United States of America: Senate passed Disrupt Explicit Forged Images and Non-consensual Edits Act of 2025 (DEFIANCE Act of 2025/SB 1837)

On 13 January 2026, the Disrupt Explicit Forged Images and Non-consensual Edits Act of 2025 (DEFIANCE Act of 2025/SB 1837) passed the Senate. The Act addresses non-consensual activities involving intimate digital forgeries, commonly known as deepfakes. It amends Section 1309 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022, to expand civil action rights for identifiable individuals harmed by the production, disclosure, or solicitation of intimate digital forgeries, defined as synthetic or manipulated visual depictions falsely representing intimate conduct. It establishes statutory damages, including liquidated amounts up to USD 250'000 for cases involving sexual assault, stalking, or harassment, and permits equitable relief such as injunctions to remove content. The Act also introduces privacy protections for plaintiffs, including pseudonym use and sealed filings, while preserving concurrent state and tribal laws.