WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Monday signed into law legislation cracking down on the kind of “deepfake porn” that a classmate used to victimize Aledo High School student Elliston Berry.
Elliston was 14 years old in October 2023 when the classmate used an artificial intelligence program to turn innocent photos of her into realistic-looking nudes and shared them with the rest of the school.
“Elliston quickly became a powerful advocate committed to preventing other girls from suffering the same abuse,” Trump said as he saluted her willingness to speak out about her experience.
Elliston and her mother, Anna McAdams, were at Trump’s side for Monday’s g in the Rose Garden.
In interviews and at public events, Elliston has publicly recounted the “fear, shock and disgust” she felt after a friend alerted her to the fake, but extremely realistic, nude pictures circulating online.
Her story prompted U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, to author the Take It Down Act, which criminalizes publishing or threatening to publish nonconsensual intimate images, including realistic computer-generated photos and videos depicting real people.
Penalties for publishing such images are up to two years in prison for offenses involving adults and up to three years in prison for offenses involving minors.
The law also brings pressure on tech platforms such as Snapchat to quickly take down offending images, requiring them to be removed within 48 hours if requested by a victim.
The Federal Trade Commission will be responsible for enforcing that requirement.
Some digital rights groups have raised concerns about the potential for people to file false reports under the law, but the legislation ed with overwhelming bipartisan .
It appeared on the cusp of age in December as part of a sweeping end-of-session catchall bill. Unrelated aspects of that broader package drew opposition from Trump and others, scuttling it.
Cruz introduced the legislation again this session with first lady Melania Trump ing the effort, tying it into her “Be Best” anti-cyberbullying initiative during a roundtable on Capitol Hill.
Elliston was a guest of the first lady at Trump’s address to Congress earlier this year.
Melania Trump spoke before the bill g, saying the law affirms that the well-being of America’s children is central to the country’s future.
She added that work on the issue is not complete.
“Now we look to the Federal Trade Commission and the private sector to do their part,” she said.
The audience included Cruz and U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, as well as other lawmakers and several Cabinet .
“With the rise of AI image generation, countless women have been harassed with deep fakes and other explicit images distributed against their will,” Trump said. “It’s just so horribly wrong.”
He highlighted the law’s criminal penalties and civil remedies for online platforms that refuse to quickly remove the images.
“We will not tolerate online sexual exploitation,” Trump said.
In an interview after the g ceremony, Cruz described the law as a great bipartisan victory and credited the victims who advocated for the bill’s age.
“We drafted the Take It Down Act because of what happened to Elliston, that has been happening to women and teenagers across the country,” Cruz said.
He said more work remains to be done when it comes to young people and technology.
Cruz highlighted proposals that would prohibit children younger than 13 from being on social media, bar tech platforms from using algorithmic boosting with those younger than 16 and require schools to block social media on campus.
“Congress needs to do much more to protect kids online,” Cruz said.