Ocasio-Cortez, Lee Join House Members and Advocates in Calling to Pass DEFIANCE Act

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Washington, D.C. - Today, Congresswomen Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14) and Laurel Lee (FL-15) and Ms. Paris Hilton were joined by advocates and Representatives for a press conference to advocate for the passage of the Disrupt Explicit Forged Images and Non-Consensual Edits Act (DEFIANCE Act), bipartisan legislation that would grant survivors the right to take civil action against individuals who knowingly produce, distribute, solicit and receive or possess with the intent to distribute nonconsensual sexually-explicit digital forgeries.

You can find Representative Ocasio-Cortez’s remarks as delivered below:

“Good afternoon, everybody!

First and foremost, I want to express my deep gratitude to everyone here who is coming in ahead of the cold this weekend to help us push for justice for victims of deepfake AI pornography.

We have a collection of survivors and a bipartisan coalition here that is growing and so strong as we continue to fight for justice for survivors of deepfake AI pornography.

I want to give a special thank you to my Republican co-lead Laurel Lee, who has helped us push this across the line and as we move this forward after unanimous passage in the Senate, hoping to get this across the line in the House.

And of course, I want to give my deep, deep gratitude to Paris Hilton, who is also here today–who came all the way from Los Angeles after a busy flurry out there–to help push for the passage of the DEFIANCE act here today. 

I also want to recognize the courage and bravery of a young survivor, Francesca Mani, who is here with her mother, Dorota, who is consistently advocating on behalf of young victims across the country.

I also want to shoutout Omny Miranda Martone, founder and CEO of the Sexual Violence Prevention Association, who has been essential in crafting and advocating for this legislation.

Since the public release of AI tools, we have seen an absolute explosion in AI-generated images being used to sexually harass victims and children.

Out of all deepfake images that AI has generated, over 90% have been nonconsensual, pornographic deepfakes.

And out of those images, 90% of them have target women.

As a prominent female elected official, I, as well as many others here, have spoken about our experience being targeted by AI deepfake pornography.

Not only is this a coalition of legislators,  this is a coalition of survivors, of sexual harassment and in some cases abuse and assault. 

As a survivor of sexual assault, this resurfaces trauma for so many people across the country. And that is what it is intended to do.

Because the creation of this content parallels the same exact intention of physical rape and sexual assault.

Which is about power, domination, and humiliation. 

And while the images may be digital, the harm to victims is very real.

Women lose their jobs when they are targeted with this. Teenagers switch schools. And children lose their lives. 

Congress has a moral obligation to stop this harm. We can stop these harm and pass legislation to hold the people responsible accountable.

Right now, 1 in 8 teenagers knows a friend who has been targeted by AI deepfake harassment.

And we should all be horrified by that number. Because if you are a middle schooler or a high schooler in the United States of America, you most likely know someone who has been a victim of this.

Their parents are waking up every morning in fear that their kid could be next.

And while everyday Americans are terrified, corporations are finding new ways to profit from the creation of these deepfakes.
So while we are all grateful that Congress has taken the tremendous step in passing the Take IT DOWN Act to ensure harmful content is removed from online platforms, we know that there is more work to be done.

It is not enough to take down content; we need to give victims a civil right of action.

TAKE IT DOWN gave us removal, and DEFIANCE will give us recourse and restitution.

Once the bill is signed into law, and it will be signed into law, survivors will have the ability to hold their abusers accountable and seek financial and reputational damage for the harm they have caused.

In times of extreme political polarization, I also want to underline that the partnership that Representative Lee and I have formed, as well as the invaluable partnership of Senators Durbin and Graham in the Senate, I think it represents a real spotlight and possibility that in this time of deep division, there are still bright spots possible and there is still progress that is possible here. 

Bicameral, bipartisan advocacy for legislation focused on delivering justice for the American people.

So since we’ve made some massive step forward it’s time for us to finish the job. 

So I urge Speaker Johnson, who I have had positive and encouraging conversations with, to put this on the floor for a vote as quickly as possible.
Thank you, and I am now proud to introduce the co-lead of the DEFIANCE Act, Representative Laurel Lee.”

The text of the legislation can be found here.

This legislation builds on progress made by the passage of the TAKE IT DOWN Act signed into law in May 2025. 

Last week, the Senate passed the DEFIANCE Act of 2025 by unanimous consent to give survivors of digital abuse and exploitation the tools they need to seek justice. Now, House Representatives and advocates are asking Speaker Johnson to put the DEFIANCE Act on the House floor for a vote.

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