![\"Taylor](\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/240\/cpsprodpb\/8B1E\/production\/_132441653_65a489501d545221f9d7899972c0a1a0e7088df0.jpg.webp)
<\/picture><\/span>Reuters<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\nUS politicians have called for new laws to criminalise the creation of deepfake images, after explicit faked photos of Taylor Swift were viewed millions of times online.<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The images were posted on social media sites, including X and Telegram.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n US Representative Joe Morelle called the spread of the pictures “appalling”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n In a statement, X said it was “actively removing” the images and taking “appropriate actions” against the accounts involved in spreading them.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n It added: “We’re closely monitoring the situation to ensure that any further violations are immediately addressed, and the content is removed.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n While many of the images appear to have been removed at the time of publication, one photo of Swift was viewed a reported 47 million times before being taken down.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Deepfakes use artificial intelligence (AI) to make a video of someone by manipulating their face or body. A study in 2023 found that there has been a 550% rise in the creation of doctored images since 2019, fuelled by the emergence of AI. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n There are currently no federal laws against the sharing or creation of deepfake images, though there have been moves at state level to tackle the issue. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n In the UK, the sharing of deepfake pornography became illegal as part of its Online Saftey Act in 2023.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Democratic Rep Morelle, who last year unveiled the proposed Preventing Deepfakes of Intimate Images Act – which would have made it illegal to share deepfake pornography without consent – called for urgent action on the issue.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n He said the images and videos “can cause irrevocable emotional, financial, and reputational harm – and unfortunately, women are disproportionately impacted”. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Pornography consists of the overwhelmingly majority of the deepfakes posted online, with women making up 99% of those targeted in such content, according to the State of Deepfakes report published last year. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n “What’s happened to Taylor Swift is nothing new,” Democratic Rep Yvette D Clarke posted on X. She noted that women had been targeted by the technology “for years,” adding that with “advancements in AI, creating deepfakes is easier & cheaper”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Republican Congressman Tom Kean Jr agreed, saying that it is “clear that AI technology is advancing faster than the necessary guardrails”. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n “Whether the victim is Taylor Swift or any young person across our country, we need to establish safeguards to combat this alarming trend,” he added. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Swift has not spoken publicly about the images, but the Daily Mail reported that her team is “considering legal action” against the site which published the AI-generated images.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Worries about AI-generated content have increased as billions of people vote in elections this year across the globe. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n This week, a fake robocall claiming to be from US President Joe Biden sparked an investigation. It is thought to have been Made by AI.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n