On Thursday, Paris Hilton traveled to Washington, D.C., to raise awareness about the escalating problem of AI deepfakes, more than two decades after her private video was notoriously leaked online.
The 44-year-old joined forces with lawmakers, advocates, and fellow survivors on Capitol Hill to support the DEFIANCE Act. Among those present were Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Laurel Lee (R-Fla.).
This bipartisan legislation aims to empower victims of AI deepfakes by giving them the right to sue those who create and distribute such nonconsensual content.
Hilton addressed her own battle with online sexual exploitation, reflecting on the profound impact of her sex tape’s release in 2004.
The video, titled “1 Night in Paris,” was recorded in 2001 when Hilton was 19, alongside her then-boyfriend, poker player Rick Salomon. Salomon later released the footage without Hilton’s permission.
“At 19, a private, intimate video of mine was exposed to the world without my consent,” Hilton shared during Thursday’s press event.
She then likened her experience as well as the experiences of other survivors of deepfakes and revenge porn to ‘abuse.’
Paris Hiltonheaded to Washington, D.C. on Thursday to protest the growing issue of AI deepfakes over two decades after her sex tape was infamously leaked online
It comes two days after the star hosted a lavish premiere for her new documentary
‘People called it a scandal. It wasn’t. It was abuse.’
‘They called me names, they laughed and made me the punch line.
‘They sold my pain for clicks, and then they told me to be quiet, to move on, to even be grateful for the attention,’ Hilton said.
‘This isn’t about just technology. It’s about power. It’s about someone using someone’s likeness to humiliate, silence and strip them of their dignity.’
Another survivor, the Real Housewives of Salt Lake City alum Angie Katsanevas, also advocated for the bill and testified before Congress as an invited witness on the same day Hilton took a stand on Capitol Hill.
The DEFIANCE Act follows the passage of another deepfake bill last year, the TAKE IT DOWN Act, which made it a federal crime to publish nonconsensual, sexually explicit deepfakes.
The deepfakes bill signed into law last year requires platforms to remove child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and non-consensual intimate images within 48 hours of being notified by the victim.
The DEFIANCE Act would go beyond current law by addressing the production, distribution and solicitation of non-consensual sexual imagery and giving individuals the right to sue.
‘TAKE IT DOWN gave us removal and DEFIANCE will give us recourse and restitution,’ Ocasio-Cortez explained.
Hilton showed backed the DEFIANCE Act alongside lawmakers, advocates and other survivors on CapitolHill, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Laurel Lee (R-Fla.)
The bipartisan bill would allow victims of AI deepfakes to sue individuals who produce and share the nonconsensual content
‘When I was 19 years old, a private intimate video of me was shared with the world without my consent,’ Hilton said at Thursday’s press conference
She then likened her experience as well as the experiences of other survivors of deepfakes and revenge porn to ‘abuse’
Hilton said she hoped to make a change and ensure nobody else goes through the same thing by advocating for the bill and sharing her story as a survivor
Hilton has previously described the leaking of her infamous sex tape as one of the ‘most painful’ experiences she has ever gone through.
Hilton previously claimed she felt pressured into making the sex tape with Salomon when she was 19.
During a recent appearance on the On Purpose with Jay Shetty podcast, Hilton spoke about how painful it was ‘to trust someone so much and then to be violated like that’ and then to witness ‘the entire world watching, laughing and talking about it.
‘I was a child, and I was in love and trusted someone.’
Hilton said she believed at the time that the tape was something she ‘thought no one would ever see.’
By speaking up about the experience now, as well as advocating for the bill, she said she hoped she could help make sure that the same thing would never happen to anyone else.
