By Alison Harner ‘24
The social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter) has temporarily blocked all search results related to Taylor Swift after AI-generated graphic images of the singer-songwriter began going viral in late January. Due to the singer’s massive platform, the images drew widespread attention from distressed fans, and even reached the White House.
Many fans attempted to cover up the images by promoting real photos of Swift, using the phrase “protect Taylor Swift,” hoping to distract attention from the graphic images with a new trend.
X released a statement on Friday, stating that posting nudity in any form on the app is prohibited. The platform also announced that they are attempting to remove all reported images and related accounts.
US officials were reportedly alarmed by the spread of these images, and have begun raising concerns about the lack of regulations surrounding the release of such images, especially those targeted toward celebrities. White House press secretary Katherine Jean-Pierre expressed during a briefing that more legislation should be established to prevent content like this from ending up on social media apps in the first place, especially because AI technology has quickly become more complex as its popularity grows.
Many politicians and social media users are calling for the creation and posting of deepfake images to become illegal. The word “deepfake” has arisen in recent years to describe a purely AI-generated image using a person’s face or body. The United Kingdom outlawed the sharing of deepfake pornography in 2023 as a part of its Online Safety Act, so it is likely that the United States will be soon to follow, especially after a beloved celebrity falls victim to such inappropriate technology.
Sources
Yousif, N. (2024, January 28). X blocks searches for Taylor Swift after explicit AI images of her go viral. BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-68123671