Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has stated that the House is stalling legislation that would give victims of sexually explicit deepfakes created without consent a legal way to file lawsuits against offenders, blaming it on Rep. Jim Jordan from Ohio.
The Senate passed the DEFIANCE Act by unanimous consent, with all Republicans present. It is designed to create civil liability for anyone who creates, distributes, or solicits AI-intimate imagery.
This act would go along with the TAKE IT DOWN Act, passed in 2025, that criminalized publishing any such imagery and ordered removal of such images from any online platforms within 48 hours upon the request of a victim.
Pablo Manriquez, the MeidasTouch Network reporter, asked Ocasio-Cortez about the delay in passing this legislation, noting conflicting statements from Republican House leadership.
“And just on a different topic, on the Defiance Act, we’re getting a lot of back and forth between Jim Jordan and Mike Johnson saying that, like, they’re thinking about it and they’re not thinking about it,” Manriquez said. “Jim Jordan told us last week that he’s meeting with your colleague, Laurel Lee, on the bill. And Laurel Lee didn’t seem to know what he’s talking about. Have you heard anything? Are they just giving us the runaround?”
“I think they’re giving you the runaround,” Ocasio-Cortez said.
“The Senate passed this unanimously. Every Republican in the Senate voted for this. The House is sitting on it. There’s no reason that we should be hesitating whatsoever on this bill. Everyone from Democrats to Republicans are supportive of it. The First Lady has come out about the harms of deepfakes as well. So, really, this is just about Jim Jordan versus everybody right now, I think.”
Asked what concerned constituents could do, Ocasio-Cortez pointed to Jordan’s home state.
“Is there anything that people can do, I guess, that are concerned about these deepfakes?” Manriquez asked.
“I think especially if you are from Ohio or know someone in Ohio to speak up about this, it would be tremendously helpful because that’s the last real linchpin that we have to unlock,” Ocasio-Cortez said.
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