At least 46 female MEPs have been victims of pornographic deepfakes created using artificial intelligence. Thatʼs about one in six women in the European Parliament. At least four male MEPs have also been affected by such deepfakes.
Politico writes about this, citing research by the German organization “Agora Digital Transformation”.
Pornographic deepfakes are photos or videos of a sexual nature that are created using AI without a personʼs consent. Researchers say politicians are particularly vulnerable to such attacks because their photos and videos are widely available online.
Researchers checked the names of all 720 MEPs on 200 websites known to spread pornographic deepfakes and other sexualized content. They found 50 MEPs — 46 women and four men — whose names were linked to such content.
In eight cases — all involving women — the researchers directly found sexualized images created or altered through manipulation of the deputiesʼ appearances.
Photos, biographies, or social media links of another 22 deputies were found on so-called gateway sites that offer tools for creating nude images using AI.
The researchers also found that the names of 46 MPs still appear in search results on such sites, although the content itself is no longer available. In 26 cases, the entries remained even after the sites were blocked.
The European Parliament has already approved a ban on apps used to create pornographic deepfakes. It is set to fully take effect in the EU on December 2.
On September 30, 119 MEPs called on EU leaders to ensure the effective implementation of this ban. They also called for the swift conclusion of an investigation into the possible use of Grok to create deepfakes.
“Agora Digital Transformation” believes that responsibility should be extended not only to the developers of such services, but also to payment systems and domain registrars. The organization also proposes to oblige search engines to remove sites that create pornographic deepfakes from search results.
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