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AOC Is Pushing a Bill to Let Victims Sue Over Deepfake Nudes as 1 in 8 Middle Schoolers Report Knowing a Victim

Updated 2 weeks ago, August 7, 2026

A bill that would let victims of deepfake nudes sue the people who make and share them has bipartisan support and keeps stalling. AOC says her team has been told legislation can’t move because her name is on it.

The DEFIANCE Act would let victims of nonconsensual deepfake porn sue the people who make and share it, and AOC says it has the votes across both parties to pass.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez speaking to reporters on the steps of the U.S. Capitol — Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez speaks with reporters on the steps of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. on July 22, 2026. Photo by Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images.

She says the holdup is her name. On the record, she describes being told bills can’t advance “because it has her name on it,” a pattern she says has happened under leadership from both parties.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez speaking to reporters near the House steps at the U.S. Capitol — Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez speaks with reporters on the steps of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. on July 22, 2026. Photo by Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images.

“We should not allow pedophiles and sexual abusers to run amok because you just don’t like a girl,” she said, calling on Speaker Mike Johnson and Republicans to move the bill.

She framed the stakes around the kids already living with it: “to allow this to continue to score a political point is some of the most egregious and horrible activities that we can do.”

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