DEFIANCE Act of 2025
Summary, written by a model from the CRS summary
The DEFIANCE Act expands civil remedies for nonconsensual distribution of intimate images and creates a new federal civil action for 'intimate digital forgeries' — deepfakes made with machine learning, AI, or other software that look authentic. Victims can recover punitive damages and the defendant's profits, with a 10-year statute of limitations.
Model-rated AI relevance 90%: It creates legal liability specifically targeting AI-generated synthetic intimate imagery. (claude-opus-5, Sep 9, 2026)
Sponsored by
Alexandria Ocasio-CortezDemocratNYData as of: bills Sep 9, 2026 · votes Sep 11, 2026 · statements Sep 9, 2026. What changed
Progress
Introduced
May 21, 2025
Reported by committee
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Passed House
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Passed Senate
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Became law
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Latest action · May 21, 2025
Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
What members said
Releases that cite this bill first, then releases on the same topics.
Burlison would bar federal funds for AI-augmented license plate readers and biometric surveillance cameras to protect Fourth Amendment privacy rights.
Source ↗Hawley is investigating AI surveillance camera companies, arguing Congress never authorized these invasive AI-driven networks and that corporate self-policing is an inadequate safeguard.
Source ↗Foster would restore NCUA and FHFA authority over third-party tech vendors because AI makes cyberattacks on the financial system more sophisticated.
Source ↗Massie would bar federal funds for AI-augmented license plate readers and biometric surveillance cameras to stop a government surveillance state.
Source ↗Barrett's bipartisan Doctors Not AI Act would bar AI from making medical-necessity insurance denials and require disclosure of AI use.
Source ↗Landsman's Doctors Not AI Act would keep licensed clinicians, not algorithms, in charge of medical-necessity decisions with transparency for patients.
Source ↗Schrier's Doctors Not AI Act would require doctors rather than AI systems to make health coverage decisions, with oversight and disclosure.
Source ↗Jacobs introduces bipartisan legislation creating a DoD-wide AI incident and vulnerability reporting program to make military AI safer and more accountable.
Source ↗Bill data read 2026-09-09T02:09:45.522Z