Hundreds of Sexually Suggestive Deepfake Video Ads by Emma Watson and Scarlett Johansson ran on Facebook and Instagram this week.
According BNC NewsHundreds of videos showing Watson and Johansson in sexually suggestive and provocative situations have been released on Meta platforms as part of an advertising campaign for an artificially intelligent (AI) application that creates a “DeepFake FaceSwap” video.
i got this ad yesterday and wow what is it pic.twitter.com/smGiR3MfMb
— Lauren (@laurenbarton03) March 6, 2023
NBC reports that “DeepFake FaceSwap” videos deployed more than 230 video ads across Meta platforms, including Facebook, Instagram and Messenger, over two days according to a review of the company’s ad library.
There were 127 advertisements for “DeepFake FaceSwap” which featured Watson’s face in provocative scenarios. Meanwhile, 74 other ads featured Johansson’s likeness in similar situations.
The ads begin with an image of a woman appearing to initiate a sexual act at the start of an explicit video. Within seconds, the woman’s face turns into a very convincing Watson or Johansson deepfake.
“Replace face with anyone,” read the captions for 80 of the ads. “Have fun with AI swap face technology.”
The same ads also reportedly appeared on free photo-editing and gaming apps downloaded from Apple’s App Store, where the app first appeared in 2022 for free for ages 9 and up.
On Tuesday, a Meta spokesperson confirmed that all app advertisements have been removed from Meta’s services.
“Our policies prohibit adult content, whether AI-generated or not, and we have banned this page from advertising on our platform,” a Meta spokesperson said in a statement. communicated.
Meta banned most deepfake content in 2020, and the company prohibits adult content in ads, including nudity, depictions of people in explicit or suggestive positions, or sexually provocative activity.
According Gizmodothe deepfake video ad campaign was apparently an ad for the “FaceMega” app which allows users to swap an individual’s faces in a video with photos uploaded to the app for $8 per week.
FaceMega has since reportedly been removed or removed from Apple’s App Store. However, the AI app is still available in Google Play Store.
AI-generated pornographic content that features the faces of non-consenting individuals is becoming increasingly common online.
In January, a community of young people Twitch livestreamers discovered their images were on a deepfake porn site. AI had been used to portray them in sexual acts without their knowledge or consent.
In the United States, there is currently no federal legislation to protect against the use of images of people without their consent in deepfake porn or any related technology.
Yet last year, the UK has announced its intention to criminalize the sharing of any deepfake pornography made without the consent of the subject. Those who break the law can face a prison sentence.
Picture credits: Header photo licensed via Depositphotos.