X’s Attempt to Establish Responsibility
Coincidently, this move follows an incident that captured public attention. Taylor Swift made headlines on Sunday when she kissed her boyfriend Travis Kelce after his team, the Kansas City Chiefs, secured a place in the Super Bowl. This action by X is a part of its effort to present itself as a responsible company leading up to a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing. Chief Executive Linda Yaccarino, along with other prominent Big Tech leaders, is scheduled to testify at this high-profile hearing on Wednesday. The focus of the hearing will be on child sexual exploitation online, a matter of great significance.
Plans for Enhanced Content Moderation
Given the circumstances, X has announced its intention to hire 100 content moderators as part of its strategy to establish a new “Trust and Safety center of excellence” in Austin. The proliferation of AI-generated explicit content, including AI-porn images and “deepfakes,” has become a major concern. These illicit materials have surged in popularity due to the accessibility of inexpensive and user-friendly tools that facilitate the insertion of real faces into explicit videos or the creation of realistic photos. Notably, Taylor Swift, one of X’s most prominent accounts with 94 million followers, has refrained from posting on the platform since January 15.
Legal Landscape of Deepfakes
It’s worth noting that while there are currently no federal laws prohibiting the creation or distribution of deepfakes, some U.S. states and other countries, such as the United Kingdom, have implemented their own restrictions to address this emerging issue. The rise of deepfakes calls for robust measures to protect individuals from potential harm caused by the malicious use of this technology.