Two bipartisan bills offered by Buchanan aim to protect children from online threats

U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-FL) last week proposed two separate bipartisan bills designed to help protect America’s children from online threats.

“I am pleased to help introduce these common-sense solutions to help protect our children and am hopeful Congress will pass both with broad bipartisan support,” said Rep. Buchanan, who cosponsored both the Stop Crimes Against Children Act, H.R. 9018, and the Tools to Address Known Exploitation by Immobilizing Technological Deepfakes on Websites and Network (TAKE IT DOWN) Act, H.R. 8989.

The congressman on July 11 introduced H.R. 9018 alongside bill sponsor U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas (D-NH) to require the nonprofit sector and institutions of higher education to collaborate on including best practices in the U.S. Department of Justice’s National Strategy for Child Exploitation Prevention and Interdiction, according to the congressional record bill summary.

The second bill, H.R. 8989, which Rep. Buchanan proposed on July 10 alongside bill sponsor U.S. Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL) and fellow cosponsor U.S. Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-PA), would criminalize the production of non-consensual intimate imagery, more commonly known as revenge porn, and would require websites to remove the images upon notification, according to a bill summary provided by the lawmakers.

“If there’s one thing everyone can agree on, it’s the need to protect our vulnerable children and grandchildren,” Rep. Buchanan said. “While the rise in artificial intelligence (AI) brings countless potential benefits, I am deeply disturbed by the drastic increase in threats against children, such as the rise of so-called revenge porn and skyrocketing instances of sexual abuse and exploitation.”

H.R. 9018 has been referred for consideration to the U.S. House Judiciary Committee, while H.R. 8989 is under review by the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee