- London court set to rule on Julian Assange extradition
- Business and Bollywood votes in India election
- Pope calls anti-migrant attitudes at US border 'madness'
- Mexico aims to be big economic winner from US-China tensions
- Uncertain future for thousands after deadly Brazil floods
- Schauffele makes the putt of his life for first major win
- Wirtz returns to help unbeaten Leverkusen chase history
- Search for Iran's President Raisi after helicopter goes missing
- DeChambeau's powerful putting has him excited for US Open
- Taiwan to swear in new president as China pressure grows
- Atalanta can end 61-year wait for trophy in Europa League final
- Schauffele birdies final hole to capture PGA for first major win
- Guardiola casts doubt over long-term Man City future
- Hollywood icons Costner and Demi Moore make Cannes comeback
- Pacers shoot down Knicks to reach NBA Eastern Conference finals
- Schauffele birdies final hole, captures first major at PGA Championship
- McLaughlin powers to Indy 500 pole in all-Penske front row
- Monaco footballer tapes over LGBTQ badge
- Korda wins sixth LPGA title of year with win at Liberty National
- Pacers put on shooting show to down Knicks, reach NBA Eastern Conference finals
- US envoy touts 'potential' of Israel-Saudi deal in Netanyahu talks
- Dominicans vote for president in poll overshadowed by Haiti crisis
- Brest secure Champions League qualification, PSG win without Mbappe
- Mbappe absent as PSG win final Ligue 1 game
- Still exhausted after arrest, Scheffler closes with 64 at PGA
- Brest secure historic Champions League qualification
- France's Macron calls fresh emergency on New Caledonia unrest
- Taiwan swears in new president as China pressure grows
- Schauffele leads as dramatic PGA back-nine battle begins
- Biden faces silent Gaza protest at Martin Luther King Jr's college
- Ten Hag says Man Utd 'must do everything' to win FA Cup after Premier League flop
- Cannes film follows Egypt feminists on brink of adulthood
- Pep Guardiola: Man City manager addicted to winning
- Jackson wins season opener in Marrakesh with all eyes on Paris
- Things get real as imaginary friend flick 'If' tops N.America box office
- Paris seeks to boost sluggish sales for Paralympic Games
- How a French director pulled off Cannes's crazy Mexican narcos hit
- Man City make case to be ranked as England's greatest-ever team
- Hamdy gives Zamalek second CAF Confederation Cup title
- Rome champion Zverev eyes French Open but wary of Djokovic 'at his best'
- Spain recalls its ambassador to Argentina over 'insult'
- Real Sociedad reach Europa League, Cadiz relegated
- Man City's six Premier League titles in seven years 'insane': Guardiola
- Dramatic last-round showdown under way at PGA Championship
- It may take 100 points to stop Man City, says Arsenal boss Arteta
- Arteta has Arsenal primed for success despite title pain
- Klopp hails 'superpower' fans in emotional Liverpool farewell
- Intense search for Iran's President Raisi after helicopter 'accident'
- Nine dead after attacks on Mexican mayoral candidates
- Hamilton says Mercedes in 'no man's land'
'Taylor Swift' searches blocked on X after AI porn outrage
Some searches including the terms "Taylor Swift" on X turned up no results on Monday after the company, formerly known as Twitter, apparently moved to prevent the spread of AI-generated porn videos using the star's likeness.
Certain queries attempted by AFP that included the megastar's name, such as "Taylor Swift AI," triggered messages saying "something went wrong."
The Verge and other US media reported that X had put a temporary block on searches using Swift's name in the wake of criticism by her fans, the White House, and others over AI-generated porn depicting her being shared on the platform and elsewhere online.
X did not respond to a query for comment, but The Verge quoted head of business Joe Benarroch as saying the block on Swift searches was a temporary measure intended to "prioritize safety."
One fake image of the US megastar was seen 47 million times on X before it was removed Thursday. According to US media, the post was live on the platform for around 17 hours.
"It is alarming," said White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, when asked about the images on Friday.
"Sadly we know that lack of enforcement (by the tech platforms) disproportionately impacts women and they also impact girls who are the overwhelming targets of online harassment," Jean-Pierre added.
Deepfake porn images of celebrities are not new, but activists and regulators are worried that easy-to-use tools employing generative artificial intelligence (AI) will create an uncontrollable flood of toxic or harmful content.
The targeting of Swift, one of the world's top-streamed artists whose latest concert tour propelled her to the top of American fame, could shine a new light on the phenomenon with her legions of fans outraged at the development.
X is one of the biggest platforms for porn content in the world, analysts say, as its policies on nudity are looser than Meta-owned platforms Facebook or Instagram.
In a statement last week, X said that "posting Non-Consensual Nudity (NCN) images is strictly prohibited on X and we have a zero-tolerance policy towards such content."
The Elon Musk-owned platform said that it was "actively removing all identified images and taking appropriate actions against the accounts responsible for posting them."
W.Lapointe--BTB