Elliston Berry, 15, Recounts Deepfake Porn Horror At Trump’s Speech To Congress

Throughout his joint deal with to Congress, US President Donald Trump recognised Elliston Berry, a teen who grew to become the sufferer of a deepfake pornography scandal after a classmate created a photograph of her with out garments utilizing AI. 

Trump praised Berry for her braveness in talking out, noting that her advocacy performed a key function in serving to the Senate cross the Take It Down Act, geared toward addressing the rising challenge of illicit deepfake content material.

“Hayley Ferguson, who benefited from the First Girl’s ‘Fostering the Future’ initiative and is poised to finish her training, grow to be a trainer. And Elliston Berry, who grew to become a sufferer of a bootleg deep pretend picture produced by a peer. With Elliston’s assist, the Senate simply handed the Take It Down Act,” Trump mentioned.

Elliston Berry joins President Trump on the Joint Session—a 15-year-old survivor of AI deepfakes who’s combating to guard America’s youngsters.

With the Take It Down Act and assist from @FLOTUS Melania Trump, the subsequent technology is safer from these assaults. pic.twitter.com/XbXxHIy1hZ

— The White Home (@WhiteHouse) March 5, 2025

Berry’s ordeal started when a classmate allegedly took a photograph from her Instagram account and used synthetic intelligence to create a deepfake that made it seem as if she was undressed. The altered picture was then circulated on Snapchat.

The rise of deepfake content material has been staggering, with a 460% surge in deepfake pornographic movies in 2024, surpassing 21,000 cases-a dramatic improve from the earlier yr.

In her first solo public engagement since returning to the White Home, First Girl Melania Trump endorsed the Take It Down Act, showing at a roundtable dialogue on Capitol Hill. The invoice seeks to criminalize the publication of non-consensual sexual imagery, which is commonly created utilizing cheap AI instruments.

“In immediately’s AI-driven world, privateness breaches are a severe and rising risk,” Melania advised the panel, seated alongside two teenage victims of deepfake exploitation.

She known as the impression on younger victims, notably teenage women, “heartbreaking,” emphasizing the urgency of addressing the difficulty to create a safer digital house.

“I hope immediately’s dialogue raises consciousness in regards to the devastating results of non-consensual intimate imagery and finally results in the passage of the Take It Down Act in Congress,” she added.

What’s the Take It Down Act?

Launched by Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, the Take It Down Act mandates that social media platforms and web sites promptly take away non-consensual specific content material, together with AI-generated pornography, upon notification from victims.

Whereas the invoice has cleared the U.S. Senate, it nonetheless awaits approval within the Home of Representatives earlier than changing into legislation.