EU and US enact bans on non‑consensual sexual deepfake apps

On 7 May, European Parliament co‑legislators reached a provisional agreement to prohibit “nudifier” apps that generate AI‑created sexual imagery without consent. The ban, part of the EU’s Digital Omnibus on AI, targets any system designed to produce non‑consensual explicit images, videos or audio, responding to a surge in deepfake content that UNICEF reports affected 1.2 million children in 2025 and predominantly women and girls.

In the United States, the Take It Down Act, signed by President Donald Trump in May 2023, has now entered full force. The law criminalises the distribution of non‑consensual intimate imagery, including AI‑generated deepfakes, and obliges online platforms to remove such content rapidly. Critics warn the statute may have limited impact on victims and could increase the risk of broader online censorship.

Both measures aim to curb digital sexual abuse, though their effectiveness and scope remain subjects of debate among experts and civil‑rights groups.