According to some sources, more than 20 members of Congress have been victims of deepfake porn, and female members are most likely to be targeted. new report It was released on Wednesday.
A report by the American Sunlight Project, an advocacy group focused on combating disinformation, found more than 35,000 mentions of 26 members of Congress on prominent deepfake websites. The affected members included 25 women and one man.
“This report reveals a stark and alarming reality,” Nina Jankowitz, CEO of the American Sunlight Project, said in a statement.
“Women in Congress are being targeted by AI-generated deepfake porn at an alarming rate,” she continued, adding, “This is not just a technical issue; it is a direct threat to women in leadership and to democracy itself.” What an attack.”
After the group notified the affected lawmakers, the content depicting 14 of them was removed within 48 hours, the report said.
Content depicting nine other members of Congress was completely or largely removed, but remained on landing pages or search results pages.
“The majority of targets of deepfake sexual abuse are civilians and even minors, who often lack the resources to redress the harm done to them.” Junco Witts said.
“I myself have been targeted by this vile content,” she added. “As a survivor and a researcher, I feel strongly that all women like me deserve to be protected by our government and receive justice for the sexual abuse they have endured. It is high time Congress acted. It's been a long time since.
Last week, the Senate passed a bill that would criminalize non-consensual, sexually explicit images, including deepfakes, generated using artificial intelligence (AI) and require platforms to remove the content once notified.
The bill, known as the TAKE IT DOWN Act, is one of several bills moving through Congress seeking to address the growing problem of sexually explicit deepfakes.
The Definitely False Images and Nonconsensual Editing Act, also known as the DEFIANCE Act, also passed the Senate in July. The bill would create a federal civil remedy for victims of deepfake porn.
In the House of Representatives, the DEFIANCE Act was introduced by Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (New York). The lawmaker shared his personal experience of being targeted by sexually explicit AI-generated content.
