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After fake sexually explicit images of Taylor Swift spread across social media this week, fans are drowning the AI-generated photos out with the tagline “protect Taylor Swift.”
According to the New York Times, Swift was a victim of deepfake porn — nonconsensual and fake nude or sexual images of someone that are created using AI. The photos spread quickly on X (formerly Twitter), with one of the images reportedly being viewed more than 47 million times before the account it stemmed from was suspended, according to the Times. The Times reports X is working to remove these images, but NBC News notes that it took 19 hours for the account in question to be suspended.
“Our teams are actively removing all identified images and taking appropriate actions against the accounts responsible for posting them,” X told the Times. “We’re closely monitoring the situation to ensure that any further violations are immediately addressed, and the content is removed.”
Still, Swifties wasted no time in taking action. To bury the explicit photos, fans posted real pictures of Swift with phrases like “protect Taylor Swift,” “respect Taylor Swift,” and “Taylor Swift AI” to make it hard for people searching for the deepfakes to find them. NBC News notes that Swift's fans also engaged in a “mass reporting campaign,” flooding X with reports of the images that violate the platform's guidelines.
Deepfake porn is becoming increasingly common, and can easily be made using free and available AI tools. Some states have laws regulating deepfakes, but there's currently no federal law against it. While porn is the most common use of deepfakes, they've also been used to impersonate celebrities and public figures, to scam people for money, and more. Beyond imagery, deepfakes can also include audio recordings and video, too.
It's not just celebrities who are vulnerable to deepfakes — young people around the country have also had fake explicit photos of them shared in schools and on social media. Francesca Mani, 15, recently launched a website to help other deepfake victims, and is working to secure legislation to protect victims like her.
