United States of America: Disrupt Explicit Forged Images and Non-consensual Edits Act of 2024 was rejected (DEFIANCE Act/S 3696)

On 3 January 2025, the Disrupt Explicit Forged Images and Non-Consensual Edits Act of 2024 (DEFIANCE Act/S 3696) was rejected after failing to pass before the 118th Congress adjourned. The Act sought to establish accountability for individuals involved in distributing non-consensual, sexually explicit deepfake images and videos. The DEFIANCE Act proposed a federal civil remedy for individuals identifiable in a "digital forgery," defined as a visual depiction generated through software, machine learning, artificial intelligence, or other technological methods that falsely appears authentic. The measure aimed to address the dissemination of such content.