Social network X blocks keyword Taylor Swift after pornographic image incident

Since Sunday afternoon, when typing the keyword "Taylor Swift" into the search box of social network X (formerly Twitter), users receive the message "Sorry, an error occurred".

“This is a temporary move taken out of an abundance of caution as we prioritise safety in this area,” said Joe Benarroch, head of business operations at X.

Taylor Swift attends the 81st Annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, California, USA on January 7, 2024. Photo: AFP

Earlier on January 25, social network X appeared with deepfake AI pornographic images of Taylor Swift. According to a report by the New York Times, the images created by artificial intelligence (AI) had up to 47 million views before the account was locked the next day.

X went on to disable several other accounts sharing the fake images, but the images soon spread to other social media platforms. "Protect Taylor Swift" quickly became a trending phrase on X.

The scandal has also prompted the White House to express concern, calling for legislation to protect victims of online harassment. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre called the fake images “alarming” on Friday (January 26) and said social media companies have a responsibility to prevent the spread of such misinformation.

The Screen Actors Guild of America (SAG-AFTRA) also issued a statement on the issue, writing: "The creation and distribution of fake images, especially images of a sexual nature, without someone's consent should be illegal. As a society, we have the right to control these technologies, but we must act now before it's too late."

The problem of fake celebrity pornographic images on the Internet has been around since the advent of Photoshop. But it was the AI boom that really raised concerns due to the incredible ability of this technology to create convincingly realistic fake images.

In the US, only nine states currently have laws against the unauthorized creation or sharing of deepfakes, which are synthetic images created to mimic a person’s likeness, mostly for use in pornography and elections. But there is no clear regulation of the impact of AI.

Hoai Phuong (according to CNN, Reuters, Billboard)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/mang-xa-hoi-x-chan-tu-khoa-taylor-swift-sau-vu-anh-khieu-dam-gia-mao-post282846.html