Could Taylor Swift help turn the tide against deepfake pornography?

I like Taylor Swift. Not just because of her music, which I enjoy listening to although not on a regular basis, but because, in general, I respect artists talented enough to write their own songs, and who, like her, have a no-nonsense attitude.

My admiration for her has been boosted by her using her popularity to force companies like Apple to rethink their payment scheme to creators, to re-record her material so as to regain the rights stolen from her by a record industry mogul, as well as to draw attention to the dirty tactics of companies like Ticketmaster. In addition, she is also a generous person who seems to appreciate those who work for her at all levels.

As if that weren’t enough, Taylor Swift can literally move the Earth. Sadly, her seismic fame has now made her the object of deepfake porn, the degrading practice that objectifies women, turning them into a source of sexual entertainment, and that hopefully will soon be subject to severe penalties. Other prominent women, like Scarlett Johansson, have already given up the fight against deepfake porn, but with Taylor Swift, things could, possibly, start to change.

In today’s world, somebody as popular as Taylor Swift was eventually going to be a target for criminals, whether unwittingly selling pots and pans, or in this case, as the star of fake pornography that has been massively shared on X. In response, her legion of fans took to the net to share real images of her with the hashtag “Protect Taylor Swift”, was well-intentioned, but insufficient.

X responded by blocking all searches for Taylor Swift to prevent the circulation of these images, which were subsequently removed, and there is talk that it could have prompted the creation of new content moderation structures, which Elon Musk has dismantled since buying the company.

Perhaps this case will prove a turning point in combatting this appalling practice and end up being something positive for women in general (98% of deepfake porn on the net involves women): as Wired says, if Swift can’t defeat deepfake porn, no one can. MIT Technology Review has written an open letter to the artist telling her that they are sorry for this attack and that they understand how she may feel about it, but that this is an opportunity for someone like her to fight and defend herself by giving visibility to the issue so that protective measures can be taken to protect other women.

The question, of course, is what can be done when the technology allows virtually anyone to create and publish this type of content, which is guaranteed to go viral. In addition to using watermarks that allow images to be identified for removal or protective layers that confuse algorithms, technical solutions that offer some scope, but are not problem-free, it’s obvious that tougher legal measures are needed to punish people who create or distribute this type of material. We’ve been talking about this for some time in the wake of scandals at schools in Spain and the United States.

Obviously, regulation has its limits and can be difficult to exercise when it affects people in other jurisdictions, but that does not mean that nothing can be done. It’s important that deepfake pornography is not allowed to be normalized as a joke or a minor problem because the images are not real, and instead called out as the disgusting, contemptible practice it is. We will see now if Taylor Swift, besides setting off earthquakes, can at least raise awareness of this so that action can be taken.

(En español, aquí)