What is Take It Down Act? Trump signs Melania-backed bill to make 'revenge porn' a federal crime

US President Donald Trump on Monday signed the Take It Down Act to make revenge porn a federal crime. Backed by both Republicans and Democrats, the bill was publicly supported by First Lady Melania Trump.

Take It Down Bill was passed the Senate by unanimous consent in February and the House by 409-2 vote in April. It was Melania who lobbied House members to usher the bill through Congress. Trump even made her sign the Act on Monday, a move that is largely symbolic as first ladies have no formal role in the legislation.

The bill, which was sponsored by Senator Ted Cruz and Congresswoman Maria Elvira Salazar, saw support from Democrats too.

What is Take It Down Act?

The legislation, called Take It Down Act, aims to curb the sharing of non-consensual sexual images on social media and protect revenge porn victims from harassment and exploitation.

It requires social networking sites to remove explicit photos and videos, including deepfakes altered using AI, within two days of a victim's request. Social media companies must also stop duplication of the content. If a person knowingly shares such images without permission, they could face prison term.

Trump said AI-generated images have resulted in harassment of countless women and it "just so horribly wrong". "Today, we're making it totally illegal," the president added.

Melania called the new legislation a "national victory", saying, "AI and social media are the digital candy for the next generation, sweet addictive and engineered to have an impact on the cognitive development of our children. But unlike sugar, these new technologies can be weaponised, shape beliefs and, sadly, affect emotions and even be deadly."

However, the Act is also facing opposition from various quarters. Some have raised concerns about the law being misused for censorship of legitimate images, including LGBTQ content and even legal pornography. Many others pointed out that government could track private conversations by misusing the law.

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