Congress Urges New Legislation as Taylor Swift Deepfake Scandal Sparks Outrage

The distribution of explicit fake images of Taylor Swift through deepfake technology has ignited a call for new legislation by US politicians.

The scandal unfolded as these manipulated images gained millions of views on social media platforms, including X and Telegram. In response to the incident, US Representative Joe Morelle condemned the spread of such pictures as “appalling.”

X, a platform where the images surfaced, stated that it is actively removing the content and taking appropriate actions against the involved accounts.

The platform assured ongoing monitoring to address any further violations promptly and ensure content removal. While many of the images have been taken down, one photo of Swift reportedly garnered 47 million views before removal.

Deepfakes, which deploy artificial intelligence (AI) to manipulate facial features or bodies in videos, have witnessed a 550% rise in doctored image creation since 2019, according to a 2023 study.

The absence of federal laws against the creation or sharing of deepfake images has prompted calls for urgent legislative action. In contrast, some states have taken measures to address the issue.

Democratic Representative Joe Morelle, who previously introduced the Preventing Deepfakes of Intimate Images Act, emphasized the need for immediate action, highlighting the potential irrevocable harm caused by such images, particularly impacting women disproportionately.

The prevalence of deepfake pornography, constituting the majority of such content online, raises concerns about the vulnerability of women, who make up 99% of those targeted, according to the State of Deepfakes report.

Representative Yvette D Clarke noted that women have been targeted by this technology for years, with advancements in AI making deepfake creation more accessible.

Republican Congressman Tom Kean Jr echoed concerns about AI technology advancing faster than protective measures.

Regardless of the victim, whether Taylor Swift or any young person, the urgent establishment of safeguards is deemed necessary to combat this alarming trend.

While Swift has not publicly addressed the incident, reports suggest her team is contemplating legal action against the platform responsible for publishing the AI-generated images.

The incident adds to the growing worries surrounding AI-generated content as global elections proceed, exemplified by a recent fake robocall allegedly made by AI claiming to be from US President Joe Biden.