First Lady Melania Trump is speaking out about the rise of non-consensual sexually explicit pictures of minors that are emerging online.
The first lady spoke about the issue in her first public comments since the inauguration of her husband, President Donald Trump.
She described the effects for victims as “heartbreaking.”
As The Associated Press reported, Melania Trump also referred to the climate on the Internet as “toxic.”
“It’s heartbreaking to witness young teens, especially girls, grappling with the overwhelming challenges posed by malicious online content, like deepfakes,” said Melania Trump.
Mrs. Trump was holding an event on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., where she was joined by lawmakers and victims of digital abuse in support of the Take it Down Act.
The legislation was unanimously passed by the Senate earlier this month.
“We must prioritize robust security measures and uphold strict ethical standards to protect individual privacy,” added Trump,
The first lady announced Tuesday that she would be joining President Trump for his first joint congressional address of his second term.
The bill was passed by the Senate and proposed in August by Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN).
The legislation makes it illegal to publish “non-consensual, sexually exploitative images, including deepfakes, including AI-generated deepfakes.”
This law encompasses “digital forgeries” that are generated using AI software.
It necessitates that technology platforms eliminate reported content within 48 hours of receiving a valid request.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) was present at the first lady’s roundtable discussion.
Johnson expressed his desire to see legislation passed that would address the subject.
“As the dark side of technology advances, these unspeakable evils become part of the culture,” Johnson said.
“The law has to keep up.”
“We are anxious to put it on the floor in the House to get it to President Trump’s desk for signature ’cause we’ve gotta do what we can to stop this.”
Elliston Berry, a 15-year-old girl, was seated next to the first lady.
She recounted her experience of being “violated” on social media.
At the age of 14, a classmate utilized an AI application to affix a nude body to an Instagram photo of her.
The image was subsequently shared on social media.
“Fear, shock, and disgust were just some of the many emotions I felt,” Berry said.
“I felt responsible and began to blame myself and was ashamed to tell my parents despite doing nothing wrong.”
