By India McCarty
The National Center on Sexual Exploitation is urging the House of Representatives to pass the TAKE IT DOWN Act, a bill that would have non-consensual sexually explicit images removed from the internet more quickly.
“Both children and adults have become the targets of nonconsensual sexually explicit content, especially with the rapid rise of AI-generated deepfakes,” Marcel van der Watt, the President of NCOSE said in a statement. “Today, it is nearly impossible to have these images removed from websites and platforms.”
He explained that the TAKE IT DOWN Act would “compel platforms to remove [sexually explicit images] quickly, helping end the very real impact that victims experience.”
More specifically, platforms would have 48 hours to remove examples of image-based sexual abuse from their sites.
“TAKE IT DOWN will rightfully treat uploading image-based sexual abuse to websites as a federal crime and ensure that anyone who has suffered this abuse has a real solution. We urge the U.S. House to prioritize its swift passage,” van der Watt concluded.
The bill has support on both sides of the aisle, with Senators Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) calling for it to be passed.
First Lady Melania Trump has shown support for the TAKE IT DOWN Act, as well. At a recent meeting between congressional leaders and victims of child sexual abuse material, she said, “Every young person deserves a safe online space to express themselves free without the looming threat of exploitation” (video via Fox News).
Related: Will This Legal Action Protect Children Online?
Social media companies have also spoken out in favor of the bill.
“This law is a critical step not only in helping to protect people from having their private images shared without permission, but also in limiting the distribution of AI-generated intimate images that can be just as damaging,” a statement from Snapchat read. “The TAKE IT DOWN Act aligns with and complements our ongoing efforts to stop bad actors from distributing NCII and child sexual exploitation and abuse imagery (CSEAI) online.”
Roblox co-founder David Baszucki also spoke favorably of the TAKE IT DOWN Act.
“The ability to rapidly share images and videos is one of the reasons the internet can be a complex and dangerous place for children,” he explained. “This content is incredibly sensitive, and we need greater government oversight for apps that allow image and video sharing. Currently, Roblox does not support this functionality.”
Support for the TAKE IT DOWN Act increases every day, as people around the country recognize the urgent need to take action against people sharing non-consensual sexually explicit images — and provide support to victims of this crime.
Read Next: How to Hold Big Tech Accountable for Sexual Exploitation
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