‘Disgusting’: Livid Taylor Swift leads the celebrity war on AI-generated porn
Source: TND
Taylor Swift is the latest celebrity victim of deepfake porn, putting a spotlight on an issue that is growing as a scourge of the internet.
Highly sexual AI-generated images of Swift flooded X, formerly Twitter, this week.
The images, which all featured realistic depictions of the singer’s face, appeared to angle around Swift’s highly-publicised attendance at boyfriend NFL player Travis Kelce’s games, with the singer posed among fans in the stands.
Swift, who will kick off the Australian leg of her Eras tour on February 16, is yet to publicly comment on the images. But a source told Daily Mail her family and friends were “furious” and legal action was being considered.
“Whether or not legal action will be taken is being decided but there is one thing that is clear: These fake AI-generated images are abusive, offensive, exploitative, and done without Taylor’s consent and/or knowledge,” the source said.
“The Twitter account that posted them does not exist anymore. It is shocking that the social media platform even let them be up to begin with.
“The door needs to be shut on this. Legislation needs to be passed to prevent this and laws must be enacted.”
Fans and other social media users were similarly incensed, sharing hopes the high-profile nature of the case might encourage anti-deepfake porn protections.
Fans rally in her defence
The phrase “Protect Taylor Swift” was trending on X on Friday, garnering more than 67,000 posts.
“Even if you hate Taylor Swift this is something you should 100 per cent support her on. It’s disgusting and dangerous, not even just for celebrities [sic],” one X user wrote.
“You shouldn’t have to be Taylor Swift and threaten legal action for people to know that posting images of others without their consent – real or deepfake – is completely wrong and unethical,” posted another.
Tweet from @YeoshinLourdes
Other celebrities targeted by sexually explicit AI-generated images or videos include Meghan Markle, Natalie Portman and Emma Watson.
Earlier this month, 17-year-old American actress Xochitl Gomez, known best for starring in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, told The Squeeze podcast she had been unable to remove sexually explicit deepfakes featuring her face from X.
‘Take this down!’
“It made me weirded out and I didn’t like it and I wanted it taken down,” she said.
“That was my main thought process was, ‘Down. Take this down. Please.’
“It wasn’t because I felt like it was invading my privacy, more just like it wasn’t a good look for me. This has nothing to do with me. And yet it’s on here with my face.”
The non-famous are also at risk of becoming the subject of deepfakes; in one case, several teenagers at a New Jersey high school discovered male classmates had used AI to create fake nudes of them, which were then shared around.
The problem is likely to get worse, as experts previously told The New Daily AI technology is more accessible than ever – and it’s getting harder to tell what’s real from what’s fake.
Alleged stalker arrested
Swift had other problems this week; 33-year-old Seattle man David Crowe was arrested and charged with harassment and stalking after he was found behaving erratically near the singer’s New York home.
It was reportedly Crowe’s third arrest in five days for the same offences. He was on “supervised release” for less than an hour after facing court for his second arrest before heading back to Swift’s home on Wednesday (local time).
In charging documents after Crowe’s second arrest, prosecutors claimed a security guard for an unnamed individual – presumably Swift – reported Crowe had been spotted near the megastar’s apartment about 30 times since late November, and had said he was there to speak to the same unnamed individual.
At a hearing on Thursday following his third arrest, Crowe faced second-degree criminal contempt charges, which carry a one-year prison sentence. The judge ordered he be remanded in custody as he had violated a pre-existing protection order.
Crowe’s next court date is February 7. Swift has not publicly commented on the case.
