Power User with Taylor Lorenz The Take It Down Act Is a Free Speech Killer
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May 23, 2025 Becca Branum, Deputy Director of the Center for Democracy and Technology's Free Expression Project, tackles the controversial Take It Down Act. She explains how the law, intended to combat revenge p**n, could actually threaten free speech by allowing anyone to remove unwanted content online without verification. The discussion highlights the law's flaws, its potential to silence marginalized voices, and the chilling effects it could have on online expression. Branum warns against the dangers of censorship disguised as protection.
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Internet Empowers Speech, Laws Restrict
- The internet democratizes speech by giving everyone a voice to challenge power.
- Current laws claim to reign in Big Tech but actually restrict online speech rights extensively.
Take It Down Act's Flawed Mechanism
- The Take It Down Act creates a 48-hour mandatory takedown for complaints of non-consensual intimate imagery.
- Platforms are not required to verify if content is truly NCII before removing it.
Law Easily Weaponized for Censorship
- The law could enable bad actors to remove unwanted content by falsely claiming it as NCII.
- There is a significant risk of weaponizing the takedown processes to silence criticism.
