Washington DC - Politicians in Washington have introduced new legislation that would provide more protections for victims of deepfake pornography after Taylor Swift became the target of such abuse.

After AI-generated sexually explicit photos of the 34-year-old pop star went viral on X last week, the social media site formerly known as Twitter blocked searches for her name as controversy ensued over the lack of protections against such content.

Swift was backed by the White House, which deemed the situation "alarming" and called for new legislation and improved content moderation on social media.

On Tuesday, a federal bill titled the Disrupt Explicit Forged Images and Non-Consensual Edits (DEFIANCE) Act of 2024 was introduced by Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, Senator Lindsey Graham, Senator Josh Hawley, and Senator Amy Klobuchar.

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"Although the imagery may be fake, the harm to the victims from the distribution of sexually explicit 'deepfakes' is very real. Victims have lost their jobs, and they may suffer ongoing depression or anxiety," Durbin said in a Senate press release.

"By introducing this legislation, we're giving power back to the victims, cracking down on the distribution of 'deepfake' images, and holding those responsible for the images accountable."

The proposed bill would allow victims of such "digital forgery" to seek civil penalties against the creators and distributors of the material, as well as anyone who received it with the knowledge that it was created without the subject's consent.

After unblocking Swift's name from X searches, Joe Benarroch, head of business operations for the platform, affirmed that they would be "vigilant" and remove such abusive content whenever found.

Still, the situation has put a national spotlight on the clear blind spots social media sites like X have when it comes to deepfake pornography. Though the Karma singer's star power helped push for meaningful change, everyday women and girls have been repeatedly targeted online by similar material.

Since Elon Musk's takeover of X, significant cuts have been made to content moderation teams, leaving victims even more vulnerable.