US authorities have seized two domains accused of publishing thousands of nonconsensual deepfake nude images (digital forgeries) of famous women, in one of the first major federal actions using the TAKE IT DOWN Act.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) said CFAKE.com and SOCFAKE.com were taken offline after seizure warrants (PDF) were issued in the District of New Jersey.
The case focuses on digitally altered or AI-generated sexual images and videos made to look like real public figures. According to the Justice Department, the victims included politicians, first ladies from multiple countries, royalty, journalists, television presenters, athletes, entertainers, and other well known women.
Prosecutors said the site also used tags such as “rape,” “forced,” and “degradation,” making the alleged conduct more than a simple impersonation issue.
The TAKE IT DOWN Act in Action
Visitors to the seized domains are now met with a law enforcement notice showing the seals of the DOJ, Homeland Security Investigations, French authorities, Italian police, and other agencies involved in the operation. The notice says the domains were seized under a federal warrant as part of an investigation into violations of 47 U.S.C. § 223, the TAKE IT DOWN Act.
The law, passed in May 2025, makes it a federal crime to publish sexually explicit digital forgeries of an identifiable adult without consent when the material is not a matter of public concern, and the posting is intended to cause harm or does cause harm. That gives prosecutors a direct tool for cases involving deepfake sexual abuse, where the image may be fake, but the target, reputational damage, and privacy violation are real.
According to the DOJ’s press release, the investigation began after Italy’s Polizia di Stato, Postal and Cybersecurity Police, alerted U.S. law enforcement. U.S. investigators later shared evidence with French authorities through the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime, leading to a parallel French investigation. Authorities in France arrested a suspect in Nice on June 10 on French criminal charges and seized cryptocurrency, according to the DOJ.
It is worth noting that the DOJ did not frame the takedown as the end of the matter. Meaning, if you run a website like CFAKE and SOCFAKE, authorities are coming after you for good as well.
How and Where to Report Deepfake Content
If you are a victim of deepfakes in the United States, you can report the content to Google using this guide. You can also file a complaint with the FBI here, or follow RAINN’s guide for clear, practical information on how and where to report explicit, nonconsensual deepfake content.
While illegal content can also be reported directly to the hosting platform under the EU Digital Services Act, StopNCII.org is one of the main reporting tools for nonconsensual intimate image abuse worldwide. The platform partners with all major online platforms, including META, Microsoft, TikTok, Reddit, OnlyFans, PornHub, X, and more.
For content against children, the better-known Europe-linked route is INHOPE, which connects users to national hotlines for reporting suspected child sexual abuse material.
