In a surprising move that has earned bipartisan applause and stunned critics, Donald Trump has signed into law one of the toughest federal crackdowns on revenge porn in U.S. history—marking a rare moment of unity amid a contentious political climate and offering what victims’ advocates are calling a “long-overdue victory for digital justice.”
The new legislation, officially titled the Digital Intimate Privacy Protection Act (DIPPA), was signed during a closed-door session at Trump National in Bedminster, New Jersey, and formally announced via Truth Social just hours later. In the post, Trump wrote, “I am proud to protect our young people, women, and families from the disgusting and illegal act of revenge porn. This law is strong, fair, and overdue. We put America’s dignity first.”
While critics have often lambasted Trump’s treatment of women and his stance on digital rights, this particular bill is earning unlikely praise from both sides of the aisle. Legal experts say DIPPA is more comprehensive and enforceable than previous state-level laws and closes loopholes that allowed perpetrators to share explicit images online with little to no consequence.
According to a summary released by the Department of Justice, the law makes it a federal crime to distribute, threaten to distribute, or coerce individuals with private sexual images or videos without their consent. Convictions can now result in up to 10 years in federal prison, alongside hefty financial penalties and mandatory digital sex offender registration.
“This is a landmark win,” said Carrie Goldberg, a leading victims’ rights attorney and founder of the firm C.A. Goldberg PLLC, in an interview with The New York Times. “We’ve waited years for Congress and the White House to treat online sexual abuse as the violent crime it is. This bill actually has teeth.”
DIPPA comes after a viral wave of high-profile revenge porn cases and digital extortion scandals, many involving teenagers, influencers, and public figures. The tipping point, however, may have been the viral case of 19-year-old Clara Mendoza, whose explicit photos were leaked by an ex-boyfriend and spread across Telegram, Reddit, and Twitter in 2024. Her attempted suicide—and subsequent recovery—sparked national outrage and led to the bipartisan drafting of this bill.
Clara, who now works as an advocate for digital abuse survivors, posted a tearful TikTok after the signing, telling her 1.2 million followers, “I screamed when I heard. It doesn’t undo what happened to me—but it means the next girl might be protected. That matters.”
Her video, shared by @ClaraThePhoenix, has racked up over 8 million views, with users flooding the comments with support and sharing their own experiences. One user wrote, “I was 16 when it happened to me. This law means I can finally breathe.”
The law has also been celebrated by LGBTQ+ groups, who point to disproportionate targeting of queer individuals in online harassment campaigns. GLAAD issued a statement to NBC News saying, “This is a long-overdue step toward protecting queer lives from targeted digital abuse and extortion. We welcome this move—and call for continued action.”
Even Democrats who rarely align with Trump have voiced support. Senator Elizabeth Warren, who co-sponsored the bill alongside Republican Senator Josh Hawley, posted on X: “We fought hard to get this bill passed. Today is a win for survivors. This is how government should work.”
Legal analysts are already calling DIPPA the most significant piece of internet safety legislation since SESTA/FOSTA in 2018, which addressed sex trafficking online. However, DIPPA goes further by expanding federal jurisdiction over private content distribution across all platforms—including encrypted and anonymous networks like Signal and Telegram.
The law also mandates that major tech companies, including Meta, X, Discord, Reddit, and TikTok, build faster takedown systems for non-consensual content and respond to flagged revenge porn within 24 hours or face fines of up to $750,000 per violation. Failure to comply could result in temporary platform bans or federal lawsuits.
“This bill has real enforcement power,” said tech policy expert Dr. Lena Duarte in an interview with Vox. “It holds perpetrators and platforms accountable in a way we’ve never seen before.”
Trump’s decision to back the bill reportedly came after a closed-door meeting with Kimberly Guilfoyle, Lara Trump, and several legal advisors last month, according to a report from Axios. Guilfoyle allegedly emphasized the political power of aligning with women’s safety and digital rights as a 2026 wedge issue.
Critics argue that Trump’s move is largely political, aimed at softening his image ahead of future electoral plays. Still, even some detractors admit the law’s passage marks a milestone. “I don’t care who signed it,” tweeted journalist Yashar Ali. “This is a life-saving law.”
As enforcement mechanisms begin rolling out in July, victims’ advocates say the next battle will be ensuring widespread awareness and accessibility. “A law is only as powerful as its implementation,” said Goldberg. “We now need to make sure survivors know their rights—and that prosecutors are ready to use this tool.”
Meanwhile, Trump’s announcement has drawn more engagement than any other recent Truth Social post, with thousands of comments praising the move. Some supporters hailed him as a “protector of the innocent.” Others simply said, “About damn time.”
The new law, years in the making, sends a clear message: in a digital world where humiliation can go viral in minutes, the government is finally stepping in to protect the most vulnerable—and punish those who exploit them.
