New York Seizes a Dozen Celebrity Deepfake Websites
wired ·
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office has executed a historic seizure of twelve websites hosting nonconsensual deepfake pornography, marking the largest legal action against such platforms to date. These domains collectively targeted approximately 1,200 victims, predominantly women, including high-profile celebrities, politicians, and public figures. District Attorney Alvin Bragg emphasized the severe emotional toll these privacy violations inflict on individuals across their personal and professional lives. The seized sites, which have been online since as early as 2018, hosted realistic sexual videos that manipulated the likenesses of famous individuals into explicit scenarios. While specific domain names were not publicly disclosed, evidence suggests many sites featured profiles for elected officials and promised authentic celebrity content. This enforcement effort utilizes provisions from the US Take It Down Act, allowing law enforcement to remove and seize websites distributing synthetic intimate imagery. Experts describe the takedown as a significant victory in combating nonconsensual intimate imagery, demonstrating that coordinated state-level enforcement can effectively disrupt these harmful ecosystems.
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