Despite the restrictions imposed by Twitter on such content, pornographic images altered using Photoshop featuring Taylor Swift were widely circulated this month. The pop icon was portrayed in sexually suggestive and explicit positions in these AI-generated nonconsensual images. Reports from US media indicate that certain tweets sharing these images garnered over 27 million views and 260,000 likes within 19 hours before the account responsible for posting them was suspended.
Twitter’s policy explicitly prohibits the sharing of synthetic, manipulated, or out-of-context media that could mislead or harm individuals. The Independent has reached out to both Twitter and Swift’s team for their comments on the matter. Fans of Swift and others have expressed outrage at the “violently sexist” nature of the images and the delay in their removal.
Ben Decker, the director of the research firm Memetica, highlighted the misuse of AI technology in generating such harmful content, emphasizing the lack of sufficient safeguards in place to protect users. He criticized social media companies for their inadequate monitoring of content. The images were not only circulated on Twitter but also on Facebook and Reddit, prompting Meta, Facebook’s parent company, to take action against accounts sharing the offensive material.
The Daily Mail reported that the singer is contemplating legal action against the pornographic site hosting the algorithmically generated images. TikTok has also updated its policies to prohibit deepfakes of public figures and minors, requiring all content depicting real individuals to be clearly labeled as fake or altered. Meta has joined the Take It Down initiative, an online tool facilitating the removal of explicit content from various platforms.
Sensity AI, a fraud detection company, revealed that over 90% of circulating deepfakes are created using this technology. To combat this issue, proposed measures under the Online Safety Bill empower law enforcement to hold deepfake creators accountable, potentially leading to criminal charges. These developments coincide with recent incidents involving a man repeatedly stalking Taylor Swift near her New York City residence, resulting in charges of trespassing and stalking.
