Deepfake by Marco Verch for Flickr
Google has received over 13,000 copyright complaints spanning nearly 30,000 URLs dedicated to distributing and hosting deepfake adult content under the Digital Media Copyright Act (DMCA).
The prevalence of nonconsensual deepfake adult content has witnessed a staggering surge since 2017, raising alarm bells for the safety and dignity of thousands of women, including online content creators and streamers.
This concerning trend has prompted an influx of complaints to Google, urging the company to remove these explicit videos from its search results.
A meticulous analysis by Wired found that tens of thousands of copyright complaints have been lodged at Google under the DMCA. The frequency of these complaints has consistently increased, underscoring the urgent need to address the proliferation of nonconsensual deepfake content.
Two major deepfake video platforms have come under intense scrutiny, with each receiving over 6,000 and 4,000 complaints, respectively. Data from Google and Harvard University’s Lumen database reveals that approximately 82% of these complaints have resulted in the removal of URLs from Google’s search results.
But even this is not enough. Legal experts and advocates argue that Google should do more in this field and take robust action against them, including completely removing sites from search results to minimise their visibility and impact.
However, it is not Google’s responsibility alone. As Sophie Compton, Reuben Hamlyn, and Elizabeth Woodward, founders of #MyImageMyChoice, say, ” Search engines like Google drive most of the total web traffic to deepfake porn sites, while credit card companies process their payments. Internet service providers let people access them, while major services like Amazon Cloudflare and Microsoft’s GitHub host them. And social media sites like X allow the content to circulate at scale.”
The severity of the issue becomes evident when considering the statistics for the largest deepfake video platform. Google has received a whopping 12,000 requests for the site takedown, leading to the removal of about 88% of the offending content.
Experts argue that as the volume of illicit material is quite large, Google should reconsider the presence of such sites in its search results. The rise of the deepfake industry has outpaced the efforts of the tech and legal experts to address the problem.
Advancements in machine learning have only fueled the ease with which these deep fakes can be created. Today, deepfake content encompasses various forms, including face-swapping on existing adult material or producing an altogether new material from scratch.
The victims, predominantly women, experience the weaponisation of these deepfakes, leading to degradation, harassment and shame. There has been an increase in deepfake videos, including those of children, circulating freely on the internet.
Currently, only the DMCA is the single point of remedy for intellectual property owners who request the removal of content directly from websites or search results.
Google has received over 8 billion such content removal requests covering a range of content, underscoring the scale of the problem. In response to these concerns, Google spokesperson Ned Adriance emphasises the company’s commitment to addressing nonconsensual deepfake material. Adriance highlights the existence of policies and tools specifically designed to protect individuals from this content, with ongoing efforts to develop safeguards.
Google also notes its updated search results to limit the visibility of deepfakes when users aren’t actively searching them.
The urgency of the situation calls for a collective effort from tech companies, lawmakers and advocacy groups to combat the growing threat posed by nonconsensual deepfake adult videos. The situation is alarming, and an international coalition and law are urgently required on which countries can make their laws. The role of the UN and other international agencies is of paramount importance.
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