First lady Melania Trump, who pushed for the bill’s passage in Congress last year, was quick to celebrate the conviction, thanking federal prosecutors for “protecting Americans” in the new digital age.
“Today marks the first conviction under the Take It Down Act – protecting victims from non-consensual AI-generated sexually explicit images, cyberstalking, and threats of violence,” the first lady wrote on the social platform X.
“Thank you U.S. Attorney Dominick S. Gerace II for protecting Americans from cybercrimes in this new digital age,” she added.
It comes just less than a year after President Trump signed the Take It Down Act, which criminalized the publication of sexually explicit deepfake images and videos online. The act also requires websites to take down content within 48 hours of hearing from the victim.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt lauded the conviction at the top of Wednesday’s press briefing, calling it “landmark legislation.”
“This is a huge achievement for the first lady and I know the president is very proud of his wife’s efforts in getting this critical legislation passed to protect America’s youth,” Leavitt told reporters.
Federal prosecutors said James Strahler, the 37-year-old defendant, installed more than two dozen AI platforms and more than 100 AI web-based models on a phone and used texts, calls and online posts to harass victims.
The harassment involved at least six adult female victims who received both real and AI-generated nude images of themselves, according to the Department of Justice.
“Technology is a powerful tool, but it should never be used to spread vile or exploitative material,” Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), the bill’s co-author, wrote on X Wednesday.
Read more in a full report at TheHill.com
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