New york targets major deepfake sites in historic takedown

New York officials have seized over a dozen deepfake websites that distributed nonconsensual explicit content featuring celebrities, politicians, and public figures. The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office announced the takedown of 12 domains, which had been used to unlawfully share, publish, and sell celebrity deepfake videos. Around 1,200 individuals, mostly women, were depicted in the harmful content, including social media influencers, actors, activists, athletes, musicians, and politicians. District Attorney Alvin Bragg emphasized the severe emotional and mental toll on victims, urging them to come forward. The seized sites, which were likely viewed millions of times, often used names like 'sex celebrity' or promised 'real deepfakes.' Some hosted videos of world-famous celebrities, with one site claiming to have been online since 2018. Researchers noted that many videos were manipulated pornographic movies featuring celebrities’ faces. Leonie Oehmig of the Institute for Strategic Dialogue highlighted the significance of the takedowns, noting that enforcement of state laws demonstrates the feasibility of tackling synthetic nonconsensual intimate imagery. Benjamin Shultz of the American Sunlight Project reported that some videos were reposts from the defunct MrDeepFakes site. He also noted that 56 European politicians, including 16 U.S. officials, were featured on the seized websites. Oehmig stressed the need for comprehensive intervention targeting the entire deepfake ecosystem, from creation to monetization.