US President Donald Trump on Monday signed the TAKE IT DOWN Act into law, a landmark measure aimed at curbing online sexual exploitation and deepfake abuse. This bipartisan legislation, formally known as S.146, is aimed at protecting digital privacy and the well-being of children and families. The law is closely tied to First Lady Melania Trump’s BE BEST initiative and was passed within the first 100 days of Trump’s second term in office.

The Take It Down Act makes it illegal to “knowingly publish” or threaten to distribute intimate images, including digitally manipulated deepfakes, without the subject's consent. It also mandates that websites and social media platforms must remove such content within 48 hours of a victim’s notice and delete any duplicates to prevent further harm.

Melania Trump’s Role And Advocacy

First Lady Melania Trump was a driving force behind the bill. During the signing ceremony in the White House Rose Garden, she declared, “I am proud that the values of BE BEST are now reflected in the law of the land.” In March 2025, she personally lobbied lawmakers on Capitol Hill, calling it “heartbreaking” to see the trauma teenagers, especially girls, face after being victimised online.

Senator Ted Cruz introduced the bill in response to a 2023 incident in Aledo, Texas, where a student created deepfake nude images of classmates using innocent photos and posted them on Snapchat. At the time, existing Texas laws did not address such manipulated images. Cruz had to personally contact Snapchat to get the photos removed, later stating, “It should not take a sitting senator to get these images taken down.”

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Bipartisan Support And National Praise

The act gained rare bipartisan support in Congress. President Trump commended the First Lady’s dedication and emphasised the unity behind the law, saying, “Working with our First Lady, we’ve shown that bipartisanship is still possible.”

The legislation also received strong backing from digital rights organisations. The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, a tech policy think tank, described the act as “an important step forward” in protecting victims of non-consensual digital content.

With the TAKE IT DOWN Act now law, the United States affirms that everyone, especially minors, deserves protection from digital exploitation. It ensures swift action against harmful content and reinforces the right of every individual to control how their image is used online.

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