Senate unanimously, will criminalize the publication of non-consensual intimate imagery, including AI-generated images (commonly referred to as "deepfakes"), and require social media and other websites to remove such images within 48 hours of receiving notice from the victim.

Last month, Sen. Cruz and Rep. Salazar hosted a bipartisan roundtable with First Lady Melania Trump to hear from victims of revenge and deepfake pornography and urge the House to pass the bipartisan TAKE IT DOWN Act. During his State of the Union address, President Trump emphasized the bill's importance and said, "I look forward to signing it into law."

Support continues to grow for the TAKE IT DOWN Act. Recently, the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, a group of Members of Congress evenly split between Republicans and Democrats, announced its endorsement of the bill.

More than 120 organizations representing victim advocacy groups, law enforcement, and tech industry leaders have voiced their support for the TAKE IT DOWN Act, including Meta, Snap, Google, Microsoft, TikTok, X, Amazon, Bumble, Match Group, Entertainment Software Association, IBM, TechNet, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Internet Works, National Fraternal Order of Police, National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), RAINN (Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network), and National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE).

The TAKE IT DOWN Act has also been endorsed by editorial boards of the Seattle Times, Houston Chronicle, and Dallas Morning News.

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