A bipartisan coalition of state attorneys general, including those in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, called on search engines and payment platforms to do more to stop the spread of deepfake pornography online.
In letters sent Friday, the attorneys general pressed tech companies to implement stricter policies regarding computer-generated nonconsensual intimate imagery, more commonly known as deepfakes. They asked Google, Yahoo and Microsoft — which operates Bing — to limit or redirect results for queries like "how to make deepfake pornography" and "undress apps." While these search engines already follow such protocols for queries on self-harm or bomb-making, the coalition wrote, no similar guardrails exist for deepfakes.
MORE: Weitzman Museum vandalized with spray paint for the second straight week
The attorneys general also expressed concern over the relative ease with which apps and websites selling deepfakes or the tools to make them collect payments. Platforms like Visa, Mastercard and PayPal "must be more aggressive in identifying and removing payment authorization for deepfake NCII tools and content," the letter read, noting that some deepfake purveyors include the logos of authorized payment platforms on their websites.
The letters request outlines of current systems in place to limit deepfakes and a "commitment to take further action to avoid being complicit in the creation and spread of deepfake NCII."
The coalition behind the messages included Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday and New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin. Another 45 U.S. states and territories signed onto the letters.
"The reality is these mega search engine companies and pay apps are reaping profits from the existence of this despicable and dehumanizing content," Sunday said in a statement. "It is time those companies are accountable for their complicity in this content being so rampantly available online."
Follow Kristin & PhillyVoice on Twitter: @kristin_hunt
| @thePhillyVoice
Like us on Facebook: PhillyVoice
Have a news tip? Let us know.