Taylor Swift Deepfakes Spark Calls In Congress For New Legislation

Following the widespread circulation of digitally altered images featuring Taylor Swift, which garnered millions of views online, lawmakers in the United States are advocating for new legislation that would criminalize the production of deepfakes.

These manipulated images surfaced on various social media platforms such as Telegram and X, prompting US Representative Joe Morelle to denounce the dissemination of the photos as "appalling."

In response to the situation, platform X stated that it is taking appropriate actions against the accounts responsible for sharing the images and actively working to remove them. The platform emphasized its commitment to closely monitoring the situation, promptly addressing any further violations, and ensuring the removal of objectionable content.

While many of the images seem to have been removed by the time of this statement, one specific photo of Taylor Swift reportedly accumulated 47 million views before it was taken down.

Deepfakes leverage artificial intelligence (AI) to create manipulated videos by altering the facial or bodily features of individuals. A study conducted in 2023 revealed a 550% increase in the production of manipulated images since 2019, driven by advancements in AI technology.

Presently, there are no federal laws in place in the United States prohibiting the sharing or production of deepfake images. However, there have been initiatives at the state level to address this issue. In the United Kingdom, the sharing of deepfake pornography was made illegal through the Online Safety Act in 2023.