Manhattan DA takes down 12 AI deepfake porn sites

The Manhattan District Attorney has taken down 12 AI-generated deepfake porn sites, a significant step in combating the growing problem of non-consensual imagery created and distributed online. The legal action, led by District Attorney Alvin Bragg, involved seizing domain names associated with these platforms, which specialized in generating sexually explicit content using real people's faces and bodies. Bragg emphasized that many of the individuals appearing in these deepfakes were celebrities, but also highlighted cases involving domestic violence victims who were unaware of the potential harm. He urged more victims to come forward and stated that his office would not tolerate sexual exploitation, regardless of whether it was created using traditional or AI methods. The investigation is ongoing, and authorities are committed to monitoring for any attempts to resurrect these platforms on new domains. This action follows similar efforts by governments and tech companies, including a lawsuit filed by Microsoft against developers using Azure OpenAI services to create deepfake pornography and an inquiry by the European Commission into X’s Grok AI tool after it was used to generate images of a minor. The District Attorney’s office is actively working to address the broader issue of AI-driven sexual exploitation and protect victims from the damaging effects of these deepfakes.