Google takes action against deepfake porn

Google today announced a series of updates to its search platform aimed at combating the growing issue of AI-generated deepfake content. The tech giant has been under increasing pressure to address the proliferation of sexually explicit deepfakes distributed without consent.

To combat this disturbing trend, Google has implemented several key changes:

Simplified Removal Process: The company has streamlined the process for individuals to remove non-consensual explicit deepfakes from Google Search. Additionally, the platform will now automatically filter similar search results and remove duplicate images.

Improved Ranking System: Google is updating its search algorithms to prioritize high-quality, non-explicit content over deepfakes. This includes lowering the ranking of explicit fake content and promoting relevant news articles for queries related to individuals.

Site Demoting: Websites with a high number of removed deepfakes will be penalized in search rankings, discouraging the hosting of such harmful content.

While these steps represent significant progress, Google acknowledges that the battle against deepfakes is ongoing. The company plans to continue investing in technology and collaborating with industry partners to develop more effective solutions.

With so much content created online every day, said Product Manager Emma Higham in a blog post, the best protection against harmful content is to build systems that rank high-quality information at the top of Search. "So in addition to improving our processes for reporting and removing this content, we are updating our ranking systems for queries where there’s a higher risk of explicit fake content appearing in Search."

"First, we’re rolling out ranking updates that will lower explicit fake content for many searches. For queries that are specifically seeking this content and include people’s names, we'll aim to surface high-quality, non-explicit content — like relevant news articles — when it’s available. The updates we’ve made this year have reduced exposure to explicit image results on these types of queries by over 70%. With these changes, people can read about the impact deepfakes are having on society, rather than see pages with actual non-consensual fake images," said Emma.
Experts and victim advocacy groups have welcomed these measures as a positive step forward but emphasize the need for continued vigilance and comprehensive approaches to address this complex issue.

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