US Lawmakers Introduce DEFIANCE Act in Response to Taylor Swift AI Porn Controversy

The recent controversy surrounding Taylor Swift has prompted bipartisan action from US lawmakers, leading to the introduction of a bill known as the DEFIANCE Act.

US singer-songwriter Taylor Swift arrives for the 81st annual Golden Globe Awards at The Beverly Hilton hotel in Beverly Hills, California, on January 7, 2024.

Introducing AI Porn Bill

In response to the recent controversy surrounding Taylor Swift, US lawmakers have introduced a bipartisan bill known as the DEFIANCE Act (Disrupt Explicit Forged Images and Non-Consensual Edits) of 2024.

Interesting Engineering reported that the primary objective of this proposed law is to address the rising issue of deep fakes and misleading content proliferating online.

Driven by concerns over the dissemination of fabricated and harmful videos and images, the legislation aims to provide a legal framework for victims, especially women, affected by 'digital forgery' to pursue legal action against those responsible for spreading such deceptive content.

The impetus for this legislative initiative stemmed from the circulation of artificially generated sexually explicit visuals featuring the renowned singer Taylor Swift across various social media platforms.

Utilizing sophisticated technology, deep fakes are engineered to appear authentic, often involving the creation of non-consensual and explicit content. According to a 2019 study highlighted by the US Senate Committee on the Judiciary, 96% of deep fake videos were identified as non-consensual pornography.

Josh Hawley, a US Senator from Missouri (R-MO), stressed the importance of legal measures, asserting that individuals, whether celebrities or ordinary Americans, should never be subjected to appearing in AI pornography.

He highlighted the right of innocent people to safeguard their reputations and seek accountability from perpetrators through the legal system, emphasizing that the DEFIANCE Act aims to make this a reality.

Gaining Attention on X

An especially notable graphic deep fake picture featuring Taylor Swift gained considerable attention, amassing 45 million views and 24,000 reposts.

Despite its controversial nature, the content remained online for 17 hours before being removed. X responded decisively by not only deleting the account responsible for the initial post but also targeting other accounts that shared similar imagery.

While the visual content itself is artificially created, the DEFIANCE Act recognizes the substantial real-world repercussions on individuals affected by the dissemination of sexually explicit deep fakes, including job loss and enduring psychological impacts such as depression or anxiety.

Encompassing images depicting the victim in a naked or explicit context, the legislation extends the timeframe within which victims can pursue legal action and provides privacy protections throughout legal proceedings.

Built upon the concept introduced by the 2022 Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization Act, the new legislation stands independently while adopting the idea that granted individuals the right to pursue legal recourse for harmful images that were authentic.

Extending a similar premise, the freshly introduced law empowers individuals with the right to take legal action against harmful fake images.

The timing of the law's introduction is noteworthy, coinciding with the Senate hearing addressing the 'Big Tech and the Online Child Sexual Exploitation Crisis,' held today.

During the hearing, CEOs of prominent platforms such as Discord, Meta, Snap, TikTok, and X were summoned to testify regarding the perceived inadequacies of their platforms in ensuring the safety of young users against online harassment and exploitation.