X seems to have implemented a blockade on searches related to Taylor Swift, possibly in response to the surge in deceptive AI-generated content featuring the globally acclaimed musical icon circulating on the platform.
At present, attempting to search for "Taylor Swift" or "Taylor Swift AI" on X yields a discouraging "Something went wrong" message.
Following a post by Platformer's Casey Newton regarding this apparent restriction, our exploration extended to other search queries.
If X's intent is to block searches for unauthorized AI-crafted depictions of Swift, it appears their success is minimal.
This is because when you search for something that's not allowed, it only takes a small effort to get around it. For instance, utilizing variations such as "Taylor AI Swift" or enclosing her name in quotation marks produced results at the time of this composition.
Even adding on an additional term to one of the seemingly prohibited search phrases yielded outcomes. Notably, images still populate under the Media tab, although explicit content was absent during our examination.
Read more: Taylor Swift explicit deepfakes spark outrage; White House alarmed
X issued a statement nearly a day after the images surfaced, declaring an active initiative to eliminate all identified images and take correctional measures against accounts responsible for their dissemination.
The platform explicitly forbids non-consensual nudity and the dissemination of synthetic and manipulated media.
Both Threads and Instagram propose "Taylor Swift AI" as autocomplete suggestions when initiating a search with "Taylor," yet neither platform displays results.
Instead, a message is presented indicating that the term "is sometimes associated with activities of dangerous organizations and individuals."
Sources indicate that Swift is contemplating legal recourse against platforms hosting the contentious images, a preference voiced by users who advocated for Microsoft Designer.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, in an interview with NBC Nightly News, expressed deep concern over the deepfakes, deeming them "alarming and terrible." He urged AI companies to expedite the implementation of enhanced safeguards.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre joined the discussion, urging Congress to enact legislation safeguarding individuals from deepfake pornography.
An inquiry to X regarding the intentional blocking of Swift's name garnered an automated response via email.
