The DOJ seized CFAKE.com and SOCFAKE.com, websites hosting nonconsensual AI-generated nude deepfake images and videos of women, including public figures, under the TAKE IT DOWN Act (47 U.S.C. § 223). The law, enacted in May 2025, criminalizes the publication of sexually explicit altered images without consent and mandates removal within 48 hours upon victim request. The investigation began after Italian authorities alerted US law enforcement, leading to coordinated actions involving multiple countries and the arrest of a suspect in France. This seizure is the first publicly announced domain seizure under this legislation, aiming to combat the spread of deepfake pornography and protect victims from exploitation.

The seizure disrupts the operation of websites distributing nonconsensual deepfake pornography, protecting victims from further exploitation and abuse. It enforces federal law criminalizing the publication of intimate digital forgeries without consent, potentially deterring similar operations. The coordinated international law enforcement effort highlights the cross-border nature of this threat and the legal mechanisms now available to address it. There is no indication of direct technical vulnerabilities exploited; rather, this is a law enforcement action against illegal content distribution.

The domains have been seized and taken offline by the DOJ and Homeland Security Investigations under a federal seizure warrant, effectively mitigating the threat from these specific sites. The TAKE IT DOWN Act requires online platforms to remove reported nonconsensual intimate imagery and deepfakes within 48 hours of a valid victim request. Victims and platforms should utilize these legal provisions to report and remove such content. No additional technical mitigation is indicated or required as the sites are no longer operational.