San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu has filed lawsuits against more than a dozen websites that his office alleges are engaging in the creation of nonconsensual deepfake nude images of women and girls around the world.
The legal action asserts that the 16 websites and their owners have violated state and federal laws that prohibit deepfake pornography, revenge pornography, and child pornography.
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According to the city attorney’s office, these websites provide easy-to-use interfaces for uploading clothed images of individuals and transforming them into AI-generated, “undressed” versions, primarily of women and girls.
“These images, which are virtually indistinguishable from real photographs, are used to extort, bully, threaten, and humiliate women and girls,” the city attorney stated in a press release. “Victims of nonconsensual deepfake pornography have little to no recourse or control over their own image once these manipulated images are circulated.”
The prevalent issue of deepfake nude images has particularly affected celebrities, but officials are now alarmed by the exploitation of middle and high school students. The lawsuit cites a case from February where such images of eighth-graders were circulated within a California middle school.
Concerns have escalated regarding the widespread accessibility and popularity of these websites. The city attorney’s office reports that collectively, the websites have garnered over 200 million visits in the first half of 2024.
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Chiu emphasized, “We must clarify that this is not innovation—this is sexual abuse. This is a significant, multifaceted issue that we, as a society, must address promptly. We all have a responsibility to combat malicious actors who exploit and harm real individuals, including children, through AI technology.”
The lawsuit is requesting the permanent shutdown of the 16 AI-generated websites, along with financial penalties to cover the expenses incurred in pursuing the legal action.
Legislators have introduced various bills aimed at preventing and regulating the use of AI for creating deepfake images, particularly explicit ones.
