The U.S. authorities have seized two domains, cfake.com and socfake.com, over the alleged nonconsensual publication of images and videos depicting prominent women as nude or engaged in sexual activities.

The Department of Justice said in a statement on Friday that the action was carried out in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security. 

The domains were seized under the Take it Down Act, a federal law enacted in May 2025 that criminalises the publication of nonconsensual intimate imagery, including AI-generated deepfakes.

According to the department, the websites hosted thousands of images of women, including journalists, politicians, athletes, first ladies of foreign countries, and entertainers, depicted nude without their consent.

“The website allowed users to browse content by tags including ‘rape,’ ‘forced,’ and ‘degradation,’” it said.

The seizure followed a federal judge’s warrant after Italy’s Polizia di Stato-Postal and Cybersecurity Police alerted U.S. authorities about the domains.

Following the alert, U.S. authorities conducted an investigation and shared evidence with French authorities under the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime.

“The Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office, Cybercrime Section (J3), and the French gendarmerie (Section de recherches de Paris) then conducted their own parallel investigation, resulting in an arrest on June 10 in Nice, France, on French criminal charges, along with the seizure of cryptocurrency,” the statement said.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche described the seizures as a “significant victory” in the U.S. fight against deepfake pornography.

He added that the DoJ will continue enforcing the law to combat the exploitation of women and ensure justice for victims.

U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Markwayne Mullin echoed Mr Blanche’s remarks, noting that First Lady Melania Trump championed the legislation.

“Taking down CFAKE.com and SOCFAKE.com halted the publication of non-consensual, sexually explicit digital forgeries that harmed the women they depicted,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.

U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer for the District of New Jersey emphasised that the distribution of victims’ images without their consent is “deeply personal and often enduring.”

Mr Frazer said the crackdown was carried out through cyber-investigation efforts in collaboration with local and international law enforcement agencies, including authorities in France.

“Those who use the internet to exploit others should not mistake online anonymity for immunity,” he added.

U.S. Homeland Security Investigations in New Jersey led the investigation with support from HSI Rome, the DHS Cybercrime Lab, and the DoJ’s cybercrime and international affairs units.