CivitAI Faces Payment Blockade Amid New US Anti-Deepfake Legislation

Trump Signs Federal TAKE IT DOWN Act

President Donald Trump has signed the TAKE IT DOWN Act, criminalizing the distribution of non-consensual sexual deepfakes at the federal level in the United States. This law requires platforms to remove flagged content within 48 hours and enforces penalties for individuals knowingly publishing such content.

The Decline of Mr. Deepfakes

Just over two weeks ago, Mr. Deepfakes—the largest and oldest deepfake porn site globally—went offline after more than seven years, during which it averaged over five million monthly visits. The shutdown was officially due to the withdrawal of a critical service provider, but investigations suggested personal or legal reasons behind the closure.

CivitAI's Struggle with Payment Providers

Following this, CivitAI, a prominent platform for celebrity and NSFW LoRAs, introduced strict self-censorship policies banning certain NSFW and extremist content to comply with payment processors' demands. Despite these efforts, Visa and Mastercard have decided to halt card payments as of May 23, 2025, severely impacting the platform’s revenue streams.

Community Engagement Manager Alasdair Nicoll revealed that users can maintain membership by switching to annual plans, but the future remains uncertain. CivitAI is actively seeking alternative payment providers comfortable with AI innovation and encourages users to use cryptocurrency as an alternative payment method.

Legal and Industry Implications

The TAKE IT DOWN Act criminalizes non-consensual intimate imagery, including AI-generated deepfakes, but only when the individual depicted had a reasonable expectation of privacy. The law's enforcement is overseen by the Federal Trade Commission with a one-year window for platforms to implement formal takedown mechanisms.

Critics, including the Electronic Frontier Foundation, warn that the law’s takedown provisions are overly broad and may suppress legitimate content, as automated filters could mistakenly flag lawful material. The legislation primarily targets revenge porn scenarios but may also impact stalking cases involving public figures.

The Broader Regulatory Landscape

While the federal law marks a significant step, many states have their own laws addressing sexual deepfakes with varying scopes, such as California's Celebrities Rights Act and Tennessee's ELVIS Act protecting musicians’ likenesses. Political deepfakes remain a complex issue, sometimes clashing with constitutional protections.