.jpg)
Voices for Voices®
Voices for Voices® is the #1 ranked podcast where people turn to for expert mental health, recovery and career advancement intelligence.
Our Voices for Voices® podcast is all about teaching you insanely actionable techniques to help you prosper, grow yourself worth and personal brand.
So, if you are a high achiever or someone who wants more out of life, whether mentally, physically or spiritually, make sure you subscribe to our podcast right now!
As you can see, the Voices for Voices® podcast publishes episodes that focus on case studies, real life examples, actionable tips and "in the trenches" reports and interviews from subscribers like you.
If that sounds like something that could help you grow personally or professionally, then make sure to join me by subscribing!
—
Thanks for listening!
Support Voices for Voices®: https://venmo.com/u/voicesforvoices
Voices for Voices®
My Story - Elliston's Experience of Deepfake Revenge Porn & TAKE IT DOWN Act (Part 2) | Episode 139
My Story - Elliston's Experience of Deepfake Revenge Porn & TAKE IT DOWN Act (Part 2) | Episode 139
Chapter Markers
0:01 Preventing Sexual Harassment With Senator Ted Cruz
8:43 Mental Health and Faith Brave Voices
15:54 Protecting Children With New Legislation
27:50 Empowering Victims to Speak Out
What happens when relentless dedication meets the power of advocacy? Join us as we continue our compelling conversation with Elliston Berry and Anna McAdams from Aledo, Texas. Following a distressing incident involving Elliston’s daughter, their untiring efforts resulted in a Title IX investigation and caught the attention of Texas Senator Ted Cruz. Hear the powerful story of how their struggle led to the drafting of a bipartisan bill aimed at preventing similar incidents in the future. Learn about the urgent necessity for tech companies to address harmful content more swiftly and the glaring disparities in their responsiveness.
Our discussion takes a deep dive into the impact of anxiety and the dark side of social media, amplified by the misuse of AI-generated content. Elliston and Anna share personal stories of overcoming fear and isolation through the support of their community and faith. We discuss the critical importance of mental health and the proposed "Take it Down Act," which targets the exploitation through AI deep fakes. These brave voices remind us of the importance of sharing our stories to support the voiceless and promote broader awareness and understanding.
Lastly, we explore a proposed bill advocating for stricter consequences for minors committing certain offenses, with strong bipartisan support. Elliston and Anna’s emotional journey emphasizes the power of public backing and media exposure in seeking justice and advocacy. We wrap up by urging our listeners to continue the momentum for change, encouraging you to reach out to lawmakers about the Take it Down Act. Your voice matters, and together, we can make a difference. Don't forget to subscribe, share, and join the conversation to keep the movement alive.
Our Voices for Voices® TV show and podcast is all about teaching you insanely actionable techniques to help you prosper, grow your self worth and personal brand.
So, if you are a high achiever or someone who wants more out of life, whether mentally, physically or spiritually, make sure you subscribe to our podcast right now!
As you can see, the Voices for Voices® show publishes episodes that focus on case studies, real life examples, actionable tips and "in the trenches" reports and interviews from subscribers like you.
If that sounds like something that could help you grow personally or professionally, then make sure to join me by subscribing!
—
Thanks for listening and watching!
Support Voices for Voices®: LoveVoices.org
#Newepisode #newpodcastalert #podcastseries #podcastinterviews #podcastlife #podcastcommunity #podcasthost #voicesforvoicespodcast #Cyberbullying #ParentalSupport #AIEthics #CyberSafety #revengeporn #deepfakerevengeporn #AI #OnlineExploitation #OnlineSafety #Advocacy #healthandwellness #podcasthost #applepodcasts #applepodcast #spotifypodcast #spotifypodcasts #googlepodcasts #amazonpodcast #itunespodcast #listening #podcastlove #youtubepodcast #people #apple #buzzsproutpodcast
Welcome to the Voices for Voices TV show and podcast. I am your host, founder and executive director of Voices for Voices, Justin Allen Hayes. Voices for Voices is the number one ranked TV show and podcast where people turn to for expert mental health recovery and career advancement. Intelligence recovery and career advancement, intelligence. Our show is all about teaching you insanely actionable techniques to help you prosper, grow yourself and self-worth, as well as your personal brand.
Speaker 1:So if you are a high achiever or someone who wants more out of life, whether mentally, physically or spiritually, please make sure you subscribe to our TV show and podcast right now. As you can see, our show publishes fresh episodes each Wednesday that focus on case studies, real-life examples, actionable tips and in-the-trenches reports and interviews from subscribers just like you. If that sounds like something that could help you grow personally or professionally, then please join me by subscribing. So thank you for joining us again here on the show. So thank you for joining us again here on the show. This is part two from our episode last week that we are going to pick up where we left off. So our guests are joining us from Aledo, Texas, and the guests are Miss Elliston Berry and Mrs Anna McAdams. Thank you for joining us and sticking around for our second episode.
Speaker 2:Thanks for having me, you too.
Speaker 1:Yeah, absolutely, it's so important. And again, I'll start late. Last episode, elliston is very brave and courageous for stepping forward, for being an advocate for you and, you know, touching and reaching people and helping anybody that's been through a situation and hopefully prevent situations from occurring. And so we'll pick up there with that whole prevention, prevention. So it was last October that these SIRS events came to light. How did Senator Ted Cruz and his office come to be? How did that communication start? And we can go from there.
Speaker 3:Yeah. So when it it all happened and we really couldn't get anywhere as far as with law enforcement, with the school itself, I just started calling anybody and everyone that would listen. I just started leaving messages. I knew that, you know, we weren't getting anywhere, but in order to get somewhere we were going to need to have something in law, something, something in the student code of conduct. You know, I was just trying to get a hold of anybody that would listen, so I just started leaving messages with anybody that I could think of, and so Senator Cruz was one of the ones that I left a message with.
Speaker 3:And so, um, through that semester, um, we were, we were able to do a title nine, which a Title IX investigation by law allows us to know who it was. So we finally were able to figure out who it was and we kind of already knew, just because he wasn't in school anymore. But, you know, we were able to at least know who it was, to kind of try to help protect, I guess a little bit. But going into the Title IX, it took the whole semester to get that done. So we didn't know anything until the second semester of her freshman year, in February of this year, senator Cruz's office reached out to me and so said hey, we heard your, you know, we got your voicemail, we heard what happened. Senator Cruz kind of wants to know more about your story. So I kind of just shared, we shared kind of what had happened and he was really, he was really taken by it. He, you know, he said you know, I have daughters, 13, 16. This could happen to them. You know, we really want to try to put together something to kind of help in this regard. So just thrilled, thrilled to hear that somebody heard us. So it wasn't until they said you know, we're going to work on this bill. It's really important that we do it as a bipartisan, so that it's not a Republican Democrat bill, but it's something that is, you know, that everybody can come to agreement on. And so they worked on that through the semester and then, in May of this year, got a hold of me again and said hey, we've got the support we need, we're going to announce it soon, and so that's when he flew me out to kind of do some press and talk to DC, talk to different people up there, different senators, offices and stuff like that, to try to get even more support for that. So and the great thing about that too is is that we went there these pictures are still there.
Speaker 3:Up until that point, so Snapchat had never responded to any of my requests to have the accounts taken down or the pictures down, requests to have the accounts taken down or the pictures down. We even did a warrant through the sheriff's office and nothing was ever in response. And so that first meeting with Senator Cruz and he asked me he goes, are they still there? I go, yeah, because Snapchat won't respond. And so he was like we're getting on that right now.
Speaker 3:So within 24 hours, the accounts had been taken down and Snapchat had finally taken them down. But that's part of the issue and part of this bill is that they have 48 hours, once they've been notified, to take them down. And so you know me as a commoner, just a normal person, you know I don't have a big enough voice. You know it took me knowing someone that could actually get that done, and so that should not be the case. If my daughter's pictures or you know, something like this has happened again, these, you know, these big, huge tech companies, they should respond. They, you know, and that's, they have 48 hours with this bill to take it down.
Speaker 1:So and and then I was reading in in in the press and some of the interviews you did. You referred to Taylor Swift. If there was a copyright infringement or if this actually happened with the exact same thing, photo-wise, it would be down as soon as possible. If Disney and the Lion King the same thing, if there there was an event, that would be taken down right away. But us as like commoners, just average people, uh, who are the voters?
Speaker 1:But putting these people in the office, it, you know, just still give. It feels like give the, the predator, the, the person or persons it's. It's giving them. It feels like giving them like extra power and in a way, it's like they get an extra two days to like, you know, they can wait to our 47 and 59 minutes and and the, the harm and the damage and and, as you mentioned, allison with classmates and what people could see in the future of her job interviews and those types of things. There's already things that we don't know that come out there, but to know that something like this could potentially be sitting there, like this could potentially be sitting there. Eliston, I think I read about you were talking a little bit about mental health-wise. How has the situation affected your mental health and maybe give some pointers if somebody's going through a situation or things that may be coping mechanisms to utilize.
Speaker 2:Well, I mean, social media itself is already so toxic and the environment itself has created such a toxic environment. Now, and, um, someone who went through this, it takes a big toll on your mental health, especially if you're a teenager and you're going to high school. No matter what age you are, this situation is going to not benefit you. You're going to be affected negatively, which is what's awful about it. And, um, I deal with anxiety and this really just absolutely derailed I fully went off the rails and it was so scary.
Speaker 2:Um, I was constantly living in fear and I just didn't want to, like, come out of my room.
Speaker 2:I didn't want to socialize, I just completely wanted to cut off my ties with everyone and just be by myself and it made me lose trust and a lot of people and a lot of things.
Speaker 2:And it's really really, it's really important to I to really focus on mental health during these and just really understand that social media is already negative and the more that these images are getting created and the more that AI is getting put out there and used in a negative offense, the worse it's going to get.
Speaker 2:And this has happened all over the world, and teenagers are already talking about committing suicide or self-harming or things like that, and it's so hard to see, especially if someone doesn't have a good support group. And I'm so, so blessed to have my mom and to have girls around me who kind of went through something similar, so that I know, at the end of the day, I'm not alone, and a lot of people don't have that and as well as I'm very strong in my faith and I know that all things will turn out good in the end. But someone who isn't introduced to all of these things and have all of that around them, they're really, they could be struggling and they might not have a voice. And that's why I just think it's really important that we are getting this story out, because, at the end of the day, it's bigger than just me and my mom and it's just needs to be heard everywhere.
Speaker 1:It does and thank you for sharing that. And I don't know how much you know about me, but I mean 42 at age 37, diagnosed with major depression, anxiety and then low-spectrum autism, and so every day is kind of an act of recovery, regardless if it's recovering from a substance or recovering from another traumatic event, as this occurred. I commend you for again having a team and having people around you can talk to, and I can also relate about the faith that I was, let's say, like at my lowest point, had the therapist, the psychiatrist and medication, and I had been away from faith and the church for many years and I felt like there was something that was missing, like I felt like I was hitting on, starting to hit on all cylinders of recovering and the best that I could, and it wasn't until I went back and rediscovered, I guess, the faith and I remember and and it's crazy to think about, but I'm sure you can relate or at least understand it was a Christmas Eve and I hadn't been in church when, like a bigger event I mean regular Sunday the church just wasn't filled like to the gills and people standing, and so I was kind of going into the lion's den of, I'm putting like my anxiety and everything and to the to the test. And so I, I got there, got there early, um, and a family had, uh, you know, asked to sit next to me because there was an open room in the pew, and the, uh, the, and the one boy, he was a son and he kept asking like, hey, can you let me out? I need to go for a walk.
Speaker 1:And because we were there, I think an hour before, the church started to get a good seat and prepare. And so he did that about three or four times and one of the last times the mom turned to me and said you know, he's got, you know, anxiety and uh, then, and so that's why he keeps getting up to try to, you know, you know, sit in here makes him like extra anxious with the people and, uh, it's a little bit warm and thinking he's going to pass out. So he came back the one time and so I told him. I said, you know, I was like I don't know you, but I also have a ton of anxiety that there's others just like you said, just like you, just like me.
Speaker 1:And after mass the mom said, you know, it was a a kind thing to say but if I wouldn't have been in that situation I wouldn't have been able to, and if I wasn't sitting exactly there and so, like I said, we don't know who were who were touching with the the story, and the more people, the more venues, the more interviews we get on that it can only help others. So you're just extremely brave and, I have to also say, very well-spoken too, talking through the topics and into your points, and those are things that obviously are great for anybody to have. But, as you were, talking through difficult experiences and all the things that have come is great. It makes it somebody a little bit like an outsider, like myself, to learn a little bit more about the situation, not just, you know, reading a press release and seeing replays of the press conference.
Speaker 1:So, to get back into our conversation in how Senator Ted Cruz came to be about, so this legislation is referred to as the Take it Down Act, as the Take it Down Act and that stands for tools to address known exploitation by immobilizing technological deep fakes on websites and networks. How does that make you feel, anna? As far as the legislation part, it's difficult, but do you feel it's encompassing enough that, if it, you know continues to gain traction and gets signed into law and implemented. You know we talked about the 48 hours, still given the 48 hours, but but do you feel good about what's included in that?
Speaker 3:I do. I do because it addresses the AI aspect of everything. So this kid, had this been in law at that time, it would be a felony, first of all, which will not fall off of his record.
Speaker 3:And second, he would have had jail time with me. So that is the even being a minor. That was part of the issue is, we felt like because he was a minor and did this offense, he was protected. So he became more like the victim. Where our girls were, it was totally flip flop instead of being like, ok, he did this to them and should have some kind of consequence consequence.
Speaker 3:So this bill would allow anybody that did this would have jail time two to three years, and would also then that aspect of the, the big tech, having to take everything down within 48 hours. So this, to me, is a huge, huge bill, huge, something to put into law, put into practice the verbiage that we need to be able to prosecute. So next time, I mean, hopefully this kid will never do this again, but he needs to think about oh okay, yeah, I'm going to have a consequence. It's not just going to be a slap on the wrist. So hopefully this will help people to go. You know what? Maybe I don't need to do that, you know. So that's we're really excited and it really just having a voice. Finally somebody listening, just having a voice, finally somebody listening, hearing what we went through and being able to now do something because it really can affect anyone.
Speaker 3:you know, male, female, doesn't matter if you're a child or an adult this really. We've heard stories of every age group being affected by this, and so there's some statistic that said it's like increased by 400% just in a year. So you know it's not going away. So we've got to start putting things into law and you know, having verbiage and having consequences for these type of things.
Speaker 1:So you mentioned you were able to speak to other lawmakers in DC when you're there. How was their feedback? Was it similar to Senator Cruz?
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, we've had no pushback whatsoever, and that's been the wonderful part about this, is we can come together.
Speaker 1:It's not a.
Speaker 3:Republican or a Democratic, this is about our children, and so that, at the end of the the day, is really what it's about. It's about how do we protect our kids, and so we've got, I think, over 40 different organizations who have come and supported it. So celebrities, sports, mlb we've got Meta on board, we've got TikTok on board, so we really are gaining huge support for this no pushback whatsoever. So it's been really refreshing to go. You know what we can unite? We don't have to.
Speaker 1:It doesn't have to be anything political, it can just be about our children, and so that's the most important thing yes, and I think that's that's the key with all the divisiveness and craziness going on, that there are things, a lot of things, but this is definitely one. It's just about a human being and a family and somebody growing up. I mean, it's happening. It doesn't have to be like, oh well, I believe in this ideology or I'm against it, so to have that bipartisan support. So I don't have a ton of knowledge with legislation. So the Take it Down Act is it already in place? Does it have to be signed by the president, or how does all that?
Speaker 3:Well, it has to go through and they have to anonymously.
Speaker 3:It has to be voted in okay, so that's kind of the next step in this and he thinks uh, senator cruz thinks that he can get it done this year, so which is huge, because a lot of times legislation can take years to get it in place yeah, but we've got, we are gaining so much support with it and getting so much exposure to it that he really thinks that it can go into effect this year, so that it has had. I mean, he started at the beginning of the year but we're gaining so much support that we just feel really confident that it's going to go through that.
Speaker 1:I mean that's like I said, that's remarkable, uh, like a slow start, but things are picking up. And yeah, I mean you hear about years and years and back and forth in committee, out of committee, and all the wrangling for votes, and so I think this is definitely something that should be top of mind and it should be as soon as possible implemented, because you know any human being, any parent, any child, I mean, yeah, I'm just thinking about, you know, children that might be, you know, foster kids or in a situation where they might not have a ton of support, they could have extra negativity coming against them. They're just trying to grow up and if maybe the parent situation or the family isn't the greatest, it'll help even the most vulnerable out there as well, across the board, no questions asked. That's amazing. So, with all the press and appearances, does it take a toll on you, like being inundated with requests to share your story, and is that stressful? I don't know.
Speaker 2:Well, when this first whole situation happened, I felt so hopeless and this school wasn't really taking it seriously, and the first couple days that it happened I just felt like it wasn't going to get any better.
Speaker 1:And.
Speaker 2:I was fully convinced, like I'm just going to have to live with this.
Speaker 2:But as my mom has reached out to more people and as more people are beginning to understand what happened, it's a relief.
Speaker 2:And we had another story similar happen in New Jersey and seeing how far she's come and she was able to get her story on the news, and it just made me feel inspired because I'm not alone in this and someone who is across the world is able to get their story on the news, I was like that's just so inspiring and it helped me realize like I'm not alone in this. And with next thing, you know, my mom is like hey, I'm going to, we're going to New York City, we're going to Washington DC, we're meeting with Senator. It's just it all happened so fast and as overwhelming as it is. It's just helped me realize that like this is bigger than this, is bigger than just me, and I am getting this out and hopefully able to inspire girls. Like the story in New Jersey inspired me and I just hope that this is able to help others and help them realize like that they are supported and they it'll all be good in the end yeah, that's incredible.
Speaker 1:How, how can viewers, listeners, find out more about the legislation? What can they do to help support going forward?
Speaker 3:I mean they can write letters, they can call their senators, they can do pretty much what we did just reach out On Senator Cruz's website. The act is there and shows all the support you know on both sides of the aisle there. But yeah, I mean, if they want to, I mean it really. I think through this has also showed me that we, the people, do have a voice and a lot of times I think in politics we feel like we really don't. And so to be able to get where we are I mean it was because I reached out and so just be able to get where we are, I mean it was because I reached out and so just encouraging people to reach out and talk to your local reps and that kind of thing.
Speaker 3:So we've also gained momentum here in Texas, like our local rep here is on the criminal justice board. And I got to go speak to them about AI as well, and so we're working on state legislation, too, to get something put there as well. So it's just a matter of having a voice. I mean, do something, just anything, you know. Getting it out there. That's really what makes a difference.
Speaker 1:And it truly does. And you know you could have took a different approach of not reach out and but by you, like you said, you're just like, I'm going to call, I'm going to reach out until something starts getting traction. And I think, whether it's this experience or if somebody's in a different one, that if they're in a bad relationship and they're trying to get out, you've got to reach out. You've got to, unfortunately, try to make it happen as much as you can If it's a phone call or emails or what have you. That it's one of the models I kind of live by. The answer is always no if you don't ask. So by reaching out to 100 people, if one person responds, that one person could be the one that catapults.
Speaker 1:And we hear all these stories about. You know it took over 10,000 tries for the light bulb to be invented, and all these stories and those are things that, as you mentioned, alistair, you know down days of you know I have those as well. It's like I don't really want to do a whole lot and to know that you're not alone, that we're not alone just as human beings, that we're all going through something. It just happens that this something is, like you said it's bigger than you, it's bigger than your family, it's a human issue and that is, I think, why there's bipartisan support. There should be that on other topics, but we're talking about this and to have that bipartisan support and to potentially have it turned into a law from a bill within a year, that's incredible. I mean, you already have great resume, material, interviews and things. Hey, when were you in a I don't know say bad situation, but you know how did you turn, turn it around? Or have you ever been in a you know a group at school and and nobody was doing their work and you found, you know it was due in a week and nobody had done anything and I needed to do this project. And I can.
Speaker 1:I can see that, on top of just you as a well-spoken individual and again just being able to share, I hope that that continues, that more opportunities, more interviews, that this legislation goes through, that it gets passed and that it never happens again.
Speaker 1:Because that's kind of the goal of you know, we take kind of a situation that's a little bit you know, or it's a lot negative and turn it into like, okay, it's unfortunate this happened, but we stepped up, we reached out and like, like our organization of you know, just being a voice for whether it's just you or there's other people that are in need to the that might not be the person that reaches out and and it's vocal and that. So you're definitely being a voice for you and others in need. So, on that note, we've come to the end of our second part episode. So, ms Elliston and Mrs Anna, thank you so much for sticking with us for two episodes, for sharing your stories, and we wish you nothing but the the best for yeah the you and your families thank you very much thanks for helping us get our story out there.
Speaker 1:We appreciate you're you're welcome, absolutely, and I also want to thank you, our viewers, our listeners. Again. Part two of uh of this story, another, another powerful topic, again, subscribe, share, like we need to continue to get this topic out there because we do need this Take it Down Act to be enacted into law. So, if you can reach out to your senator, your house representative, your local lawmaker, do what Mrs Anna did and use your voice and reach out, because we all have a voice and it's up to us to try to do the best we can. So until next week, we want to thank you. I am your host, founder and executive director of Voices for Voices, justin Allen Hayes, and, as the saying goes, until next time, please be a voice for you or somebody in need.
