Austin News

U.S. Senate Commerce Committee Ranking Member Ted Cruz and Elliston Berry, a high school student from Aledo, Texas, have called on the U.S. House to pass the bipartisan TAKE IT DOWN Act. This legislation, introduced by Sen. Cruz alongside Sen. Amy Klobuchar, aims to criminalize the distribution of non-consensual intimate imagery, including AI-generated images known as "deepfakes."

The TAKE IT DOWN Act passed unanimously in the Senate last week and includes provisions requiring social media platforms and websites to remove such images within 48 hours upon notification from victims.

Reps. Maria Elvira Salazar and Madeleine Dean have introduced similar legislation in the House, where it is currently awaiting consideration.

The act has garnered support from nearly 100 organizations spanning victim advocacy groups, law enforcement agencies, and tech industry leaders.

Earlier this week, Senators Cruz and Klobuchar held a press conference with victim advocates to emphasize the urgency of passing the bill before year-end. Elliston Berry shared her experiences as a deepfake pornography victim during this event.

Senator Cruz expressed on FOX NEWS that "this new legislation would give everyone the right to take deepfakes down." He also told NEWSMAX that the bill is "vital to thwart deepfake porn."

Other media outlets covering this development include CNN's The Source with Kaitlan Collins and local publications like Dallas Morning News and Austin American-Statesman.