Tools to Address Known Exploitation by Immobilizing Technological Deepfakes on Websites and Networks Act (TAKE IT DOWN Act)

Record US-14 · Public Law 119-12; 139 Stat. 55 (S. 146, 119th Congress)

Issued by: U.S. Congress
Jurisdiction: United States
Level · region: National · North America
Published / adopted: 2025-05-19
In force: 2025-05-19
Language: English
Official identifier: Public Law 119-12; 139 Stat. 55 (S. 146, 119th Congress)

Summary

Federal law that criminalises knowingly publishing non-consensual intimate imagery, including AI-generated 'digital forgeries' (deepfakes), with stronger penalties for content depicting minors. Covered online platforms must set up a notice-and-removal process and take down reported content within 48 hours, enforced by the FTC.

Safety topics

deepfakes & synthetic mediachild safetyaccountability & liability

Scope

Borderline scope Not an AI-specific law: it covers authentic intimate images as well as AI-generated digital forgeries. Included as the operative US federal instrument against publishing sexual deepfakes and for their removal by online platforms.

Open question

the checker found something possibly newer: {'url': 'https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2026/05/ftc-begins-enforcing-take-it-down-act', 'why': "FTC press release 'FTC begins enforcing TAKE IT DOWN Act' (May 2026): implementation news, no amendment of the Act"} Issue #136

The record shows its last checked values until a maintainer decides; the decision is recorded in its history.

Status notes

Approved 19 May 2025 as Public Law 119-12 (S. 146); the Senate passed it on 13 Feb 2025 and the House on 28 Apr 2025. The criminal offences in section 2 have no delayed start date. Covered platforms had to establish the notice-and-removal process within one year of enactment, so the platform duties apply from 19 May 2026. A failure to reasonably comply with the notice-and-takedown obligations is treated as an unfair or deceptive act or practice under the Federal Trade Commission Act, and the FTC enforces the section also against non-profit organisations.

Sources

Open the official source https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/PLAW-119publ12

Secondary source: https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/146

Local copy

Archived. The secondary source could not be downloaded (HTTP 403 Forbidden). Last attempt 2026-10-17 22:12:04 UTC

Official source (third-party copy, not published) archive/US-14/2026-10-11/official.html

Retrieved 2026-10-11 14:03:52 UTC

SHA-256 a4b3631f104e3bb120d4eb168a7f495a6672d78efca26866efdce71a6e11d56d

Linked document (PDF) (third-party copy, not published) archive/US-14/2026-10-11/document-1.pdf

Retrieved 2026-10-11 14:03:57 UTC

SHA-256 53a58ea5b5cfbca4a0ee0c10d642dd30fdd38a56fe64cf17a4a0baf7230f8fda

Verification

The instrument's own official text, or an official register, was stored and confirms the title, date and status. checked 2026-10-18 · official-url-fetched

Recheck of 17 Oct 2026: re-read the GovInfo details page and the Public Law PDF (govinfo.gov, Government Publishing Office) stored on 11 Oct 2026; the archiver found both unchanged on 17 Oct 2026. The PDF confirms the full and short titles, Public Law 119-12, 139 Stat. 55, S. 146, approval on 19 May 2025, the offences covering digital forgeries, the 48-hour removal duty, the one-year deadline for platforms and FTC enforcement; the details page gives the legislative history. The congress.gov bill page (secondary_url) answers the archiver with HTTP 403 Forbidden. The stored files do not name the President who approved the Act, so issuing_body now names Congress only; the earlier note that the 48-hour window and FTC enforcement rested on summaries no longer applies, since the stored statute states both.

Second check: Independent check by Claude Code (claude-sonnet-5-5), 2026-10-18: 9 field(s) supported.

History

2026-10-18related: [{"slug": "us-ai-action-plan-2025", "id": "US-16"}, {"slug": "us-national-ai-leg → [{"slug": "us-ai-action-plan-2025", "id": "US-16"}, {"slug": "us-national-ai-leg — two-way link added: US-MN-01, US-NJ-01, US-WY-01 link(s) to US-142026-10-18-fix-related-links · Claude Code (claude-opus-5-5)
2026-10-18scope_note: – → Not an AI-specific law: it covers authentic intimate images as well as AI-genera — added: the Act covers authentic and computer-generated intimate depictions alike, so it is a law that is not AI-specific but is the operative instrument for deepfakes, which the scope rules include with a note (as AUS-02 and GB-08)2026-10-17-recheck-north-america-1 · Claude Code (claude-opus-5-5)
2026-10-18notes: Approved 19 May 2025. Criminal provisions took effect on enactment. Covered plat → Approved 19 May 2025 as Public Law 119-12 (S. 146); the Senate passed it on 13 F — rewritten from the statute: the old notes said date_last_updated was 19 May 2026 although the field is null, and called the 48-hour window and FTC enforcement 'widely summarised' although the stored statute states both; adds the legislative history and FTC jurisdiction over non-profits2026-10-17-recheck-north-america-1 · Claude Code (claude-opus-5-5)
2026-10-18issuing_body: U.S. Congress (signed by President Donald J. Trump) → U.S. Congress — the stored files show enactment by Congress ('Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives') and approval on 19 May 2025, but do not name the President who approved it; the parenthesis is dropped rather than kept without a source2026-10-17-recheck-north-america-1 · Claude Code (claude-opus-5-5)
2026-10-14related: [{"slug": "us-ai-action-plan-2025", "id": "US-16"}, {"slug": "us-national-ai-leg → [{"slug": "us-ai-action-plan-2025", "id": "US-16"}, {"slug": "us-national-ai-leg — two-way link to US-FL-05 added in run 2026-10-14-discover-codes-us-fl2026-10-14-discover-codes-us-fl · Claude Code (claude-opus-5-5)

Related records

America's AI Action Plan United States · Published (non-binding, current)

White House National AI Legislative Framework United States · Published (non-binding, current)

Brooke's Law (Florida HB 1161, 2025) Florida (US) · In force

Minnesota nudification technology ban (HF 1606) Minnesota (US) · In force

New Jersey deepfake penalties law (P.L.2025, c.40) New Jersey (US) · In force

Wyoming HB 102 (AI deepfake and self-harm offences) Wyoming (US) · In force

Citation

U.S. Congress. Tools to Address Known Exploitation by Immobilizing Technological Deepfakes on Websites and Networks Act (TAKE IT DOWN Act) [Public Law 119-12; 139 Stat. 55 (S. 146, 119th Congress)]. 2025-05-19. https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/PLAW-119publ12. Status: In force; verified 2026-10-18 (level A). Local copy archive/US-14/2026-10-11/official.html retrieved 2026-10-11 14:03:52 UTC, SHA-256 a4b3631f104e3bb120d4eb168a7f495a6672d78efca26866efdce71a6e11d56d. Every AI Policy Ever, version 1.18 (snapshot 2026-10-18), record US-14.

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