Elon Musk’s social media platform X has restored searches for Taylor Swift after temporarily blocking users from seeing some results as pornographic deepfake images of the singer circulated online. Searches for the singer’s name on the site Tuesday turned up a list of tweets as normal.
Quick Read
- Elon Musk’s social media platform X has restored searches for Taylor Swift after temporarily blocking users from seeing some results due to the circulation of pornographic deepfake images of the singer.
- Users who attempted to search for Taylor Swift on the platform received an error message and a prompt to retry their search, but some were able to bypass the block by using quote marks around her name.
- Sexually explicit and abusive deepfake images of Taylor Swift circulated widely on the platform, prompting concerns and action from X to address the issue.
- X’s head of business operations, Joe Benarroch, stated that search functionality has been re-enabled, and the platform will remain vigilant in removing such content if found.
- Swift’s fanbase, known as “Swifties,” mobilized to counter the deepfake images by flooding the platform with positive content and using the #ProtectTaylorSwift hashtag. They also reported accounts sharing deepfakes.
- Some search terms related to Taylor Swift, like “Taylor Swift AI,” may still be blocked on the platform.
- These deepfake images of Taylor Swift were generated using artificial intelligence image-generation technology, allowing for the creation of new images from written prompts.
The Associated Press has the story:
X restores Taylor Swift searches after deepfake explicit images triggered temporary block
Newslooks- LONDON (AP) —
Elon Musk’s social media platform X has restored searches for Taylor Swift after temporarily blocking users from seeing some results as pornographic deepfake images of the singer circulated online.
Searches for the singer’s name on the site Tuesday turned up a list of tweets as normal.
A day earlier, the same search resulted in an error message and a prompt for users to retry their search, which added, “Don’t fret — it’s not your fault.” Users, however, had been able to get around the block by putting quote marks around her name.
Sexually explicit and abusive fake images of Swift began circulating widely last week on X, formerly known as Twitter, making her the most famous victim of a scourge that tech platforms and anti-abuse groups have struggled to fix.
“Search has been re-enabled and we will continue to be vigilant for any attempt to spread this content and will remove it if we find it,” Joe Benarroch, head of business operations at X, said in a statement.
Earlier, he said the company had taken “temporary action” to stop the searches and that it was “done with an abundance of caution” as it prioritized safety
At least one search term — Taylor Swift AI — was still apparently blocked. Unlike more conventional doctored images that have troubled celebrities in the past, the Swift images appear to have been created using an artificial intelligence image-generator that can instantly create new images from a written prompt.
After the images began spreading online, the singer’s devoted fanbase of “Swifties” quickly mobilized, launching a counteroffensive on X and a #ProtectTaylorSwift hashtag to flood it with more positive images of the pop star. Some said they were reporting accounts that were sharing the deepfakes.
