Bill > S1837

This bill, known as the DEFIANCE Act of 2025, aims to provide better legal recourse for individuals harmed by non-consensual intimate digital forgeries, often referred to as "deepfakes." It defines an "intimate digital forgery" as a digitally altered image or video that falsely depicts an identifiable individual in sexually explicit conduct, created using technology like artificial intelligence, and indistinguishable from reality. The bill establishes a civil right of action, allowing victims to sue individuals who knowingly produce, possess with intent to disclose, or disclose such forgeries, or who solicit and receive them, provided the actions affect interstate commerce and were done without consent or with reckless disregard for consent. Victims can seek damages, including liquidated damages of $150,000 or $250,000 if the forgery is linked to sexual assault or harassment, as well as actual damages and attorney fees. The bill also allows courts to order injunctions to remove or destroy the harmful content and implement measures to protect the victim's privacy, such as allowing the use of pseudonyms. The statute of limitations for filing such a lawsuit is 10 years from the discovery of the violation or the victim's 18th birthday. Importantly, this Act does not preempt existing federal, state, or tribal laws and is intended to work alongside them.

Justice

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/1837/all-info