Paris Hilton joins US lawmakers to fight AI deepfakes, calls past leak ‘abuse’

Paris Hilton travelled to Washington to raise her voice against the growing threat of artificial intelligence-generated deepfakes, more than two decades after her own private video was leaked without consent.

The media personality and entrepreneur stood alongside US lawmakers, advocates and survivors on Capitol Hill to support the proposed DEFIANCE Act, a bipartisan bill aimed at protecting victims of non-consensual digital content.

The 44-year-old appeared with Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Republican Representative Laurel Lee of Florida, showing rare cross-party unity on an issue that has increasingly alarmed digital rights activists.

The DEFIANCE Act would allow victims of AI-generated deepfakes and other non-consensual imagery to sue those who create and distribute such material.

Addressing reporters at a press conference, Hilton spoke candidly about her own experience of online exploitation.

She recalled how, at the age of 19, a private video recorded during a personal relationship was made public without her permission in the early 2000s.

The incident became a global media spectacle and had a lasting emotional impact on her life.

“People called it a scandal. It wasn’t. It was abuse,” Hilton said, stressing that the harm caused by such acts is often minimised.

She added that victims are frequently mocked, silenced or told to move on, while their pain is turned into entertainment.

According to Hilton, deepfakes and similar content are not just a technological issue but a matter of power and dignity.

The DEFIANCE Act builds on earlier legislation passed last year, including the TAKE IT DOWN Act, which made it a federal crime in the United States to publish non-consensual, sexually explicit deepfakes.

Existing law also requires online platforms to remove such material, including child sexual abuse content, within 48 hours of being notified by victims.

However, supporters argue that the new bill goes further by addressing the production, distribution and solicitation of non-consensual imagery, while giving survivors a clear legal path to seek damages.

 “TAKE IT DOWN gave us removal, and DEFIANCE will give us recourse and restitution,” Ocasio-Cortez explained.

Another survivor, reality television alum Angie Katsanevas, also testified before Congress on the same day, urging lawmakers to recognise the real-world harm caused by digital abuse.