First Lady Melania Trump was a prominent figure at a roundtable discussion regarding the proposed “Take It Down Act” held in the Mike Mansfield Room at the U.S. Capitol on March 3. The event witnessed Trump’s active participation as she advocated for legislative action against revenge porn. This marked her first independent public appearance after resuming her duties as the First Lady. Trump engaged with Congress to champion the “Take It Down Act,” which seeks to criminalize the deliberate publication or threat of publication of intimate images online without the subject’s consent. Notably, the act also encompasses AI-generated “deepfake” content resembling identifiable individuals.
In the course of the roundtable discussion, Melania Trump highlighted the significant risks posed by revenge porn, particularly to young women and girls. She expressed her concern by stating, “It’s heartbreaking to witness young teens, especially girls, grappling with the overwhelming challenges posed by malicious online content, like deepfakes. Every young person deserves a safe online space to express themselves freely, without the looming threat of exploitation or harm.”
Regarding the legal landscape, although there is no federal statute specifically addressing revenge porn, the majority of states—excluding South Carolina—have enacted laws to address this issue. However, these laws and their associated penalties exhibit significant variability across different states, with some not extending to cover AI-generated imagery.
Several high-profile cases exemplify the increasing legal scrutiny surrounding revenge porn. Notably, in 2024, a woman from Texas was awarded a substantial sum of $1.2 billion after her ex-boyfriend posted intimate photos of her online following their breakup. Furthermore, the implementation of New York’s 2019 revenge porn law led to successful cases where plaintiffs were granted financial compensations ranging from $1.5 million to $2 million.
Celebrities, too, have fallen victim to deepfake pornography, with notable instances involving stars like Scarlett Johansson and Taylor Swift. In 2019, Johansson condemned the practice after her likeness was superimposed onto explicit videos. More recently, Taylor Swift faced a similar ordeal when sexually explicit deepfakes evaded moderation filters on a popular platform, garnering millions of views and interactions within a short span before the account was suspended.
Melania Trump’s involvement in advocating against revenge porn aligns with her prior initiatives, such as the “Be Best” youth program, which prioritized online safety for young individuals. As she reengages with her responsibilities as the First Lady, Trump appears to be spearheading efforts to reignite this initiative within the White House.
However, amidst these efforts to combat non-consensual intimate imagery, concerns have been raised by digital privacy experts. They caution that while progress is necessary, the current iteration of the proposed bill lacks adequate safeguards and could potentially impinge on user privacy and freedom of expression. A coalition of digital privacy organizations, including the Center for Democracy & Technology and the Electronic Frontier Foundation, conveyed these concerns in
