Attorney General Charity Clark today thanked the Legislature for explicitly codifying the crime of nonconsensual “deepfake” pornography. The change, contained in bill H.878, was added to Vermont’s Revenge Porn Statute and will be making its way to the Governor’s desk. Deepfakes use artificial intelligence to alter photos, videos, or audio to make it look like someone is doing something they are not. Sometimes, so-called “nudification” apps are used to create deepfakes. Reportedly, over 90% of deepfakes are pornography, of which 90% use the faces of women or girls.
“I am grateful to the Legislature for answering our plea to add this language to the statutes and make clear that use of artificial intelligence to harm women or girls is illegal,” Attorney General Clark said. “Using A.I. for such purposes will not be tolerated by my office. Thank you especially to Senator Dick Sears and Representative Barbara Rachelson for their leadership on this issue.”
The New York Times recently called nonconsensual deepfake pornography an “epidemic” among teen girls. If you or someone you know is experiencing harm due to nonconsensual deepfake pornography or “revenge porn,” contact your local law enforcement agency immediately.
If you are recovering from child sexual exploitation, you do not have to navigate it alone. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) can help with emotional and peer support, removing content from the internet, and locating mental health professionals. NCMEC’s free service “Take It Down” can help you remove or stop the online sharing of nude, partially nude, or sexually explicit images or videos taken of you when you were under 18 years old. You can remain anonymous while using the service and you won’t have to send your images or videos to anyone. For more information, please visit https://takeitdown.ncmec.org/ or call the 24-hour call center at 1-800-843-5678.
CONTACT: Lauren Jandl, Chief of Staff, 802-828-3171