On June 12, 2026, the U.S. Departments of Justice and Homeland Security announced that deepfake domains CFAKE.com and SOCFAKE.com were seized and taken down using the TAKE IT DOWN Act. The seized domains “were being used to publish thousands of digitally forged images and videos depicting famous women as nude and sometimes engaged in sexual activity, without their consent.” The deepfakes included royalty, journalists, television personalities, athletes, entertainers, and others. According to the press release, “The website allowed people to browse by tags that included topics like ‘rape,’ ‘forced,’ and ‘degradation.’”
U.S. authorities were alerted to the website by Italy’s Polizia di Stato Postal and Cybersecurity Policy. After a U.S. investigation, evidence was shared with French authorities, who also investigated and made an arrest in Nice on June 10, 2026. This is a great example of how important international law enforcement cooperation is in prosecuting individuals outside of the U.S. and taking down harmful and illegal domains. This is a big win for law enforcement in the U.S., Italy, and France in combatting deepfakes.