S 1837 119th Congress
DEFIANCE Act of 2025
A bill to improve rights to relief for individuals affected by non-consensual activities involving intimate digital forgeries, and for other purposes.
Official Title as Introduced Congress.gov
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Bill journey
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Introduction Congress.gov
Introduced
Introduced in the Senate.
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Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (text: CR S3059-3060)
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Introduced in Senate
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Introduced in Senate
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Message on Senate action sent to the House.
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Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S143-147; text: CR S145-146)
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Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent.
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Senate Committee on the Judiciary discharged by Unanimous Consent.
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Senate Committee on the Judiciary discharged by Unanimous Consent.
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Engrossed in Senate
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Received in the House.
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Held at the desk.
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View the complete bill journey as an accessible table
| Date and time | Record | Official detail | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| IntroductionIntroduced | Introduced in the Senate. | Congress.gov | |
| Official actionRead twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (text: CR S3059-3060) | No additional detail supplied.IntroReferral · Senate | Congress.gov | |
| Official actionIntroduced in Senate | No additional detail supplied.IntroReferral · Library of Congress · Code 10000 | Congress.gov | |
| Text versionIntroduced in Senate | A dated text-version record is available. | Congress.gov | |
| Official actionMessage on Senate action sent to the House. | No additional detail supplied.Floor · Senate | Congress.gov | |
| Official actionPassed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S143-147; text: CR S145-146) | No additional detail supplied.Floor · Senate | Congress.gov | |
| Official actionPassed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent. | No additional detail supplied.Floor · Library of Congress · Code 17000 | Congress.gov | |
| Official actionSenate Committee on the Judiciary discharged by Unanimous Consent. | No additional detail supplied.Discharge · Senate | Congress.gov | |
| Official actionSenate Committee on the Judiciary discharged by Unanimous Consent. | No additional detail supplied.Committee · Library of Congress · Code 14500 | Congress.gov | |
| Text versionEngrossed in Senate | A dated text-version record is available. | Congress.gov | |
| Official actionReceived in the House. | No additional detail supplied.Floor · House floor actions · Code H14000 | Congress.gov | |
| Official actionHeld at the desk. | No additional detail supplied.Floor · House floor actions · Code H15000 | Congress.gov |
House roll calls join only on matching Congress, legislation type, and number. Senate roll calls join only on matching source-supplied document type and number, not question text. Committee and related-measure relationships have no date in their relationship records and therefore are counted above but never placed on the chronology.
Congressional Research Service
CRS summary
Disrupt Explicit Forged Images And Non-Consensual Edits Act of 2025 or the DEFIANCE Act of 2025This bill expands civil remedies for the nonconsensual disclosure of intimate images (i.e., nonconsensual pornography). The bill also establishes a new federal civil action for nonconsensual conduct involving intimate digital forgeries (i.e., deepfakes). The term intimate digital forgery means any intimate visual depiction of an identifiable individual created using software, machine learning, artificial intelligence, or other computer-generated or technological means that looks authentic.With respect to the nonconsensual disclosure of intimate images, current law allows an identifiable individual to recover civil remedies, including litigation costs, damages, and injunctive relief. This bill increases the available damages by allowing the individual to recover punitive damages and by including, as part of actual damages, profits of the defendant that are attributable to the conduct at issue.The bill also allows an identifiable individual who is the subject of an intimate digital forgery to file a federal civil action against anyone who knowingly discloses, produces or possesses with intent to disclose, or solicits and receives the intimate digital forgery without the individual's consent. Under the bill, the identifiable individual may recover the same expanded civil remedies that are available for the nonconsensual disclosure of intimate images.Finally, the bill establishes a 10-year statute of limitations for filing civil actions involving nonconsensual intimate digital forgeries or nonconsensual disclosure of intimate images. The statute begins to run when the individual discovers the violation or turns 18, whichever is later.
Official documents
Text versions
- Engrossed in SenateJan 13, 2026
- Introduced in SenateMay 21, 2025