Explicit deepfake images of Taylor Swift have U.S. lawmakers up in arms
With Taylor Swift the subject of explicit AI-created deepfake images posted on social media, U.S. lawmakers are up in arms about these fake photos which were spotted on sites like "X" and Telegram. According to the BBC, one particular deepfake photo of Swift was viewed 47 million times before it was taken down. Other images have also been removed and on "X", users cannot search for "Taylor Swift," "Taylor Swift AI," and "Taylor AI."
Besides removing the images, "X" said that it would take "appropriate actions" against the accounts involved in spreading the deepfakes. The Elon Musk-owned company added, "We're closely monitoring the situation to ensure that any further violations are immediately addressed, and the content is removed." Currently, there are no federal laws that prevent a person from creating or sharing deepfake images although on the state level, there has been some stirring from local lawmakers.
Now that social media sites have posted explicit deepfake photos of Taylor Swift, perhaps the most famous name in the U.S. entertainment industry, politicians on Capitol Hill are getting involved. US Representative Joe Morelle (D-NY) called the release of the photos "appalling." A study last year found that the number of doctored photographs rose 550% from 2019 thanks to the increasing use of AI.
New York Congresswoman Yvette Clarke says that this is an issue that both sides of the aisle should be working on
Morelle last year introduced the Preventing Deepfakes of Intimate Images Act which would make it illegal to share deepfake pornography without consent. The Representative says that urgent action is needed now because such images and videos "can cause irrevocable emotional, financial, and reputational harm - and unfortunately, women are disproportionately impacted." A report released last year said that pornography makes up the vast majority of deepfake AI images with women making up 99% of such images.
Another Democratic U.S. Representative from New York, Yvette Clarke, posted a tweet that said, "What's happened to Taylor Swift is nothing new. For yrs, women have been targets of deepfakes w/o their consent. And w/ advancements in AI, creating deepfakes is easier & cheaper. This is an issue both sides of the aisle & even Swifties should be able to come together to solve."
Tom Kean Jr, a Republican Congressman from New Jersey, said that it is "clear that AI technology is advancing faster than the necessary guardrails. Whether the victim is Taylor Swift or any young person across our country, we need to establish safeguards to combat this alarming trend."
The Twitter account that posted the images has been deactivated by the subscriber amid talk that Swift's legal team will sue the sites and accounts that posted the pornographic deepfake images.
You might recall that back in 2021, we passed along the story of a cheerleader's mother who created deepfake photos showing a member of her daughter's cheerleading team vaping, drinking, and posing in the nude.
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