{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://morelle.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-joe-morelle-authors-legislation-bolster-right-online-privacy", "CONGRESSMAN JOE MORELLE AUTHORS LEGISLATION TO BOLSTER THE RIGHT TO ONLINE PRIVACY", "2022-12-20", "2022", "2022-12", "Democrat", "House", "NY", "Joseph D. Morelle", "M001206", "morelle.house.gov", "morelle", "https://morelle.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "(Washington, D.C.) \u2014 Today, Congressman Joe Morelle introduced new legislation to protect the right to privacy online. The Preventing Deepfakes of Intimate Images Act, authored by Congressman Morelle, would make illegal the non-consensual sharing of altered or \u201cdeepfake\u201d intimate images online and create additional legal courses of action for those impacted.\n\n\u201cAs technology and artificial intelligence continue to evolve, it\u2019s critical that we take proactive steps to combat disinformation and protect individuals from harm or compromising situations online,\u201d said Congressman Joe Morelle. \u201cThe spread of altered images can cause irrevocable emotional, financial, and reputational harm\u2014and unfortunately, women are disproportionately impacted. I\u2019m proud to have introduced this legislation that takes common-sense steps to protect their privacy, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to pass it into law.\u201d\n\nSAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher, a staunch advocate of protections for women and other vulnerable groups, has personally been a victim of this technology and is revolted to have had her image exploited in this way. Drescher today praised the proposed legislation saying:\n\n\"With great technology comes great responsibility. As we cheer on new advancements in the creative arts, we must never lose sight of the dark side of tech and the people it can harm. I have personally been a victim of this technology and applaud Congressman Morelle for proposing federal protection against sexualized non-consensual digital replicas and \u2018deepfakes'. This bill will help curb an incredibly destructive practice that strikes at the very heart of personal privacy, safety and autonomy. Sexual abuse, whether occurring physically or digitally, should never be excused or permitted as \u2018personal expression\u2019, and it should never be tolerated. Make no mistake, deepfakes is a violation, objectification and exploitation, but it\u2019s also counterfeit and must be made illegal and punishable by law. This bill is a powerful step to ensure that new and exciting technology is not used to cause obvious and irreparable harm.\u201d\n\nDr. Mary Anne Franks, President and Legislative & Tech Policy Director, Cyber Civil Rights Initiative, said: \u201cThe vast majority of so-called \u201cdeepfakes\u201d are pornographic images and videos featuring women and girls without their consent. Like other forms of nonconsensual pornography, the creation and distribution of digitally manipulated intimate images can inflict severe psychological, reputational, and professional harm. The Cyber Civil Rights Initiative is pleased to support the Preventing Deepfakes of Intimate Images Act, which will help deter this egregious form of sexual exploitation.\u201d\n\nWith technological advancement has come the emergence of \u201cdeepfakes\u201d\u2014digitally altered images that use an individual\u2019s likeness mapped onto a photo or video of someone else. A 2019 report found that 96 percent of deepfake videos online were pornographic in content and exclusively targeted women. While the videos are fake, their impacts are very real\u2014and until now, little has been done to provide women with protection or recourse from this disturbing phenomenon.\n\nIn March 2022, President Biden signed the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) Reauthorization Act, a bipartisan law taking significant steps to address domestic violence. The VAWA Reauthorization included provisions to empower individuals victimized by the non-consensual disclosure of their intimate visual images to seek civil penalties in federal court. However, these provisions did not include the same protections for those impacted by the disclosure of deepfakes, leaving individuals vulnerable to exploitation by these images.\n\nTo address this issue, Congressman Morelle introduced the Preventing Deepfakes of Intimate Images Act, which would:", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T03:32:05Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://morelle.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-joe-morelle-authors-legislation-bolster-right-online-privacy"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.6920588202774525, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}