Gong-Gershowitz Joins White House To Combat Intimate Image Abuse Following Passage of Her ‘Deepfakes’ Bill

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – State Rep. Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz, D-Glenview, traveled to Washington to join the White House State Legislative Convening on Non-Consensual Intimate Image Abuse as part of her ongoing mission to crack down on non-consensual digital image abuse or ‘deepfakes.’

“Digitally-forged images, commonly called ‘deepfakes,’ are frequently used to intimidate, harass and sexually-exploit women. The trauma this abuse creates is real. It is incumbent on lawmakers to take concrete steps to stop deepfakes. My legislation fighting back against digital forgeries is an important step forward in Illinois and I am eager to share ideas with national leaders and other state lawmakers to protect women across America from this kind of abuse and harassment,” Gong-Gershowitz said.

Gong-Gershowitz joined a gathering of senior White House officials, subject matter experts, legal practitioners and other state legislators at the White House for a discussion of approaches to stopping the non-consensual spread of intimate images.

Gong-Gershowitz recently worked to pass House Bill 2123 through the Illinois House. This legislation creates a civil cause of action against any person who knowingly distributes, creates or solicits a digital forgery of another individual without their consent and for the purposes of harassing, extorting, threatening or causing harm to the falsely-depicted individual. Digital forgers can also be held liable if their actions are reckless or if they incite violence. Instances of parody or satire are not restricted by this legislation.

“In this evolving digital age, we need to be proactive in acting to end new forms of online abuse – particularly sexual abuse,” Gong-Gershowitz said.