Google extended its ban on ads with sexually explicit content to also include those services that facilitate the creation of nudes generated by artificial intelligence. A stricter posture that will come into effect from May 30, with which the American technology giant seeks to maintain a safe and respectful digital environment.
Additionally, the decision comes in response to growing concern over non-consensual deepfake pornography, a problem that has seen an alarming increase in recent years. Let us remember that this type of content uses AI to create or modify sexually explicit images of people without their permissionas has happened with stars of the stature of Taylor Swift.
In 2023, Google removed more than 1.8 billion ads for violating its sexual content policies, according to the company’s annual ad safety report. A fact that highlights the magnitude of the challenge that this company faces in its fight against inappropriate content and the importance of updating its policies.
The company will use a combination of human reviews and automated systems to enforce this policy, highlighting its commitment to online safety and protecting users from harmful content.
It is important to clarify that this is an update to the policy within Google Ads and will specifically exclude the promotion of synthetic content that has been modified or created to include nudity or be of a sexual nature.
According to Google spokesperson Michael Aciman, the objective is “explicitly prohibit ads for services that offer to create deepfake pornography or synthetic nudity content.”
Likewise, the violation of these new rules was considered to represent a serious offense. “We take violations of this policy very seriously and consider them egregious.“, they warned from the company where there is a position of zero tolerance towards offenders.
The implementation of this rule also highlights how some applications that facilitate the creation of deepfake pornography They had previously managed to evade Google restrictions. For example, face-swapping applications that, although they were not promoted as sexually explicit in the Google Play store, were promoted on pornographic websites.
This gap in the advertising policy had allowed these types of applications to proliferate, which had even generated a legal and moral vacuum which Google is now seeking to close.
The problem of non-consensual deepfake porn not limited to adult digital exploitation; It has also affected minors. Two high school students in Florida were arrested last December for allegedly creating AI-generated nude photos of classmates.
Additionally, a 57-year-old Pittsburgh man He was recently sentenced to more than 14 years in prison for possessing child sexual abuse material generated with artificial intelligence.
Given the seriousness of this issue, the United States Congress is considering legislative action. Last month, both the House and Senate introduced the DEFIANCE Act, that would establish a process through which victims of “digital fakes” could sue to those who make or distribute non-consensual deepfakes of them.
This legislative effort, along with Google’s initiative, demonstrates growing recognition and action against the dangers posed by deepfake technology when used inappropriately.
In addition, it reflects a growing concern about the ethical and social impact of artificial intelligence technologies, especially in regards to the creation and distribution of fake content or misleading that may affect the dignity of people.
