Meta 'supreme court' takes on cases of deepfake porn

Meta's oversight board said Tuesday it is scrutinizing the social media titan's deepfake porn policies, through the lens of two cases.

The move by what is referred to as a Meta "supreme court" for content moderation disputes comes just months after the widespread sharing of lewd AI-generated images of megastar Taylor Swift on X, formerly Twitter.

The Meta board picked its two cases, regarding images shared on Instagram and Facebook, to "assess whether Meta's policies and its enforcement practices are effective at addressing explicit AI-generated imagery," it said in the release.

The board can make recommendations regarding the social media giant's deepfake porn policies but it is up to the tech firm to actually make any changes.

The first case taken up by the Meta Oversight Board involves an AI-generated image of a nude woman posted on Instagram.

The woman pictured resembled a public figure in India, sparking complaints from users in that country.

Meta left the image up, later saying it did so in error, the board said.

The second case involves a picture posted to a Facebook group devoted to AI creations.

That image depicted a nude woman resembling "an American public figure" with a man groping one of her breasts, the board said in a release.

The board did not name the woman, who it said was identified in a caption on the synthetic image at issue.

Meta removed the image for violating its harassment policy, and the user who posted the content appealed the decision, according to the board.

People were invited to submit comment, particularly on the gravity of harms posed by deepfake pornography and the harm it does to women who are public figures.

Deepfake porn images of celebrities are not new, but activists and regulators are worried that easy-to-use tools employing generative AI will create an uncontrollable flood of toxic or harmful content.

The targeting of Swift, one of the world's top-streamed artists whose latest concert tour propelled her to the top of American fame, shined a spotlight on the phenomenon, with her legions of fans outraged at the development.

"It is alarming," said White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, when asked about the images at the time.

"Sadly we know that lack of enforcement (by the tech platforms) disproportionately impacts women and they also impact girls who are the overwhelming targets of online harassment," Jean-Pierre added.

UK to outlaw creation of sexually-explicit 'deepfakes'

The UK government announced Tuesday that it will legislate to criminalise the creation of sexually-explicit "deepfake" images.

Anyone found guilty of creating fake sexual images of people without their consent will face a criminal record, an unlimited fine and even jail if the image is widely shared, according to the government.

"It is another example of ways in which certain people seek to degrade and dehumanise others - especially women," said Minister for Victims and Safeguarding Laura Farris.

"It has the capacity to cause catastrophic consequences if the material is shared more widely. This government will not tolerate it.

"This new offence sends a crystal clear message that making this material is immoral, often misogynistic, and a crime," she added.

The new offence will be introduced through an amendment to the Criminal Justice Bill, which is currently making its way through parliament.

Yvette Cooper, shadow interior minister with the opposition Labour Party, welcomed the announcement.

"Superimposing somebody's image onto sexually explicit photos and videos is a gross violation of their autonomy and privacy, which can cause enormous harm, and it must not be tolerated," she said.