Westfield Teen Victimized By AI Porn Attends Trump's 'Take It Down' Bill Signing

WESTFIELD, NJ — Westfield teen Francesca Mani was invited to the White House to attend President Donald Trump's signing of the "Take It Down" bill on Monday.

Mani, along with her parents, has pushed for more protections for victims after AI-generated pornographic images of female students at Westfield High School, including Mani, were created and distributed to other students in the summer of 2023.

"Francesca Mani of Westfield was instrumental in making this happen. After being targeted by AI-generated deepfakes, she turned a horrific experience into a powerful call for change," said Congressman Tom Kean.

First Lady Melania Trump said the bill is "a national victory that will help parents and families protect children from online exploitation. This legislation is a powerful step forward in our efforts to ensure that every American, especially young people, can feel better protected from their image or identity being abused through nonconsensual intimate imagery."

The President also acknowledged Mani as a brave American whose life was "rocked by online harassment."

"It's a real honor to have you here," said Trump to Mani, along with other victims of online sexual exploitation.

The bill generally prohibits the nonconsensual online publication of intimate visual depictions of individuals, both authentic and computer-generated, and requires certain online platforms to promptly remove such depictions upon receiving notice of their existence.

Anyone who intentionally distributes explicit images without the subject's consent will face up to three years in prison. In addition, the law establishes new civil liabilities for online platforms that refuse to take these images down promptly upon request, said Trump.

"We will not tolerate online sexual exploitation," said Trump.

"As a cosponsor, I advocated for making the distribution of non-consensual pornography and deepfakes a federal crime—and to require platforms to take them down immediately," said Kean. "This is a major step forward in combating AI misuse, enforcing accountability, and protecting children nationwide."

During the summer of 2023, girls at Westfield High School recently discovered boys were sharing nude photos of them, including Mani, in group chats after one or more other students used an online tool powered by artificial intelligence to create the images.

Since then, Mani and her mother were among families pushing lawmakers to implement robust safeguards for victims whose images are manipulated using AI models, or the plethora of apps and websites that openly advertise their services.

In November 2023, Senator Jon Bramnick(District 21) sponsored a bill and joining the fight against deepfake pornography after female Westfield High School students were victimized by AI technology. Read More: Bramnick Joins Fight Against AI Made Porn After Westfield Girls Victimized

TIME Magainze also acknowledged Franceseca Mani as one of 100 most influential people in AI.

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