Paris Hilton joined Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Capitol Hill Thursday to advocate for federal legislation targeting AI-generated deepfake pornography. The DEFIANCE Act, which passed unanimously in the Senate on January 13, would allow victims of non-consensual deepfake images to sue those who create and distribute them.
Hilton drew parallels between her experience with a leaked intimate video in 2004 and current deepfake harassment. “When I was 19 years old, a private intimate video of me was shared with the world without my consent,” she said during the press conference. “There were no laws at the time to protect me. There weren’t even words for what had been done to me.”
The businesswoman described the lasting impact of that experience, saying she lost “control over my body, over my reputation” and that her “sense of safety and self-worth was stolen from me.” She characterized deepfake pornography as an epidemic affecting millions of women and girls, noting that unlike her situation, current victims face harassment created entirely from “a computer and a stranger’s imagination.”
Ocasio-Cortez revealed that she and other lawmakers backing the bill have also been targeted with deepfake pornography. “Not only is this a coalition of legislators, this is a coalition of survivors, of sexual harassment and in some cases abuse and assault,” she said. The New York Democrat compared the intent behind deepfake creation to physical sexual assault, describing both as tools of “power, domination, and humiliation.”
The congresswoman has frequently spoken about online harassment targeting female politicians, particularly women of color. In 2021, she revealed receiving death threats following the January 6 Capitol attack and has previously criticized social media platforms for inadequate content moderation policies regarding harassment and misinformation.
Hilton has increasingly used her platform for advocacy work in recent years, particularly focusing on issues related to trauma and abuse. Her 2020 documentary “This Is Paris” revealed her experiences of abuse at boarding schools, leading to her testimony before Congress in 2021 supporting legislation to regulate the troubled teen industry. The heiress-turned-entrepreneur has built a business empire worth an estimated $300 million, including successful fragrance lines and her media company 11:11 Media.
The legislation comes amid growing concerns about AI-generated explicit content, including recent controversy over Grok’s ability to create sexualized deepfakes on X. Grok is an AI chatbot developed by Elon Musk’s xAI company, launched in late 2023 as a competitor to ChatGPT and other conversational AI systems. The platform has since restricted Grok from generating such images when tagged on the social network, though the capability remains available through the app.
House Speaker Mike Johnson has signaled support for the bill, telling The Independent he is “certainly in favor of it” and calling it “a big bipartisan concern.” However, the House has not scheduled a vote on the DEFIANCE Act, despite bipartisan support from leadership.
The advocacy comes as several major tech platforms have recently tightened restrictions on AI-generated explicit content. Meta announced updated policies in late 2024 prohibiting deepfake pornography across Facebook and Instagram, while Google strengthened enforcement against such content on YouTube and its search results.
Similar federal legislation has gained momentum across party lines, with the House also considering the Take It Down Act, which would require platforms to remove non-consensual intimate images within 48 hours of notification. Several states, including California and New York, have enacted their own deepfake criminalization laws in the past year as the technology becomes more accessible.
