The Sexual Violence Prevention Association (SVPA) endorses California House Bill AB 2212 – The Higher Education AI Response (HEAR) Survivors Act, which will systemically address and prevent digital sexual harassment on college campuses.
The HEAR Survivors Act will redefine sexual harassment in the California Education Code to account for modern digital technologies. Further, it will require higher education institutions to adopt and publish policies addressing deepfake pornography, revenge pornography, digital stalking, and other forms of technology-facilitated sexual harassment.
As generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) becomes more prominent, image generation tools are increasingly putting students at risk of technology-facilitated sexual harassment. A 2025 study of California college students found that 70% of survivors of online sexual harm did not seek support from their school. Many reported that they “felt [they] would not be taken seriously” and were “not aware [they] could reach out to a resource.”
The California Education Code’s current definition of sexual harassment does not explicitly address technology-facilitated harassment. Thus, there is a lack of uniform standards for defining, investigating, and remediating these harms. This creates inconsistencies across campuses, gaps in support options, and limits survivors’ access to critical resources.
The SVPA’s endorsement builds on our national leadership in addressing digital sexual violence. We worked with survivors and members of Congress to draft the DEFIANCE Act, a federal bill providing a civil right of action for victims of nonconsensual deepfake pornography to seek justice. We were strong advocates behind the Take It Down Act which was signed into law last year. The SVPA has also recently endorsed several state bills addressing digital sexual violence, including three parallel bills for artificial intelligence (AI) safety and child protection in Nebraska (LB1083), Utah (H.B. 286), and Tennessee (HB1898). SVPA has also developed the 5 R’s of Digital Bystander Intervention, a comprehensive guide for individuals to address and prevent digital sexual violence.
“Digital sexual violence is growing rapidly,” said Omny Miranda Martone, “The Hear Survivors Act is a crucial bill ensuring that California schools are implementing effective prevention measures, increasing safety for hudreds of thousands of students across the state.”
The SVPA is proud to endorse the HEAR Survivors Act. We urge California legislators to pass this important bill, taking a stand against digital sexual harassment on college campuses.
To learn more, please read our endorsement letters to the Higher Education Committee and the Privacy and Consumer Protection Committee.
