Design It For Us Endorses DEFIANCE Act, Applauds Senate Passage

Design It For Us member and Encode Justice Director of Policy Adam Billen issued the following statement on the Senate’s unanimous passage of the DEFIANCE Act, which will hold assailants accountable for producing and spreading nonconsensual, sexually-explicit “deepfake” content:

“We are proud to endorse this pivotal legislation and happy to see forward movement toward ensuring protection against online sexual exploitation. This act aids us in our coalition’s goal of holding Big Tech accountable for creating a social media environment that is designed with users in mind.

“The devastating impact of deepfake sexual abuse that academics and technologists have long warned of is no longer a problem for the future. Today, a potential abuser just needs access to a web browser and internet connection to freely create hundreds or thousands of non-consensual intimate images. The DEFIANCE Act is Congress’ chance to fix a clear gap in existing law and return power to the victims of deepfake sexual abuse.”

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