On Saturday (Jan. 27), individuals browsing for information on Taylor Swift on X (formerly Twitter) encountered an unexpected issue.
Upon entering the name of the 34-year-old music icon in the search bar on X, users were met with the message: “Something went wrong. Consider reloading.” As of Saturday evening, Swift’s verified X accounts remained accessible.
Billboard has reached out to the social media platform’s team for a statement.
The search glitch on X emerged days after explicit algorithm-generated images of Swift went viral online. A post containing these images garnered 47 million views on X before the account was suspended the following day, Wednesday night (Jan. 25). Although X swiftly removed the misleading images from multiple accounts, they continued to circulate on other social platforms. Consequently, the hashtag “Protect Taylor Swift” gained traction on X.
In response to the incident, the White House issued a statement advocating for regulations to protect victims of online harassment. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre labeled the event as “alarming” and emphasized the Biden administration’s focus on addressing the adverse impacts of AI.
Jean-Pierre highlighted the necessity for legislative action, stating, “Congress should take action. That’s how you address these issues,” as reported by The Verge.
To combat such forms of intimidation, Jean-Pierre underscored the crucial role that social media companies play in enforcing their own policies.
It is a known fact that women and girls often bear the brunt of online harassment and abuse.
SAG-AFTRA expressed that the unauthorized creation and dissemination of explicit images should be deemed illegal. The union emphasized the urgency of collective societal action to prevent irreversible consequences.
The writer’s union condemned the images as “disturbing, dangerous, and deeply troubling.”
