WASHINGTON, DC
On Tuesday, September 10, 2024, Omny Miranda Martone, Founder and CEO of the Sexual Violence Prevention Association (SVPA), joined U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY-14) and actor-activist Sophia Bush in a Congressional Roundtable co-hosted by the Democratic Women’s Caucus and the Bipartisan Women’s Caucus at the Capitol.
The participants in this roundtable came together to establish an understanding of deepfake pornography and acknowledge its devastating impacts. They talked through the significant increase in deepfake pornography against young women and minorities and discussed meaningful ways to support survivors. The speakers focused on immediate action Congress can take to develop protections for victims and paths forward for legislative solutions like the DEFIANCE Act.
The DEFIANCE Act, a bipartisan bill co-authored by Omny Miranda Martone, will address and prevent deepfake pornography by empowering victims to seek justice. It passed the Senate unanimously in July and has been introduced in the House by Rep. Ocasio-Cortez and Rep. Laurel Lee (R-FL-15). It is co-sponsored by five Republican and five Democrat representatives.
“Today, the Democratic Women’s Caucus, Bipartisan Women’s Caucus, and survivors came together to discuss the urgent need for action against a rising tidal wave of nonconsensual deepfake pornography. Over 90% of all deepfake videos made are nonconsensual sexually explicit images, and women are the targets 9 times out of 10. The DEFIANCE Act grants survivors the right to take civil action against individuals who knowingly produce, distribute, or receive nonconsensual sexually-explicit digital forgeries. The bill has already passed the Senate unanimously and I’m working with colleagues on both sides of the aisle in the House of Representatives to get this bill to the President’s desk now,” said Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY-14).
“The rise of nonconsensual deepfake pornography is a grave threat and Congress must act. Each day that goes by without comprehensive legislation, more victims are intimidated, degraded, dehumanized, and traumatized” said Representative Ayanna Pressley (MA-06). “I was grateful to join my sister-in-service Rep. Ocasio-Cortez, Democratic Women’s Caucus colleagues, and our advocates to shine a light on this critical issue and discuss how we can confront it. This is a survivors’ justice issue and we must move with urgency.”
“As both a tech investor, and an Executive Producer of the Emmy-nominated documentary, Another Body, which explores this issue, I was honored to be part of today’s roundtable on this important discussion. We are living in a world where too many people, women especially, are being targeted through nefarious applications of technology. My hope is that the House follows the Senate by passing this monumental legislation that will give victims a means to finding protection and justice,” said Sophia Bush.
“I appreciate this forum to discuss solutions to address the devastating harms of deepfake pornography. As a victim, I know firsthand that our current laws are failing survivors. There are two traumas with deepfake porn. The trauma of it happening and the trauma of realizing there are no options to seek justice. In my case, this led to repeat attacks from the same person. This roundtable has highlighted that I am not alone,” said Omny Miranda Martone, CEO and Founder of the Sexual Violence Prevention Association. “Congress needs to take action for victims. The Senate already took a major step towards supporting survivors by unanimously passing the DEFIANCE Act. Now, in order to prevent deepfake pornography, we need the House to do the same.”
Deepfake pornography has devastatingly swept the internet in recent years. According to a 2023 report, 96% of deepfakes were sexually explicit, and the majority of those featured women or girls who didn’t consent to the creation of the content. This is a form of digital sexual violence. Currently, nonconsensual deepfake pornography is the most rapidly increasing form of sexual violence. Despite the significant impact, there are no federal bills addressing this issue.
This roundtable highlighted the dire need for Congress to pass legislation addressing nonconsensual deepfake pornography.
