Paris Hilton was back at Capitol Hill on Thursday to advocate for the DEFIANCE Act. This bill seeks to help victims of AI, generated pornographic content through legal recourse.

Recalling her personal ordeal, the socialite revealed the emotional pain of a private footage leak when she was only 19 years old.

According to Business Insider, Standing alongside Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Hilton told lawmakers, "When I was 19 years old, a private, intimate video of me was shared with the world without my consent."

"People called it a scandal. It wasn't. It was abuse." She said at the time there were no laws to protect her, noting that the internet was new and cruelty online was just beginning.

Hilton reflected on the public reaction, recalling that people "laughed and made me the punchline. They sold my pain for clicks, and then they told me to be quiet, to move on, to even be grateful for the attention."

She emphasized the long-lasting impact of losing control over her privacy. "I lost control over my body, over my reputation. My sense of safety and self-worth was stolen from me," she said.

AI Threats Intensify the Problem

Emphasizing the risks of AI technology, Hilton mentioned that the upsurge of deepfake pornography has made abuse more accessible and widespread.

"I believed that the worst was behind me, but it wasn't. What happened to me then is happening now to millions of women and girls in a new and more terrifying way," she said.

She explained that AI allows anyone to generate sexually explicit images without consent, turning imagination into victimization at scale.

Hilton disclosed that over 100,000 deepfake images of her have been created online. None of them is genuine, none of them is consensual, she said, describing the constant fear and violation that come with every new image.

The blonde beauty also pointed out that one out of every eight girls is affected by similar abuses, and she referred to the figures as staggering.

Speaking for Survivors

Hilton framed her advocacy as a voice for those who cannot speak for themselves. "I had the platform to reclaim my story, but so many others don't," she said.

She encouraged lawmakers to see the bill as a measure of both justice and protection, particularly for young women.

"Now I have a daughter who's just two-and-a-half years old, and I would go to the ends of the earth to protect her. But I can't protect her from this, not yet," Hilton said.

She urged legislators to view the law as a tool for both justice and protection, especially for young women.

"I am Paris Hilton, a woman, a wife, a mom, a survivor, and what was done to me was wrong. And I will keep telling the truth to protect every woman, every girl, every survivor, now and for the future."

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