Latest news with #TakeitDown
New Straits Times
09-06-2025
- New Straits Times
Criminologist calls for new laws to curb AI porn
GEORGE TOWN: New laws and mechanisms are needed to curb the spread of Artificial Intelligence (AI)-generated pornography, said a criminalogist. Datuk Dr P. Sundramoorthy, from Universiti Sains Malaysia's Centre for Policy Research , warned that such content posed serious risks to the mental health of victims, especially minors. "The law is playing catch-up while technology is sprinting ahead," he said. "In the meantime, our youths are exposed, our victims are silenced, and our justice system is ill-equipped," he told the New Straits Times. He said the Penal Code was not designed for a world where "anyone with a smartphone can destroy a person's reputation in minutes". "The fact that a teenager could so easily exploit his peers using off-the-shelf technology should terrify us," he said. Sundramoorthy was referring to the arrest of a 16-year-old private school student in Johor for allegedly using AI to edit and sell lewd images of his female classmates. He is being investigated under Section 292 of the Penal Code for selling and distributing obscene material and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act for improper use of network facilities. Sundramoorthy said Malaysia needed laws that reflected the realities of digital abuse and empower ed victims with protection and redress. "Victims often suffer twice. Once from the abuse itself, and again when society shames them into silence. This mirrors the trauma of sexual assault, where victims are blamed instead of supported." He called for legislation that defines and criminalises AI-generated and deepfake pornography, and for fast-track content removal mechanisms on social media. "This could be similar to the 'Take it Down' Act in the United States," he said. "The time for reform is now. Not after another teenager is victimised, not after another viral scandal." Women's Aid Organisation (WAO) advocacy officer Tamyra Selvarajan said Malaysia's reactive legal framework failed to address the long-term psychological and reputational harm faced by survivors. "Our laws are growing, but they are still largely punitive, not preventive or restorative," she said. "There is no equivalent of the 'Take it Down' Act here. Survivors are often left waiting, reporting to authorities while harmful content remains live and circulating." Tamyra said survivors, particularly women and minors, often navigated a confusing legal and enforcement maze, with no clarity on which agency held jurisdiction. "The problem is far from theoretical," she said. Tamyra said WAO handled a case this year involving a woman victimised by AI-generated porn. In another case documented by the All Women's Action Society (Awam) Telenita Helpline, a man was blackmailed with intimate videos recorded during a video call. Tamyra said these cases highlighted key system gaps: no centralised reporting platform, no mandated takedown timelines and no survivor-centred support services. She urged the government to consider a law akin to the US "Take it Down" Act, noting that existing Malaysian legislation, including the Penal Code, Communications and Multimedia Act, Anti-Sexual Harassment Act and the Sexual Offences Against Children Act, were not designed for the era of AI and deepfakes. "If a country like the US, often criticised for its fragmented approach to tech regulation, can pass a federal law within months, Malaysia must at least begin with serious intent. "What we're asking for is not censorship, it's dignity, safety, and justice," she said
New Straits Times
08-06-2025
- Politics
- New Straits Times
'No mechanism for victims to remove revenge porn' - Lawyers' group
GEORGE TOWN: Existing laws aimed at protecting people, especially children, from sexual exploitation are insufficient to tackle the rise of revenge and Artificial Intelligence (AI)-generated pornography, said a lawyers' group. Jasmine Wong, president of the Association of Women Lawyers (AWL), said laws, such as the Sexual Offences Against Children Act and the Penal Code provisions that criminalise child sexual abuse material, focused on punishment after the fact. She said Malaysia lacked a mechanism for victims to swiftly demand the removal of harmful content, such as the United States' new "Take it Down" Act. Wong said Malaysia's Online Safety Bill 2024, passed last December and awaiting to be gazetted, expanded the government's regulatory powers over child sexual abuse material and cyberbullying. "However, it does not address the rapid spread of deepfake or AI-generated sexual abuse content, leaving a critical gap in protection. "The current laws are reactive and rely heavily on criminal prosecution, which is often slow and emotionally draining for survivors. "There is no legal right for minors or their guardians to request the immediate takedown of non-consensual explicit images, forcing survivors to endure prolonged trauma and public stigma," she told the New Straits Times. Earlier this year, a teenager in Johor was arrested for producing and selling deepfake sexual images of his female classmates. He is being investigated under Section 292 of the Penal Code for distributing obscene material and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act for sharing offensive content. Wong said a central takedown platform, possibly under the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), could improve coordination and response times. She added that social media companies should adopt the best practices in the US' "Take it Down" Act, which sets timelines for content removal or risk penalties under MCMC's licensing regime. "AI developers must build safeguards to detect and prevent the misuse of AI-generated content, and schools and educators play a vital role in addressing digital abuse promptly and educating students on safe online behaviour. "Digital literacy campaigns and parental guidance are essential to equip children with the skills and support needed to navigate the online world safely." AWL vice-president Denise Lim said the "Take it Down" Act has been hailed by advocates and victims' families as a powerful tool to protect dignity and privacy in the digital age. "Malaysia needs urgent legal reform that reflects the realities of digital sexual abuse, combining punitive measures with proactive protections for victims. "Effective enforcement, swift takedown procedures, and multi-sector collaboration are key to safeguarding young people in an increasingly online world," she said. Lim added that as digital sexual abuse evolved, so must laws meant to combat it.
USA Today
20-05-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
What is the ‘Take it Down Act?' Melania Trump made rare White House appearance to sign it
What is the 'Take it Down Act?' Melania Trump made rare White House appearance to sign it Trump signed Take it Down Act into law May 19, 2025. What to know about the 'revenge porn' law and Melania Trump, who advocated for it. Show Caption Hide Caption Melania Trump pushes for 'Take It Down Act' Melania Trump spoke out in favor of legislation that would criminalize the publication of nonconsensual deepfake sexual images. Melania Trump championed the "Take it Down Act," which criminalizes nonconsensual intimate imagery, including deepfake pornography. The act mandates tech platforms remove such imagery within 48 hours of being reported. Melania Trump has kept a relatively low profile since her husband returned to office but actively lobbied for this bill. First lady Melania Trump made a rare White House appearance alongside President Donald Trump on May 19 to sign the "Take it Down Act" into law. Melania Trump has kept a relatively low profile during her husband's first few months back in office, but has spent time lobbying for the Take it Down Act, which passed Congress with rare bipartisan support. It criminalizes non-consensual intimate imagery (NCII), including artificial intelligence-created imagery often known as deepfake recent pornography. 'Artificial intelligence and social media are the digital candy for the next generation, sweet, addictive, and engineered to have an impact on the connectivity development of our children,' Melania Trump said at the signing ceremony at the White House. 'But unlike sugar, these new technologies can be weaponized to shape beliefs and, sadly, affect emotions and even be deadly.' Here is what to know about the first lady and the new law she helped champion. 'They can't take a joke:' Days after Trump defends viral AI pope photo, Pope Leo is chosen What is the 'Take it down Act?' The Take it Down Act criminalizes nonconsensual, explicit images created by artificial intelligence, often known as deepfakes. The bill, introduced by Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minnesota, requires technology platforms to remove reported non-consensual sexual imagery within 48 hours, so long as the request is valid. At the bill signing at the White House Rose Garden, Melania Trump called the law a "national victory" and thanked Elliston Berry for speaking up and advocating for survivors. Berry was 14 when she was the victim of a nude deepfake that wasn't removed from Snapchat until Cruz's Senate office stepped in. Berry has said she went to the authorities about the image, but they told her it was out of their control. (Snapchat said in an April 8 statement it supports the bill.) "Elliston Berry stood boldly for change — despite the risks posed to her and her family by speaking out and making her voice heard. Elliston, your voice — and the voices of so many like you — made this bill a national priority,' Melania Trump said. What else has Melania Trump done as first lady? Outside of advocating for the Take it Down Act, she has only made a handful of public appearances since her husband's inauguration on Jan. 20, 2025. She spoke at the International Women of Courage Awards, attended Pope Francis' funeral (the same day as her 55th birthday), helped host the annual White House Easter Egg Roll, and hosted a celebration of military mothers and a stamp unveiling honoring former first lady Barbara Bush. When did Donald Trump marry Melania? Donald Trump and model Melania Knauss got married in 2005. They met in 1998, two years after she moved to New York. Does Melania Trump have a college degree? No. According to the American Presidency Project, Melania Trump did not complete a degree but attended the University of Ljubljana in Slovenia for one year. Is Melania Trump an immigrant? Yes, she was born in Slovenia and moved to the U.S. in 1996. Slovenia is a country in Eastern Europe between Croatia and Austria. Melania Trump was born as Melanija Knavs but changed her name to Melania Knauss and later Melania Trump. She is the only first lady to become a naturalized citizen and the second first lady born outside the United States. (The first was Louisa Catherine Adams, married to John Quincy Adams, who was president from 1825-1829.) See photos of Melania Trump before she became first lady, when she met Trump as a young model Contributing: Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, Maria Francis, Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY Kinsey Crowley is the Trump Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at kcrowley@ Follow her on X and TikTok @kinseycrowley or Bluesky at @
Daily Mail
03-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
How school girl's brave act after ultimate humiliation set in motion Trump crackdown on vile school yard crime
When a teenage boy made fake nude photos of a group of girls at his school and posted them online in October 2023, the school claimed there was little they could do. Some of the victims at Aledo High School in Texas were so humiliated by the crime, and by the lack of action, they transferred to other schools. But one of the group, Elliston Berry, just 14 at the time, wasn't prepared to take what had happened to her sitting down. She enlisted the help of US senator Ted Cruz to force social media companies to take down the images after they initially refused. The women didn't even know who was behind the vile attack until Berry filed a Title IX investigation, which is the formal process used to make sex, harassment, or violence claims against their schools. Berry's brave actions two years ago - she is now 16 - will see her stand next to Donald Trump at the White House as he signs the first federal law in the coming weeks punishing those who use AI to make deepfake pornography. The landmark 'Take it Down Act' will make it a crime punishable by jail terms of up to three years and fines determined by the court for those those who create naked photos release them without consent. The law also requires social media companies to take down 'deepfake' images within 48 hours. 'When this first happened, everyone was kind of at a loss, especially when we brought it to the school board,' Berry, who is still at Aledo High School, told 'No one really knew what to do. No one had really heard of this issue. That's why it's so important the "Take it Down Act" has finally passed, because we finally have that backboard and handbook to help others.' Berry has also been invited to Capitol Hill twice by First Lady Melania Trump to garner support and awareness of the 'Take it Down' Act. She will never forget the moment she realized innocent photos she'd posted to Instagram had been transformed into fake nudes of her at just 14 years old. 'When I saw it, I thought, 'That looks completely real. This is not my body, and it looks so real,' the sophomore explained. 'It really was shocking how someone was able my clothes off completely, all using AI, and completely manipulated the entire photo.' She had no idea who'd created the images. Then similar fakes of her friends were shared online. 'It happened to my entire friend group. So day by day, he posted more of my friends, and ultimately, just exploited by whole friend group,' she said. When she appealed to the school to find out who had done this to her, they refused to tell her, citing his privacy. 'They didn't know what to do, so we were stuck trying to fight for ourselves. We filed a Title IX investigation, which ultimately lead to us knowing the identity of the person.' Months after she was first targeted, Berry learned a classmate she has known since 8th grade and once gifted her a Bible was behind the AI-generated photos. Berry shared her story while lobbying with the First Lady for a bill that would make it a federal crime to post revenge porn and deep fakes online 'Honestly, we were friends,' Berry said. 'He had given me a Bible and we had conversations about the Lord and things like that, so when this first happened, I was shocked he would even think of me in a sexual way.' The boy was placed in-school suspension, Berry said, before he transferred to another campus. 'None of us ever got an apology. We never learned why he did it. We still have no idea.' Berry and her friends were the unfortunate victims of a vile new crime that is spreading through schools like an out-of-control wild fire. She's been contacted by students from across the Lone Star State, sharing their own experiences with AI deepfake porn. 'It's honestly been really healing to be able to help others and honestly try my best to prevent this from happening to anyone else,' she said. 'I can take what he did and I can make it into something good.'
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Yahoo
RAINN Marks Beginning of Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month (SAAPM) 2025 With #TakeBackOurTech Campaign
Washington, D.C., April 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today RAINN, the nation's largest anti-sexual violence organization, marks the beginning of Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month (SAAPM), and we're shining the spotlight on the emerging realities, mental health impacts, and possible solutions to tech-enabled sexual abuse. A rapidly growing form of sexual violence, tech-enabled sexual abuse includes non-consensual intimate images shared online like 'deepfakes' created with AI technology or child sexual abuse material (CSAM) posted to websites and social media accounts. 'With every advancement in technology, there are those who will abuse it to harm others, and that is exactly what we're seeing with tech-enabled sexual abuse,' said Jennifer Simmons Kaleba, vice president of communications for RAINN. 'While many things stand out about this kind of sexual abuse—the fact that anyone from a celebrity to a classmate can be a victim, or that internet platforms aren't required to do anything about it when it's reported—the ease with which someone can cause so much havoc and harm is possibly the most shocking.' Take the case of Elliston Berry in Texas, who was 14 when an image-swapping app was used to turn an innocuous photo of her into a nude image and then shared with her classmate. RAINN has worked with lawmakers to create legislation that would give survivors like Berry a tool to not only make this act a crime, but hold tech platforms accountable to take down the material within 48-hours of reporting. Take it Down has passed the Senate unanimously and RAINN and advocate partners are calling for its full passage. 'We've worked with fierce determination for the past year to bring this bill forward because we know—and survivors know—that AI-assisted sexual abuse is sexual abuse and real harm is being done; real pain is caused,' said Stefan Turkheimer, RAINN vice president of public policy. This SAAPM, RAINN is calling on supporters to help 'take back our tech.' Tech-enabled sexual abuse is a violation of your rights, dignity, and safety. It robs individuals of control over their image, voice, and personal boundaries. Together, we can fight tech-enabled sexual abuse and build a safer world for everyone. Learn more at ### About RAINN RAINN, the nation's largest anti-sexual violence organization, created and operates the National Sexual Assault Hotline. RAINN also carries out programs to prevent sexual violence, help survivors, help organizations improve their sexual assault prevention and response programs, and ensure that perpetrators are brought to justice. If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence, free, confidential help is available 24/7 by calling (4673) or visiting CONTACT: Erinn Robinon Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network (RAINN) 8133351418 Media@ in to access your portfolio
