Federal law criminalizes deepfake pornography, protecting victims from AI-generated sexual abuse
H.R. 2564 — Protect Victims of Digital Exploitation and Manipulation Act of 2025 · Filed by Nancy Mace (R-SC) · Introduced Apr 1, 2025 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill makes it a federal crime to create or distribute deepfake pornography—sexually explicit fake images of real people made with AI or photo-editing software—without their consent. The law carries up to 5 years in prison and applies to anyone who knowingly produces or spreads such images, with exceptions for law enforcement, legal proceedings, medical use, and good-faith reporting of abuse. It does not hold internet platforms liable for hosting such content unless they recklessly distribute it themselves.
Why we flagged it
The bill's core function is to criminalize the creation and distribution of non-consensual deepfake sexual imagery. It is a victim-protection statute, not a regulatory or appropriations measure.
What the text implies
- The 'reckless disregard' standard for service providers may create litigation risk for platforms that fail to detect or remove deepfake content, potentially incentivizing more aggressive content moderation.
- The law applies extraterritorially to non-U.S. nationals if the victim is a U.S. citizen, which may complicate enforcement and create jurisdictional disputes.
- The definition of 'identifiable individual' includes 'other distinguishing characteristic' beyond face/likeness, which could expand scope to include unique tattoos, scars, or body marks, potentially capturing more edge cases.
- The 'good faith' exception for reporting unlawful content or unwelcome conduct may create a loophole if bad actors claim they were 'investigating' abuse while distributing deepfakes.
Who it affects
Ordinary people gain a direct legal remedy against a form of sexual abuse and harassment that causes documented psychological harm, particularly to women and minors. The law creates enforceable criminal penalties for perpetrators while preserving platform immunity for passive hosting, balancing victim protection with free-speech concerns.
Named in the bill
House Committee on the Judiciary, Federal Bureau of Investigation (implied enforcement), Department of Justice, Communications Act of 1934, Section 230 (Communications Decency Act), Title 18 USC Chapter 88
Where it stands
- Apr 1, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Apr 1, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on the Judiciary · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the full bill text on Jun 8, 2026; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 16,222 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
As of — page rendered 2026-10-20.
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