Senate Passes DEFIANCE Act Protecting Deepfake Victims

14 Jan 2026 The Senate unanimously passed the Disrupt Explicit Forged Images and Non-Consensual Edits (DEFIANCE) Act, a bill that would give people whose likenesses are turned into sexually explicit AI images without consent a civil route to sue the individuals who created those images. It passed by unanimous consent — meaning no roll-call vote and no floor objections — and is intended to complement the Take It Down Act, which criminalizes distribution of nonconsensual intimate images and requires platforms to remove them promptly. The move comes amid international backlash over X’s Grok chatbot, which regulators and lawmakers say has been used to generate nonconsensual, sexually suggestive AI images. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), a lead sponsor, cited Grok on the Senate floor, arguing platforms and creators haven’t adequately protected victims. The DEFIANCE Act focuses on giving victims a civil remedy against the people who make those images, while the Take It Down Act and related rules target distribution and platform takedowns. Sponsors in 2024 included Sens. Durbin, Lindsey Graham, Amy Klobuchar, and Josh Hawley; Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez led the House effort. The bill now moves back to the House, where leaders must bring it up for a vote before it can reach the president’s desk. Governments worldwide — including the UK — are simultaneously creating criminal penalties for creating nonconsensual intimate deepfakes. Source