US congress member Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, also known as AOC, said she was the victim of a deepfake video that depicted her in sexually explicit acts. 

Ocasio-Cortez, a survivor of physical sexual assault, opened up about the shock she felt upon seeing a video of herself online that others could perceive as real in an interview with Rolling Stone. 

She explained that the mental image of the deepfake version of herself performing sexual acts was deeply disturbing and resurfaced trauma.

She warned of the real effects such deepfakes can have, not just on the victims, but also on those who view and consume such content, and equated the harm from 'digitizing violent humiliation' to physical rape. 

The interview was in the context of the Disrupt Explicit Forged Images and Non-Consensual Edits (DEFIANCE) Act of 2024 the politician had spearheaded in the US House of Congress. 

The bill aims to make it easier for victims of nonconsensual AI porn to sue publishers, distributors and consumers of X-rated digital forgeries.