Take It Down Act heads to the president’s desk
Noah Farley
Idaho Falls, IDAHO (KIFI) — A bill that would help protect victims of revenge pornography is on its way to the president’s desk for his signature.
The Take It Down Act will make it illegal to publish non-consensual sexual images or videos, including material that’s been edited or AI-generated to make it look like a certain person. Once the bill passes, social media and similar websites will be required to remove this kind of content within 48 hours of a victim notifying the platforms.
“It’s pretty terrible. I know that they’ve had a lot of victims of this kind of stuff testify before Congress over the last few years to get this moved forward,” said Former Chief of Staff for Citizens of Decency, Andrew Russell.
This bill has been in the works for at least six years, and it’s had to be adjusted as technology keeps developing.
Russell says there’s been a lot of support for the bill, but he’s also been surprised by the amount of people who oppose it.
“We have a lot of big tech companies that fight these kinds of bills,” Russell said. “It’s kind of disheartening to see that kind of thing and that kind of power fight something that is obviously good.”
The bill recently passed the senate unanimously. Russell says this is almost unheard of, especially for a bill on a social issue. He and everyone who’s been working on this bill are excited as this bill makes its way to the president on Monday, May 19, 2025.
Russell especially thanks Craig Coba and everyone with Citizens for Decency.