Statement by National NOW President Christian F. Nunes
Today, President Donald Trump signed into law the Take It Down Act—the first bipartisan legislation that zeroes in on one of the most pernicious threats to women’s health and safety—the theft of our bodily autonomy through deepfake images used to harass and exploit women and girls.
This is a first step—but by no means can it be the only step, or another halting step in a lengthy and laborious path towards meaningful online safety.
The new law requires platforms to offer a request-and-removal system where victims can report abuse and have their pictures taken down within 48 hours. However, this legislation only applies to public-facing platforms like social media networks, leaving the countless hidden private forums where victims may never know their images appear unexamined
NOW supports the Take it Down Act, but we recognize that without stronger protections and a more defined legal framework the law may not be enforceable on its own. That’s why NOW supports vital legislation such as the Preventing Deepfakes of Intimate Images Act, which makes sharing these images a criminal offense and creates a right of private action that allows victims to take their abusers to court and make them pay for the harm they’ve caused.
Today’s signing shows how much can be done when we get out of the silos that separate us from issue to issue and work together on the values and common goals that unite us despite those differences. When it comes to protecting women and girls from online abuse, this work is just beginning.
