1
The CFAKE and SOCFAKE Takedown — June 2026
The largest TAKE IT DOWN Act enforcement action to date.
In June 2026, the DOJ and DHS seized the domains CFAKE.com and SOCFAKE.com in a coordinated operation with French and Italian authorities — the first major enforcement action under the TAKE IT DOWN Act. French investigators had already identified 300,000 images and 7,000 videos depicting roughly 14,000 people, including politicians, athletes, musicians, and royalty from multiple countries. A French national was arrested and charged as an administrator of the network.
What it shows: This isn't cottage-industry harm anymore. It's organized, international, and built to scale — which is exactly why the response had to be too.
2
United States v. Shannon and Hernandez — Brooklyn, 2026
The first major federal prosecution of individuals under the Act.
Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn unsealed charges against two unconnected men — one in New Jersey, one in Texas — accused of using AI tools to generate and distribute deepfake pornography of 140 named victims, with content reaching nearly 3 million views.
What it shows: You don't need a criminal network to cause damage at this scale. Two people, working alone, reached 140 identified victims — and there are almost always more who never get named in the indictment.
3
The Taylor Swift Deepfakes — January 2024
The case that made this impossible to ignore.
Explicit AI-generated images of Taylor Swift spread across X in January 2024, originating from a Telegram group built specifically to produce them. One image alone reportedly reached 47 million views before removal. X temporarily blocked searches of her name; the White House commented publicly; Congress cited the moment directly while building the TAKE IT DOWN Act.
What it shows: Fame doesn't protect anyone from this, and it took a global superstar to get the institutional response most survivors never receive. That gap is the whole reason DIF exists.
4
Westfield High School — Elliston Berry and Francesca Mani, 2023
The case that wrote the law.
In October 2023, 14-year-old Elliston Berry of Texas and 15-year-old Francesca Mani of New Jersey each discovered that classmates had used AI to fabricate nude images of them and dozens of other girls. Both schools and both platforms initially responded with silence. Elliston's family brought the case to Senator Ted Cruz's office; both girls testified at a Senate field hearing. Their advocacy became the TAKE IT DOWN Act.
What it shows: This is why Elliston Berry now serves as a Senior Advisor to DIF, and why our flagship survivor program carries her name. The Aster Ellis Fund exists because a 14-year-old refused to accept silence as the answer.
5
Giorgia Meloni — Italy, 2024
A head of state, using her own case to fund other survivors.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni pursued a civil case over deepfake pornography made of her years earlier, testifying by video link that it was “a form of violence against women.” She sought roughly €100,000 in damages, stating publicly that any award would go to a fund supporting survivors of domestic violence.
What it shows: Even the most powerful people in the world aren't exempt from this — and some of them are choosing to turn their own case into support for the next survivor, which is the same instinct this entire organization is built on.
