Victory! Senate Passes DEFIANCE Act to Combat Sexual Deepfakes 

As the youngest woman and youngest Latina to ever serve in U.S. Congress, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez commands respect across the nation. Yet, even she was not immune to being violated by AI-generated sexually explicit deepfakes.

Ocasio-Cortez was in a meeting with her staffers, discussing legislation and scrolling through X, when she saw the photo: an AI-generated image of someone forcing her into a sexual act.

Shock and horror coursed through her. Trauma from a physical sexual assault she’d endured flooded back to the surface.

Months later, when Ocasio-Cortez told the story, she was still shaken: “There are certain images that don’t leave a person, they can’t leave a person,” she said. “… [O]nce you’ve seen it, you’ve seen it.” 

She continues: “It parallels the same exact intention of physical rape and sexual assault, [which] is about power, domination, and humiliation. Deepfakes are absolutely a way of digitizing violent humiliation against other people.” 

Ocasio-Cortez knows she is far from the only one who has experienced this kind of AI-generated image-based sexual abuse. That is why she is co-leading the effort to pass the DEFIANCE Act, a bill that gives survivors of AI-generated IBSA the ability to sue their exploiters.

This week we celebrate a momentous step forward: The Senate has unanimously passed the DEFIANCE Act! This is an incredible victory for survivors across the nation.

📝 Read the full blog to learn more about the DEFIANCE Act.

📣 ACTION: Urge the House the Pass the DEFIANCE Act so it can become law!

Grok Still Allows Undressing of Women, Despite New Geo-based Restrictions 

Ashley looked at her screen in disbelief. She could not fathom the image that was in front of her: 

A picture of herself, stripped down to a bikini, and bent over. 

“I felt horrified, I felt violated, especially seeing my toddler’s backpack in the back of it,” she recalled. 

This image and several other sexualized images of Ashley St. Clair, mother of one of Elon Musk’s children, were generated with xAI’s Grok. Musk is the founder of xAI, where his chatbot, Grok, is being widely used to create sexualized images of women and children without consent.

Now, after public backlash, xAI announced it would geoblock Grok's function of generating sexualized deepfakes in areas where the images are illegal. 

But there are several problems with their claim ... including that the geoblocking does not actually apply in the Grok standalone app.

📝 Read more in this blog.

📣 ACTION: Urge the DOJ and FTC to Investigate Grok for Violating CSAM & IBSA Laws!

Defend Young Minds: How Do Kids Find Porn in 2026? 13 Pipelines Targeting Your Child You Need to Know About Now

If you’re wondering, “How do kids find porn?” The answer may surprise you. Most kids are exposed to porn accidentally. Pornography reaches kids through everyday apps, devices, and platforms many families use and never suspect. Understanding these digital pipelines exposing kids to pornography is a crucial step to protecting them online. 

Pornography’s pervasiveness is also why we emphasize giving your child a plan to respond to exposure, including giving kids an internal filter—the ability to recognize porn and know what to do when they encounter it.

Resources like [Defend Young Mind's] Good Pictures Bad Pictures books help parents start those conversations early, in an age-appropriate way.

🔞 Check out this article from Defend Young Minds to learn about the most common pipelines to pornography that parents should be aware of.

📣 ACTION: Ask Your State Legislators to Require User Age Verification for Pornography Websites!

Join the Defender Coalition: Fight for Long-term Change!

Ending sexual exploitation isn’t a quick fight, it’s a long, steady march toward human dignity.  

Every day, powerful forces profit from exploitation, but together we can push back.

By joining the Defender Coalition and committing to a monthly gift, you become part of a movement that refuses to quit until every person is free from sexual harm and objectification. 

Will you stay in the fight with us?

Become a Defender today. 

Sincerely,