WASHINGTON, D.C., April 29, 2025 – The End Online Sexual Exploitation and Abuse of Children (OSEAC) Coalition, a group of organizations committed to advocacy to further policies that protect children online, commends the U.S. House of Representatives for passing the Tools to Address Known Exploitation by Immobilizing Technological Deepfakes on Websites and Network (TAKE IT DOWN) Act (S.146). The bill now heads to President Trump’s desk for his signature, as the Senate passed it unanimously on Feb. 13, 2025. Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) introduced the Senate version of the bill.
Introduced in the House on Jan. 22, 2025, by Reps. María Elvira Salazar (R-FL), Madeleine Dean (D-PA), Vern Buchanan (R-FL), Debbie Dingell (D-MI), August Pfluger (R-TX), and Stacey Plaskett (D-VI), the TAKE IT DOWN Act was advanced by the House Energy and Commerce Committee on April 11, paving the way for today’s action on the House floor.
The TAKE IT DOWN Act is a crucial piece of legislation that aims to protect children who are victimized by the online publication of real or deepfake non-consensual sexual imagery. It requires social media platforms to remove illegal content, including child sexual abuse material (CSAM), within 48 hours of notification from the victim and criminalizes the publication or threat to publish authentic and deepfake child exploitative imagery that does not constitute CSAM. The End OSEAC Coalition believes that the proactive measures outlined in the legislation are an essential step in addressing the range of online sexual exploitation and abuse of children (OSEAC). The coalition is grateful for the recent surge in bipartisan support for this legislation, including from First Lady Melania Trump, who hosted a bipartisan roundtable on Capitol Hill on March 3.
“If the TAKE IT DOWN Act was present during many of us Survivors’ time of abuse, we would have been spared the near limitless and humiliating spread of our intimate images. Each Survivor’s story is a personal and unique experience of horrific exploitation. Without the TAKE IT DOWN Act, this humiliation continues to affect us, even years after our abuse. To sign this act into law means bringing dignity to the lives of those who survived their abuse and justice for those who have not,” said Harrison Haynes, Chair, End OSEAC Survivors Council.
“The creation and distribution of AI-generated or non-consensual shared sexually exploitative images is causing very real harm to survivors, including the many children that have already been impacted,” said Danielle Lily, Interim Chair of the End OSEAC Coalition. “We applaud Representatives Salazar, Dean, Buchanan, Dingell, Pfluger and Plaskett for their leadership on the TAKE IT DOWN Act, which will not only finally criminalize this type of image-based abuse but also ensure the swift take down of these abusive images from online platforms.”
The Coalition remains steadfast in its support for policies that protect children from online exploitation and abuse and urges continued action on this vital issue from the 119th Congress and the White House.
About the End OSEAC Coalition
The End Online Sexual Exploitation and Abuse of Children (OSEAC) Coalition is a U.S. advocacy coalition that aims to improve U.S. government policies and programs to better prevent and address online sexual exploitation and abuse of children and provide appropriate support to survivors. Learn more about our mission to #ProtectKidsOnline: endoseac.org.
