Congress approves a revenge porn bill backed by first lady Melania Trump
A bill supported by Melania Trump that aims to implement strict penalties and guidelines for those who publish and promote revenge porn is on its way to President Trump’s desk.
More than 400 House representatives voted in favor of the TAKE IT DOWN Act, which doubles as an acronym that stands for: Tools to Address Known Exploitation by Immobilizing Technological Deepfakes on Websites and Networks.
The bill was introduced by Texas Sen. Ted Cruz in January, and approved by the Senate in February.
“Today’s bipartisan passage of the Take It Down Act is a powerful statement that we stand united in protecting the dignity, privacy, and safety of our children,” Melania Trump said Monday. “I am thankful to the Members of Congress — both in the House and Senate — who voted to protect the well-being of our youth.”
The act states that offenders will be subject to prison time, a fine or both, for publishing “intimate visual depictions” of people, both real and computer-generated, of adults or minors, without their consent or with harmful intent.
Public forums, including websites, apps and other online platforms, would have to incorporate a way for subjects of revenge porn to request that it be scrubbed. The platforms would then have 48 hours to remove the content.
“It protects young girls and young women, and it’s a huge bipartisan victory that we’re winning tonight,” Cruz said on ABC News Monday.
Melania Trump previously led an initiative focused on children. During President Trump’s first term, Melania Trump started the “BE BEST” initiative, encouraging children to “BE BEST in their individual paths,” while also teaching them the importance of social, emotional, and physical health,” according to an archive of The White House website.
The program mainly focused on “well-being, online safety, and opioid abuse,” the website says. In support of the initiative, Melania Trump collaborated with a task force to address sexual abuse allegations in the Native American community, met with tech companies to understand their protections for young users and advocated for an increase in addiction treatment centers to provide support for mothers and their children, according to the administration.
“Through this critical legislation and our continued focus with ‘Be Best,’ we are building a future where every child can thrive and achieve their full potential,” Melania Trump said Monday.
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