What the Tech: Take It Down Act

CHARLOTTE, NC – This week, First Lady Melania Trump made headlines as she threw her support behind a proposed law aimed at cracking down on non-consensual intimate imagery, known as “revenge porn.” The bill called the “Take It Down Act,” is designed to protect people from having their nude images shared online without their permission — whether they were originally shared
consensually or generated by AI.

The growing prevalence of revenge porn and sextortion is one of the most disturbing online trends today, especially as more young people fall victim to it. Scammers use nude images to
either shame their victims or threaten to share the images unless they pay up. The “Take It Down” bill aims to not only punish those who post such images but also hold social media
platforms accountable for quickly removing them or facing penalties.

The “Take It Down Act” is a critical step in the fight against online exploitation. It proposes that anyone who posts non-consensual intimate images — including AI-generated deepfakes — can
face criminal charges. Additionally, social media platforms would be required to remove flagged images within 48 hours.

For victims, this could be a game changer. Particularly when it comes to sextortion — a crime where scammers trick mostly young boys into sharing nude photos of themselves, then threaten
to post those photos unless they get more images or pay money. Many victims are too embarrassed to report these incidents, and the threat of having their photo shared with friends
and family can be devastating. It’s led to a number of teenagers committing suicide. With this new bill, social media companies will be forced to act quickly when images are
reported.

While the “Take It Down Act” is still in the legislative process, there’s already an existing solution that’s helping victims of online exploitation: the Take It Down website. Created by the National
Center for Missing and Exploited Children, this tool allows anyone who’s shared intimate images — whether consensually or not — to report them without uploading the image itself.

Here’s how it works: When a victim or someone who’s worried about a potential image being shared visits the website, they can report the image by submitting a unique “hash value” of that
photo. A hash value is like a digital fingerprint of the image, a string of numbers and letters that’s unique to that specific file. The best part? The image itself is never uploaded or saved. The
website just uses the hash value to flag the image.

This means that no one knows the image is being reported, and victims can stay anonymous. Social platforms will then see the flagged hash value and remove it, preventing further
distribution. Privacy is key, especially when it comes to young people who might be too embarrassed to come forward about sharing intimate images. By using the “Take It Down” website, they can
take action without revealing anything personal. Whether the image has already been shared online or not, they can still report it and prevent further harm.

In a world where digital privacy is increasingly under threat, tools like this offer a sense of control back to individuals — and that’s something we all need more of, especially in the face of
such serious online dangers. By combining legal reform with cutting-edge technology, we’re moving closer to a world where victims of revenge porn and sextortion can get the help they need without fear of further humiliation.

If you or someone you know has ever shared intimate images and is worried about them being posted without consent, visit the Take It Down website today. It could be a lifesaver.