- Office of the Attorney General
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Sydney Heiberger, Press Secretary
Boston — Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell today co-led a bipartisan coalition of 47 attorneys general in calling on major search engines and payment platforms to take stronger action against the increasing spread of computer-generated deepfake nonconsensual intimate imagery, commonly known as “deepfakes” or “deepfake pornography.” In a letter to search engines, the coalition outlines the failures of these companies to limit the creation of deepfakes and called for stronger safeguards – such as warnings and redirecting users away from harmful content – to better protect the public. In a separate letter to payment platforms, the coalition urged these companies to identify and remove payment authorization for the creation of deepfake pornography content.
“The creation of deepfakes is a grave harm to human decency and dignity, especially among our young people,” said AG Campbell. “It is critical that we take all steps necessary to prevent the spread of harmful and exploitative content, and I am committed to protecting the residents of our Commonwealth by advocating for accountability.”
The spread of computer-generated deepfake pornography online poses significant harm to public welfare, as it is often used to embarrass, intimidate, and exploit people around the world. A recent report found that 98% of computer-generated fake videos online are deepfake pornography.
In their letters, the coalition points to existing industry practices that can be deployed to address deepfake pornography. For example, search engines already limit access to harmful content such as searches for “how to build a bomb” and “how to kill yourself.” The attorneys general urge these companies to adopt similar measures for searches such as “how to make deepfake pornography,” “undress apps,” “nudify apps,” or “deepfake porn.” The coalition also urges payment platforms to deny sellers the ability to use their services when they learn of connections to deepfake pornography tools and content and to remove those sellers from their network.
This matter represents AG Campbell’s latest effort to protect consumers from online threats. Earlier this week, AG Campbell joined 44 attorneys general in sending a warning letter to major artificial intelligence companies, addressing recent reports of AI chatbots being permitted to engage in sexually inappropriate conversations with children. In September 2023, AG Campbell joined a coalition of 54 attorneys general in sending a letter to Congress, urging lawmakers to study how artificial intelligence can be used to exploit and endanger children and to propose legislation that would protect children from those abuses. In April 2024, AG Campbell issued an advisory to provide guidance to AI developers, suppliers, and users regarding their obligations under state consumer protection, anti-discrimination, and data security laws.
In Massachusetts, this matter was handled by Assistant Attorney General Kaitlyn Karpenko and Chief Jared Rinehimer of the Attorney General’s Privacy and Responsible Technology Division.
Joining AG Campbell in co-sponsoring these letters, are the attorneys general of Kentucky, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Vermont, and Utah. The letters were also sent by the attorneys general of Alaska, American Samoa, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, U.S. Virgin Islands, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
A copy of the coalition’s letter to payment platforms can be found here. A copy of the coalition's letter to search platforms can be found here.
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