Why Is 'Protect Taylor Swift' Trending?

26 January 2024, 10:55 | Updated: 26 January 2024, 11:43

By Capital FM

@CapitalOfficial

‘Protect Taylor Swift’ is trending after AI-generated images of the singer went viral on X.

Taylor Swift fans noticed ‘PROTECT TAYLOR SWIFT’ began trending this week, with millions of Swifties rushing to fill their timelines with real pictures and videos of the ‘Cruel Summer’ singer after fake graphic images of her emerged online.

Unsurprisingly Taylor, 34, and her fans are furious over the AI-generated images, especially at the fact they were even allowed to be posted on X (formerly Twitter) in the first place.

According to MailOnline Taylor is deciding whether to take legal action over the abusive and exploitative pictures.

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Why is protect Taylor Swift trending?

‘Protect Taylor Swift’ was being used by fans to drown out the explicit AI-generated images of the 12-time Grammy Award winner, filling timelines with real pictures of the singer by using the same hashtags promoting the fake images.

Alongside performance footage from The Eras Tour and real photos of Taylor fans were commenting things like: “Stop searching Taylor Swift AI pictures and watch this iconic performance. Protect Taylor Swift.”

Another person wrote: “People rushing to X to see those Taylor Swift AI pictures. Pathetic. They are all going to hell. Protect Taylor Swift.”

“It doesn't matter how famous someone is, we all deserve respect, taylor swift is a real person who deserves respect no matter what... PROTECT TAYLOR SWIFT. RESPECT TAYLOR SWIFT,” commented another.

“I feel another timeline cleanses is needed, protect Taylor Swift!” Said a fourth alongside footage of the star on her Eras Tour.

After the sexually explicit AI-generated images emerged, the verified user who shared them had their account suspended for violating platform policy. According to The Verge the post was live for around 17 hours before its removal.

X’s safety account has since posted a statement about sharing non-consensual nudity images, but didn’t refer to the AI pictures of Taylor directly. They wrote: “Posting Non-Consensual Nudity (NCN) images is strictly prohibited on X and we have a zero-tolerance policy towards such content.

"Our teams are actively removing all identified images and taking appropriate actions against the accounts responsible for posting them. We're closely monitoring the situation to ensure that any further violations are immediately addressed, and the content is removed. We're committed to maintaining a safe and respectful environment for all users.”

According to MailOnline a source close to Taylor said on Thursday: “Whether or not legal action will be taken is being decided but there is one thing that is clear: these fake AI generated images are abusive, offensive, exploitative, and done without Taylor’s consent and/or knowledge.

“The Twitter account that posted them does not exist anymore. It is shocking that the social media platform even let them be up to begin with.

“These images must be removed from everywhere they exist and should not be promoted by anyone. Taylor’s circle of family and friends are furious, as are her fans obviously.

“They have the right to be, and every woman should be. The door needs to be shut on this. Legislation needs to be passed to prevent this and laws must be enacted.”

The incident highlights how difficult it is becoming to monitor deepfakes and AI-generated images of real people.

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