Legal experts reflected on the recent AI photos blunder featuring Taylor Swift.
X has been forced to prevent the search for Swift's name on the platform after AI-generated explicit images of the singer went viral. The NSFW snaps featured the "Anti-Hero" singer in risqué situations while wearing Kansas City Chiefs merchandise, prompting Swifties to defend her.
Did Taylor Swift's NSFW Photos Break Any Laws?
Speaking in an exclusive interview with The Mirror, legal experts reflected on the incident and shared whether someone could be held legally liable for the spread of the fake images.
Lawyer James O'Connell called the creation of Swift's AI images as something "offensive and deplorable." He explained whether it was illegally done, sharing how laws differ from country to country. He noted that the law for the issue remains unregulated.
"The phenomenon is so new that most countries don't have laws to regulate deepfake, e.g. there are currently no US federal laws against the sharing or creation of deepfake images, although there are efforts at the state level to tackle the issue," he said. "The question is whether existing laws can be interpreted (stretched) to cover deepfakes."
O'Connell added that in a country where deepfaking is an illegal act, AI reportedly has no legal standing and no person can be sued or imprisoned. He said the guilty person in the act is the person who runs the software that created the AI image.
In comparison, sharing deepfake NSFW material in the U.K. falls under the laws covered by the Online Safety Act 2023. However, the protection is reportedly weak.
O'Connell said the publisher of the images could be sued for copyright infringement since the "champagne problems" singer monetizes her image. Other lawsuits that can be considered include malicious falsehood, voyeurism offenses under section 67 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 and outraging public decency.
He ended his explanation with a reminder that the law is national but "the internet is international."
The Daily Mail received a tip from a source who disclosed that Swift's family and friends were furious after the photos' release.
"Whether or not legal action will be taken is being decided, but there is one thing that is clear: these fake AI-generated images are abusive, offensive, exploitative, and done without Taylor's consent and/or knowledge," the insider continued.
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