For Immediate Release – November 19, 2024
WASHINGTON, DC- The Sexual Violence Prevention Association (SVPA) joined Encode Justice, deepfake advocate Francesca Mani, lawmakers, and education leaders at the U.S. Capitol for the Empowering Voices Summit to Protect Our Children from Deepfake Exploitation. Omny Miranda Martone, Founder and CEO of the SVPA, spoke alongside Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) about the need for legislation to prevent deepfake pornography.
The number of deepfakes online doubles every six months. As of 2023, more than 98% of deepfakes on the internet were pornographic. Inspired by Francesca Mani’s personal story, the Empowering Voices Summit to Protect Our Children from Deepfake Exploitation focused on developing actionable strategies for schools and communities to combat non-consensual, AI-generated explicit content. In October of 2023, deepfake images of Mani and other students circulated at their New Jersey high school.
U.S. Senators Dick Durbin, Ted Cruz (R-TX), and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) joined Francesca, her mother Dorota Mani, Encode Justice, educators from across the country, and other experts in a full-day program that included policy addresses, panel discussions, and workshops dedicated to ending deepfake exploitation in schools. Speakers addressed solutions including updating school and district-level codes of conduct, facilitating the reporting and removal of deepfake NCII on social media platforms, banning the creation and distribution of non-consensual NCII, and training educators on how to respond when incidents do occur.
SVPA Founder and CEO, Omny Miranda Martone, spoke at the summit about the harmful impacts of deepfake pornography and the need for coordinated preventative action. Martone shared their story of becoming a victim of deepfake pornography due to their outspoken advocacy on this issue. They discussed what the SVPA is doing to prevent digital sexual violence, including the Blueprint for the Systemic Prevention of Digital Sexual Violence, a strategy for coordinated action between individuals, institutions, big tech, and policymakers. They also discussed the 5 R’s of Digital Bystander Intervention, a set of strategies the SVPA created to empower everyone on the internet to take action against digital sexual violence.
Most importantly, they discussed the SVPA’s legislative advocacy including the DEFIANCE Act, a federal bill to address and prevent deepfake pornography by creating a civil right of action for victims to seek justice. Sen. Dick Durbin introduced the DEFIANCE Act to the Senate and led it to unanimously pass the Senate in July of this year. In his speech, he urged the House of Representatives to pass this vital piece of legislation.
The SVPA would like to thank Francesca Mani and her mother, Dorota Mani, for their dedicated advocacy on this issue. We would also like to thank Encode Justice for organizing this critical event. Lastly, we would like to thank all of the legislators, advocates, and educators who attended. We need unified advocacy to protect youth from digital sexual violence.
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About the SVPAThe Sexual Violence Prevention Association (SVPA) is a national nonprofit dedicated to preventing sexual violence systemically. Learn more about our organization on our website or in our impact report.
