WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Vern Buchanan announced today that he introduced two separate bills to help protect our nation’s children from modern and evolving threats online.
“If there’s one thing everyone can agree on, it’s the need to protect our vulnerable children and grandchildren,” said Rep. Buchanan. “While the rise in artificial intelligence (AI) brings countless potential benefits, I am deeply disturbed by the drastic increase in threats against children, such as the rise of so-called “revenge porn” and skyrocketing instances of sexual abuse and exploitation. I am pleased to help introduce these commonsense solutions to help protect our children and am hopeful Congress will pass both with broad bipartisan support.”
The first bill Buchanan helped introduce, the Tools to Address Known Exploitation by Immobilizing Technological Deepfakes on Websites and Network (TAKE IT DOWN) Act, was introduced with Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL) and Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-PA). This bill criminalizes the production of non-consensual intimate imagery (NCII), more commonly known as ‘revenge porn’ and requires websites to quickly remove these harmful images upon notification of their existence.
The second bill the Congressman introduced this week, the Stop Crimes Against Children Act, was introduced with Rep. Chris Pappas (D-NH) to require the nonprofit sector and institutions of higher education to collaborate with the Department of Justice’s National Strategy for Child Exploitation Prevention and Interdiction. This legislation seeks to ensure that communities can leverage the full spectrum of expertise and resources alongside government and law enforcement agencies to keep children safe.
The National Strategy for Child Exploitation Prevention and Interdiction was created by Congress in 2008 and requires the DOJ to create an annual strategy with long-term, comprehensive goals to prevent child sexual abuse, trauma and exploitation.
The Stop Crimes Against Children Act is endorsed by the University of New Hampshire Crimes Against Children Research Center and the Zero Abuse Project.
Congressman Buchanan has a been a leader in protecting children from abuse and introduced the Human Trafficking and Exploitation Prevention Training Act (H.R. 623) to combat human trafficking by educating students about the rapidly spreading crime.
Last year, Buchanan reintroduced the CREEPER Act 2.0 (H.R. 2877), which would impose a ban on the sale of sex dolls resembling children. This legislation was originally introduced after NBC 6 in Miami reported that a lifelike doll resembling a real girl in the Miami area was being sold online. The mother said a photo of her child was stolen and her likeness was turned into a sex doll that was legally for sale on Amazon and other websites. The girl’s mother was horrified and expressed concern for her daughter’s safety.
