Since 2018, Bumble has been working with lawmakers in the U.S., U.K., and European Union (EU) to help put a stop to cyberflashing—that is, the unsolicited sending of lewd images via social media and messaging apps. The sharing of these photos without consent is a form of sexual harassment, and women have been clear: 96% said they don’t want to receive them.
Over the past six years, our work has helped secure the passage of new laws deterring this digital indecent exposure in our home state of Texas as well as in Virginia and California. We’ve also introduced bills in Maryland, Michigan, New York, Washington D.C., and Wisconsin, and supported the amendments of EU and U.K. legislation to include cyberflashing bans.
Today, women face heightened abuse online thanks to the proliferation of artificial intelligence (A.I.), including sexually-explicit deep fakes and manipulated images. To help combat this growing threat, Bumble has joined forces with Representatives Jennifer McClellan (D-VA-04) and Nathaniel Moran (R-TX-01), and Senators Brian Schatz (D-HI) and Steve Daines (R-MT) to help introduce and support the bipartisan CONSENT Act, the first-ever federal cyberflashing bill in the U.S. If passed, The CONSENT Act will provide a private right of action for recipients of lewd images, including those altered by A.I., across the U.S.
Now, we’re calling on our community to support the passage of this bill by reaching out to your representatives (find out who they are here) and letting them know you’d appreciate their commitment. Use the message below to write to your Congressperson:
Dear ____________, I strongly urge you to support the CONSENT Act and help protect your constituents from cyberflashing.
Cyberflashing is the harmful and violating practice of sending unsolicited lewd images or video recordings without the recipient’s consent. These explicit images are regularly sent via social media, messaging apps, private networks, and close-range wireless communications like AirDrop. Artificial intelligence (A.I.) has worsened the problem, with deep fake abuse material and sexually-explicit image manipulation becoming widespread. This harassment disproportionately affects women, who overwhelmingly don’t want to receive lewd images and videos.
It’s time to send a strong signal that this form of abuse will not be tolerated by addressing this through a law at the federal level. Current legislation is inadequate to combat this behavior. I fully support Bumble’s campaign to pass the CONSENT Act, which would provide a private right of action for recipients of sexually explicit images, including those manipulated by A.I.
I hope I can count on your support.
Yours sincerely,
Learn more about Bumble’s commitment to fighting misogyny and toxicity in A.I. here.
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