After X, formerly known as Twitter, reportedly took action to stop the spread of artificial intelligence (AI)-generated porn videos featuring the star's likeness, some searches on the term "Taylor Swift" produced no results on Monday.
Some of the megastar's name-based queries that AFP tried, like "Taylor Swift AI," resulted in messages stating "something went wrong."
After Swift's fans, the White House, and others expressed disapproval of AI-generated porn featuring her being shared on the platform and other online platforms, X temporarily blocked searches utilizing Swift's name, according to The Verge and other US media.
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Head of business Joe Benarroch was quoted by The Verge as saying that the Swift search ban was a temporary measure meant to "prioritize safety." X did not respond to a request for comment.
Before it was taken down on Thursday, a bogus picture of the American megastar had been viewed 47 million times on X. According to US media, the post was active on the platform for about 17 hours.
When asked about the images on Friday, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said, " It is alarming. "
"Sadly, we know that lack of enforcement (by the tech platforms) disproportionately impacts women, and they also impact girls who are the overwhelming targets of online harassment," Jean-Pierre added.
While deepfake celebrity pornography is not new, regulators and activists fear that easily accessible tools utilizing generative artificial intelligence (AI) will unleash an uncontrollably destructive and toxic content flood.
With her fans furious at the development, Swift's targeting—one of the most streamed artists in the world whose most recent concert tour catapulted her to the pinnacle of American fame—may shed new light on the phenomenon.
Because X has more laxer nudity policies than Facebook or Instagram, which Meta owns, analysts claim that X is one of the largest platforms for porn content globally.
In a statement last week, X said that "posting Non-Consensual Nudity (NCN) images is strictly prohibited on X and we have a zero-tolerance policy towards such content."
The Elon Musk-owned platform said it was "actively removing all identified images and taking appropriate actions against the accounts responsible for posting them."
