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<span class=\"visually-hidden\">Close<\/span> <\/button> <\/section>\n<article class=\"single-article content\">\n<div class=\"single-article__container js-single-article-content\">\n<header class=\"single-article__header \" readability=\"26.547256097561\">\n<div class=\"single-article__header-content\" readability=\"36.042352941176\">\n<p> The commission is asking whether nonconsensual deepfake porn should be classified under U.S. law as harassment, blackmail or sending obscene material to minors. <\/p>\n<p>  <br \/>\n<audio id=\"audio-player\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-tts-cdn.api.scpnewsgrp.com\/cyberscoop\/87201\/english.openai.mp3\"><\/audio> <\/p>\n<div readability=\"11\">\n<div>\n<p>Listen to this article<\/p>\n<p>  <\/p>\n<p>0:00<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>  <\/p>\n<p> <span id=\"tts-tooltip\">Learn more.<\/span> <span> This feature uses an automated voice, which may result in occasional errors in pronunciation, tone, or sentiment. <\/span> <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>  <\/div>\n<div class=\"single-article__cover-wrap\">\n<figure class=\"single-article__cover\"> <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" fetchpriority=\"high\" width=\"640\" height=\"426\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/u-s-sentencing-commission-seeks-input-on-criminal-penalties-for-deepfakes.jpg?resize=640%2C426&ssl=1\" class=\"single-article__cover-image wp-post-image\" alt decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/u-s-sentencing-commission-seeks-input-on-criminal-penalties-for-deepfakes-2.jpg 5760w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/u-s-sentencing-commission-seeks-input-on-criminal-penalties-for-deepfakes-2.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/u-s-sentencing-commission-seeks-input-on-criminal-penalties-for-deepfakes-2.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/u-s-sentencing-commission-seeks-input-on-criminal-penalties-for-deepfakes-2.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/u-s-sentencing-commission-seeks-input-on-criminal-penalties-for-deepfakes-2.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/u-s-sentencing-commission-seeks-input-on-criminal-penalties-for-deepfakes-2.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/u-s-sentencing-commission-seeks-input-on-criminal-penalties-for-deepfakes-2.jpg?resize=600,400 600w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/u-s-sentencing-commission-seeks-input-on-criminal-penalties-for-deepfakes-2.jpg?resize=252,168 252w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/u-s-sentencing-commission-seeks-input-on-criminal-penalties-for-deepfakes-2.jpg?resize=506,337 506w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/u-s-sentencing-commission-seeks-input-on-criminal-penalties-for-deepfakes-2.jpg?resize=1013,675 1013w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/u-s-sentencing-commission-seeks-input-on-criminal-penalties-for-deepfakes-2.jpg?resize=1265,843 1265w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1013px) 100vw, 1013px\"><figcaption> The U.S. Sentencing Commission is seeking public comment on whether the sharing of nonconsensual deepfake porn should be classified under U.S. law as harassment, blackmail or sending obscene material to minors. (Image via Getty) <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"single-article__content\">\n<div class=\"single-article__content-inner has-drop-cap\"> <html readability=\"31.360031720856\"><body readability=\"63.706324358172\"><\/p>\n<p>The U.S. Sentencing Commission is issuing preliminary sentencing guidelines for criminal offenses under the Take It Down Act, a law passed earlier this year to curb the spread of nonconsensual deepfake pornography.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/119th-congress\/senate-bill\/146\">Take It Down Act<\/a> marks one of the first major pieces of legislation passed by Congress to address AI-generated deepfakes, attracting broad bipartisan support. The legislation <a href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/take-it-down-act-passes-house-first-amendment-encryption\/\">sailed through Congress<\/a>, passing 402-2 in the House and comfortably in the Senate, despite opposition from some digital rights groups, and had the vocal support of First Lady Melania Trump.<\/p>\n<p>The law\u2019s language makes it a federal crime to publicize nonconsensual intimate or pornographic imagery of others, both real and AI-generated, and requires companies to remove any images hosted or shared on their platforms within 48 hours of receiving notice. It also empowers the Federal Trade Commission to investigate and enforce compliance. <\/p>\n<p>The legislation provides broad guidance on prison sentences and financial penalties for offenses, with digital forgers subject to fines and up to two years of imprisonment for deepfaking an adult and up to three years for a minor.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--inline_1 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The commission <a href=\"https:\/\/public-inspection.federalregister.gov\/2025-23473.pdf\">proposes<\/a> more specific penalties for different types of offenses, while also seeking public input on the most appropriate way to define the offense in U.S. law.<\/p>\n<p>For example, the law included specific language adding new criminal offenses for deepfakes to sections of U.S. law prohibiting obscene or harassing phone calls, a nod to how much nonconsensual pornography <a href=\"https:\/\/www.americansurveycenter.org\/newsletter\/the-pornography-problem\/\">is shared<\/a> through smartphones.<\/p>\n<p>That section has been updated to further define the offense as anyone using \u201can interactive computer service\u201d to knowingly publish an \u201cintimate visual depiction\u201d of a minor and (in certain cases) adults with the intent to \u201cabuse, humiliate, harass, or degrade\u201d or \u201carouse or gratify the sexual desire of any person.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Individuals found guilty of threatening to publish nonconsensual deepfakes of an adult would be subject to a maximum of years in prison if the threat involves \u201can intimate visual depiction\u201d of them and 18 months if the deepfake is used for digital forgery. Deepfaking a minor for the purpose of digital forgery carries a maximum sentence of 30 months.<\/p>\n<p>While <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextgov.com\/cybersecurity\/2024\/02\/imitation-game\/394249\/\">experts have warned<\/a> about the damaging potential of deepfakes for years, large language models have gotten increasingly better at developing lifelike media. As more AI deepfake tools come online, public interest groups have called for companies like OpenAI to <a href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/sora-2-deepfake-letter-public-citizen-openai\/\">take tools like Sora 2 offline<\/a> after they were used to create scores of false cell-phone style videos depicting food stamp recipients that were later picked up by real news outlets like Fox News.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--inline_1 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>This month, the American Bar Association released a<a href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/ai-deepfakes-causing-big-problems-in-the-legal-sector-aba-report\/\"> report<\/a> around the use of AI in the legal sector that found courts were generally unprepared for deepfake media and the many ways it could impact the integrity of evidence presented to the court.<\/p>\n<p>The deepfake changes are part of a broader package of proposed regulatory changes the U.S. Sentencing Commission is proposing, with any comments from the public accepted until Feb. 16, 2026.<\/p>\n<p><\/body> <\/p>\n<footer class=\"single-article__footer\" readability=\"3.9107142857143\">\n<div class=\"author-card\" readability=\"14\">\n<div class=\"author-card__avatar\">\n<figure class=\"author-card__image-wrap\"> <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"author-card__image\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/u-s-sentencing-commission-seeks-input-on-criminal-penalties-for-deepfakes-1.jpg?w=640&ssl=1\" alt=\"Greg Otto\"> <\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><h4 class=\"author-card__name\">Written by Greg Otto<\/h4>\n<p> Greg Otto is Editor-in-Chief of CyberScoop, overseeing all editorial content for the website. Greg has led cybersecurity coverage that has won various awards, including accolades from the Society of Professional Journalists and the American Society of Business Publication Editors. Prior to joining Scoop News Group, Greg worked for the Washington Business Journal, U.S. News & World Report and WTOP Radio. 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{"id":8214,"date":"2025-12-18T11:27:53","date_gmt":"2025-12-18T17:27:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/?p=87201"},"modified":"2025-12-18T11:27:53","modified_gmt":"2025-12-18T17:27:53","slug":"u-s-sentencing-commission-seeks-input-on-criminal-penalties-for-deepfakes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/2025\/12\/18\/u-s-sentencing-commission-seeks-input-on-criminal-penalties-for-deepfakes\/","title":{"rendered":"U.S. Sentencing Commission seeks input on criminal penalties for deepfakes"},"content":{"rendered":"