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Paris Hilton advocates for Enhanced Protections Against Non-Consensual Intimate Imagery
A landmark bill aimed at combating the creation and distribution of AI-generated explicit content gained important momentum Thursday with impassioned support from Paris Hilton, who shared her own deeply personal experience with the exploitation of intimate imagery. Hilton,alongside Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Laurel Lee,spoke on Capitol Hill in favor of the Disrupt Explicit forged Images and Non-Consensual Edits Act – known as the DEFIANCE Act.
The reality star and entrepreneur recounted the trauma she endured at age 19 when a private video was disseminated without her consent. “When I was 19 years old, a private, intimate video of me was shared with the world without my consent,” Hilton stated. “People called it a scandal. It wasn’t. It was abuse.” Her testimony underscores a growing awareness of the devastating impact of non-consensual intimate imagery,particularly in the age of rapidly advancing artificial intelligence.
The DEFIANCE Act,which has already passed in the Senate,would provide legal recourse for victims of AI-generated,sexually explicit content. The bipartisan legislation allows individuals to pursue legal action against those who create, distribute, or solicit such material with the intent to share it. This represents a critical step forward in addressing a form of digital exploitation that was largely unprotected just decades ago.
Hilton emphasized the lack of legal frameworks when her own experience occurred in 2004. “There were no laws at the time to protect me,” she explained. “There weren’t even words for what had been done to me. The Internet was still new, and so was the cruelty that came with it.” She described the public shaming and victim-blaming she faced, noting how her pain was “sold for clicks” and she was told to simply move on.
The emotional toll of the experience continues to resonate with Hilton. She shared that she felt pressured by her then-boyfriend, Rick Salomon, to allow the recording, and that the aftermath caused lasting psychological harm.In 2021, Hilton described the incident to Vanity Fair as “something that will hurt me for the rest of my life,” adding that the feeling of betrayal and public humiliation caused her post-traumatic stress disorder. She recounted the experience further in her 2024 memoir, Paris: The Memoir.
Despite the pain,Hilton expressed a powerful message of resilience and advocacy. “I’ve learned is that when your image is violated, it doesn’t disappear; it lives inside you, but so does your power,” she said.”Telling the truth has helped me heal, and I am so proud that today I stand here without shame.” she acknowledged her privilege in being able to reclaim her narrative, but stressed that “so many others don’t.”
Hilton shared a statement on X (formerly Twitter) summarizing her Capitol Hill appearance and the importance of the DEFIANCE Act.https://twitter.com/parishilton/status/1756899999999999999
Her advocacy extends beyond legislative efforts. Hilton is set to release a documentary, Infinite Icon: A Visual Memoir, on January 30th. The film will explore her life and career, including confronting the misogynistic portrayal she often faced in the media and her experiences at troubled teen schools, where she alleges
