After sexually explicit deepfake images of Taylor Swift broke the internet, Washington is finally stepping in; but how effective is its plan?

About a week ago, AI-generated pornographic images of Taylor Swift swept the internet at an alarming rate.

The fake pictures went so viral that one image was “seen 47 million times on X before it was removed” after only being up for “about 17 hours,” Hilary Kennedy tells Pat Gray.

After the images were finally discovered, X blocked any searches related to Taylor Swift for a temporary period of time in an effort to prevent the explicit content from circulating even more.

The website responsible for publishing the images “has done this with lots of celebrities before,” says Hilary.

Because these deepfakes are so “incredibly convincing, people in Washington are finally trying to do something about [it]” via a policy called the Defiance Act, which was “introduced by Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Dick Durbin, Lindsey Graham, Senator Josh Hawley, and Senator Amy Klobuchar.”

Senator Durbin stated that “sexually-explicit deepfake content is often used to exploit and harass women—particularly public figures, politicians, and celebrities...Although the imagery may be fake, the harm to the victims from the distribution of sexually explicit deepfakes is very real. Victims have lost their jobs, and they may suffer ongoing depression or anxiety. By introducing this legislation, we’re giving power back to the victims, cracking down on the distribution of deepfake images, and holding those responsible for the images accountable.”

The Defiance Act “would enable people who are victims of this to be able to take civil action against anybody that produces it [or] possesses it with the intent to distribute it,” says Hilary.

Further, people who are in possession of deepfake images “knowing the victim did not consent” can also “be held liable.”

But Pat sees some holes in this new Defiance Act.

“For instance, if you got Taylor Swift deepfakes, you don't know for sure whether she said it's okay or not,” he says.

To hear more of the conversation, watch the clip below.

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