“Today, we have led the country in protecting women, children and everyone in public life from the harms of AI nudification technology,” May Quad said. “The companies that make this technology available for free online and on app stores will no longer be allowed to enable predators who abuse and victimize adults and children with the click of a button.”
Celebrating the passage of the legislation, May Quade thanked “the victim-survivors who made this bill a reality.”
“She has shared her story with dignity and courage in committee, with reporters and with law enforcement,” he said. “It’s because of her strength, talent and advocacy that we have passed this bill today. Her sole focus is on passing this legislation so that what happened to her never happens to any Minnesotan again.”
A lengthy CNBC report last September revealed how a group of Minnesota friends first discovered that a mutual friend was creating fake nude photos of dozens of women. The man apologized, but it appears he did not help identify all the victims. There was no evidence that she ever shared the photos, so laws like the Take It Down Act did not apply, and it was impossible to prove the person’s bad intentions to be punished under revenge porn laws, 19th News reports. Horrified that there was no way to ensure that the photos did not leave her computer and no way to stop the man from continuing to fake nudity, the women joined May Quaid in pushing legislation to stop the problem at its source.
One of the Minnesota women who was targeted, Molly Kelly, told 19th News that she dedicated two years of her life “to finding a solution to mitigate the harm that was caused when it actually occurred, which was at the time of creation.”
“These images do not exist without third-party involvement and some kind of machine learning model,” Kelly said.
However, even if Walz signs the legislation, tensions will remain that could hamper enforcement.
Kelly told 19th News that he is confident the law could overcome legal challenges if a US company sued to stop it, but it would be difficult, if not impossible, for a single state to enforce the law against app makers in other countries. Notably, the service used to attack the Minnesota women, DeepSwap, operated overseas, sometimes claiming bases in Hong Kong and Dublin, CNBC reported. As 19th News reports, it’s anticipated states are struggling to regulate foreign apps, so a federal ban would be better.
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