May 5 (UPI) — U.S. Rep. Joe Morelle, D-N.Y., on Friday introduced legislation to ban non-consensual AI deepfakes.

“The Preventing Deepfakes of Imitate Images Act would make illegal the non-consensual sharing of altered or ‘deepfake’ intimate images online and create additional legal courses of action for those impacted,” Morelle said in a statement Friday.

In the statement, Morelle refers to the March 2022 Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act, which includes “provisions to empower individuals victimized by the non-consensual disclosure of their intimate visual images to seek civil penalties in federal court,” but does “not include the same protections for those impacted by the disclosure of deepfakes.”

“The spread of AI-generated and altered images can cause irrevocable emotional, financial, and reputational harm — and unfortunately, women are disproportionally impacted,” said Morelle.

The proposed bill would include provisions to ensure giving consent to create an AI image does not equate to consent to share the image. The bill also would seek to protect the anonymity of plaintiffs.

The proposed legislation has the support of the Screen Actor’s Guild-American Federation of Televison and Radio Artists.

“I applaud Congressman Morelle for introducing the Preventing Deepfakes of Intimate Images Act against sexualized non-consensual digital replicas and ‘deepfakes.’ This bill will help curb an incredibly destructive practice that strikes at the heart of personal privacy,” said SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher.