Google Updates Policies to Combat Nonconsensual Explicit Deepfakes

Yesterday, Google has announced significant policy updates aimed at helping individuals control explicit “deepfakes”. These are AI generated images and videos depicting people in sexually explicit contexts without their consent.

As one of the key updates, people can request the removal of non-consensual fake explicit imagery from Search. Google has made this process simpler and more effective. When a request is successful, Google’s systems will also filter all explicit results on similar searches and remove duplicates.

Additionally, to combat harmful content, Google has updated its ranking systems to prioritize high-quality information. Ranking updates will lower explicit fake content in search results. For searches specifically seeking explicit content with people’s names, high-quality, non-explicit content will be prioritized. This has reduced exposure to explicit images by over 70%.

Google is also working to better distinguish real, consensual explicit content from fake explicit content. Sites with high volumes of removed fake explicit imagery will be demoted.

Supporting the urgency of these updates, an independent researcher recently shared a study with WIRED, revealing the extensive reach of nonconsensual deepfake videos. The study shows that at least 244,625 videos have been uploaded to the top 35 websites hosting deepfake porn over the past seven years. Notably, 113,000 of these videos were uploaded in the first nine months of 2023 alone—a 54 percent increase from the total number of videos uploaded in 2022. These alarming figures emphasize the growing prevalence of this harmful content.

A WIRED report in March revealed that Google received over 13,000 requests to remove links to explicit deepfakes from a dozen popular websites. The tech giant complied with around 82% of these demands.This statistic demonstrates the significant volume of harmful content and the demand for removal.

Personal stories highlight the severe impact of deepfakes. Yesterday the New York time reported the story of  Sabrina Javellana, a rising political star in Florida, who discovered deepfakes of herself circulating online. Facing ongoing harassment, Javellana stepped down from politics and chose a less public role.

In another case, the BBC reported this week that a family claims West Yorkshire Police failed to protect their 12-year-old daughter. Bullies had posted a deepfake explicit image of her on Snapchat. Initially, the police told the family that nothing could be done because Snapchat is US-based. The image traumatized the girl and spread widely.

Google’s policy updates are a significant step toward addressing the deepfake crisis. However, the issue’s complexity requires ongoing efforts and collaborations to fully tackle the problem.