Rowegie Abanto

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Bill imposes jail time for creation and sharing of non-consensual explicit material

ABS-CBN News

<p>MANILA — A House bill is seeking to impose jail time against criminals behind the creation and distribution of non-consensual sexually explicit material — including those generated by AI tools — and establish a portal for faster takedown of obscene content.</p><p>House Bill No. 807 or the Take It Down Act of 2025, filed by Bagong Henerasyon (BH) party-list Rep. Robert Nazal, is meant to address the &quot;growing misuse of artificial intelligence,&quot; including the creation of fake nude images and pornographic content for &quot;harassment, extortion, or humiliation,&quot; the lawmaker said in a statement Sunday.</p><p>Nazal also pointed out that generative AI &quot;made it easier to create realistic deepfake images and videos.&quot;</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/technology/2025/7/22/anxious-parents-face-tough-choices-on-ai-1056">Anxious parents face tough choices on AI</a></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>&#x27;NO CLEAR PROCESS&#x27; FOR TAKEDOWNS</strong></div><p>Current laws in the Philippines do not explicitly criminalize the creation and sharing of AI-generated non-consensual sexually explicit material, Nazal said.</p><p>He added that there is still &quot;no clear process&quot; for fast removal of offensive content, especially &quot;when the perpetrators are overseas or platforms fail to act.&quot;</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/6/16/chr-warns-vs-posting-children-s-pics-online-amid-rise-in-abuse-cases-1549">CHR warns vs posting children&#x27;s pics online amid rise in abuse cases</a></div><p>Aside from creation and distribution, the bill also criminalizes the possession of non-consensual sexually explicit material, including AI-manipulated content. </p><p>The bill also grants extraterritorial jurisdiction to allow Filipino victims to pursue cases against offenders abroad.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>LENGTHY JAIL TIME FOR CRIMINALS; PLATFORMS MAY FACE HEAVY FINES</strong><strong><br/></strong></div><p>The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) will be tasked to set up a P50-million &quot;Take It Down&quot; portal where victims can file verified takedown requests.</p><p>The bill mandates the DICT to process requests within 24 hours, and platforms should remove flagged content within 48 hours &quot;or face fines of up to P1 million per incident.&quot;</p><p>&quot;Violators face up to 12 years in prison, rising to 20 years if the victim is a minor. Victims may also sue for damages and all proceedings will be kept confidential to protect the victim&#x27;s identity,&quot; the lawmaker said.</p><p>Every three years, a joint congressional oversight committee will review the implementation of the bill, which takes inspiration from the United States-based Take It Down system and the United Kingdom&#x27;s StopNCII initiative.</p><p>&quot;We owe it to our people—especially women and children—to fight this form of digital violence with the full force of the law,&quot; Nazal said.</p><p>The lawmaker, citing the Philippine National Police, said the country recorded an 18-percent rise in voyeurism cases in 2024, adding that the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) reported a &quot;240 percent increase in deepfake sextortion complaints.&quot;</p><p>Meanwhile, one in five Filipino children aged 12 to 17 has experienced online sexual exploitation or abuse, the lawmaker said, citing a 2022 study by the United Nations Children&#x27;s Fund, the International Criminal Police Organization, and End Child Prostitution and Trafficking. </p><p>Recently, content creator <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/6/17/tv-patrol-queen-hera-dumulog-sa-nbi-larawan-ng-anak-minanipula-at-ginamit-umano-sa-kalaswaan-2039">Queen Hera went to the NBI to report that her child&#x27;s photo had been manipulated and used in obscene materials</a> online.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>&#x27;LONG-OVERDUE SAFEGUARD&#x27;</strong></div><p>Former Rep. Bernadette Herrera, BH party-list spokesperson, called the legislation &quot;a long-overdue safeguard&quot; for the victims of the creation and publication of non-consensual sexually explicit material.</p><p>&quot;This bill closes a dangerous legal gap that offenders have been exploiting with AI. It gives victims a clear path to justice, and more importantly, a way to reclaim their dignity in a system that has too often failed them,&quot; said Herrera.</p><p>The &quot;Take It Down&quot; system, the former lawmaker said, would be &quot;life-changing for victims who are often retraumatized by the lack of immediate remedies.&quot;</p><p>&quot;No victim should be forced to beg platforms for mercy while their stolen images are passed around online. This bill shifts the burden where it belongs—on the abusers and enablers,&quot; she said.</p><div><strong>—Rowegie Abanto, ABS-CBN News</strong></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gFfFBTsjPT0?&amp;t=127s&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><strong></strong><br/></div>

<p>A House bill is seeking to impose jail time against criminals behind the creation and distribution of non-consensual sexually explicit material — including those generated by AI tools — and establish a portal for faster takedown of obscene content.</p>

A House bill is seeking to impose jail time against criminals behind the creation and distribution of non-consensual sexually explicit material — including those generated by AI tools — and establish a portal for faster takedown of obscene content.

Bill imposes jail time for making and sharing non-consensual explicit material

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Bill imposes jail time for making and sharing non-consensual explicit material

ABS-CBN News

Published August 03, 2025 04:06 PM PHT

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