A Democratic bill with 3 Republican cosponsors · See all 8 cosponsors
Last activity — Held at the desk.
Passed one chamber, waiting for the other to take it up
Passed one chamber, and the other has not yet sent it to a committee or put it on its calendar.
The other chamber will hand it to a committee, place it on its calendar, or leave it where it is. Nothing has been decided, and a bill can sit here indefinitely.
Its path through Congress
- Introduced
- Passed Senate unanimous consent
- Awaiting House
The Senate by unanimous consent (no one objected, so there was no vote): no senator's position on it was recorded.
What this bill would do
The DEFIANCE Act of 2025 aims to improve rights to relief for people affected by non-consensual activities involving intimate digital forgeries. It amends the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022, to include protections against these digital forgeries. The bill defines an intimate digital forgery as a realistic, computer-generated depiction of an identifiable individual. It allows victims to bring civil actions against those who produce, possess, or disclose these images without consent. The Act provides for various forms of relief, including liquidated damages and injunctions. Finally, it ensures that these new legal protections do not limit existing federal, state, or tribal laws.
Yes
- Scored +6
Would women be better off under this?
The act provides significant legal recourse and damages for victims of digital forgeries, which statistically impacts women disproportionately due to the nature of image-based abuse.
The opposite
No question was scored the opposite.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Right to seek legal recourse: The bill allows an identifiable individual to bring a civil action in federal district court against people who knowingly produce, possess, or disclose intimate digital forgeries without consent (Section 3(b)(1)).
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Financial compensation for victims: Individuals may recover liquidated damages of $150,000, or up to $250,000 if the conduct relates to actual or attempted sexual assault, stalking, or harassment (Section 3(b)(3)(A)-(C)).
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Recovery of costs: Victims can seek to recover the cost of their legal action, including reasonable attorney fees and litigation costs (Section 3(b)(3)(A)-(ii)).
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Prevention of further harm: The court has the power to issue equitable relief, such as temporary or permanent injunctions that order a defendant to delete or destroy the digital forgery (Section 3(b)(3)(B)).
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Privacy protections during litigation: To protect a victim's identity, the court may allow the use of a pseudonym, require the redaction of personal information from public filings, or issue protective orders for discovery (Section 3(b)(4)).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- Burden of proof regarding profits: To establish a defendant's profits for actual damages, the victim must present proof of the defendant's gross revenue, placing the burden on the defendant to prove deductible expenses and other factors (Section 3(b)(3)(D)).
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Tap or hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Would women be better off under this? — The act provides significant legal recourse and damages for victims of digital forgeries, which statistically impacts women disproportionately due to the nature of image-based abuse.
- 1/13/2026
- Senate Committee on the Judiciary discharged by Unanimous Consent.
- Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S143-147; text: CR S145-146)
- Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- Held at the desk.
- Received in the House.
- 5/21/2025
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (text: CR S3059-3060)
- 8 Cosponsors added.
- Introduced in Senate
2 bills Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.
Lindsey GrahamRepublican · South Carolina
Martin HeinrichDemocrat · New Mexico
Josh HawleyRepublican · Missouri
Amy KlobucharDemocrat · Minnesota
Angus KingIndependent · Maine
Mike LeeRepublican · Utah
Charles SchumerDemocrat · New York
Peter WelchDemocrat · Vermont