Entertainment
Women in congress are 70 percent more likely to be victims of AI-generated deepfakes than male counterparts
The field of politics has become even more complicated for women leaders, with the rise of generative AI posing an even greater risk for female politicians than men, according to a report released this week.
The analysis, published by disinformation think tank the American Sunlight Project (ASP) via The 19th on Dec. 11, uncovered more than 35,000 pieces of digitally altered nonconsensual intimate imagery (NCII) depicting 26 members of Congress. ASP’s numbers, when broken down, outline a stark reality for victims of NCII: Of those thousands of images, the organization found 25 women politicians depicted by AI. Only one man was the subject of such content.
Throughout the entire study, women members of Congress were 70 times more likely than men to be targeted by non-consensual synthetic images and 1 in 6 congresswomen (or 16 percent) are the victims of nonconsensual intimate imagery.
Leaders across the political aisle have attempted to address the rise of both NCII and synthetic AI-generated images, but have been slow to reach consensus. In January, a bipartisan group of Senators introduced the Disrupt Explicit Forged Images and Non-Consensual Edits Act of 2024 (Defiance Act), intended to criminalize the act of spreading nonconsensual, sexualized “digital forgeries” made with AI. It was passed in July but is still being considered by the House.
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Last week the Senate passed the Take It Down Act, introduced by Senator Ted Cruz in June. The bill similarly criminalizes the publishing of digitally manipulated deepfakes online but also metes out penalties for companies who fail to remove such content within 48 hours of it being reported.
But the gendered reality of AI-boosted images can’t be understated, especially as women leaders navigate a precarious online environment putting them at greater risk for sexual abuse. In August, the Center for Countering Digital Hate published a study on the rise of online hate and negative engagement on the social profiles of women politicians. According to an analysis of the Instagram profiles of 10 female incumbents, one in 25 comments was “highly likely” to be toxic. Instagram failed to act on 93 percent of reported abusive comments targeting female politicians.
“We need to kind of reckon with this new environment and the fact that the internet has opened up so many of these harms that are disproportionately targeting women and marginalized communities,” said American Sunlight Project founder and author Nina Jankowicz. “My hope here is that the members are pushed into action when they recognize not only that it’s affecting American women, but it’s affecting them. It’s affecting their own colleagues. And this is happening simply because they are in the public eye.”
ASP informed the offices of affected politicians, alerting them to AI-generated NCII. The images were almost entirely removed following the notice, although the organization didn’t receive any comments.
If you have had intimate images shared without your consent, call the Cyber Civil Rights Initiative’s 24/7 hotline at 844-878-2274 for free, confidential support. The CCRI website also includes helpful information as well as a list of international resources.
Entertainment
Access all your AI tools in one spot with this Chrome extension, now $75 for life
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Credit: ChatPlayground AI
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Entertainment
This $10 upgrade transforms your PC — but it’s only on sale until midnight
TL;DR: Upgrade a PC affordably with this Microsoft Windows 11 Pro license, on sale for just $9.97 (reg. $199) through tonight at midnight.
Want to get the feeling of a new computer without having to shell out all the money for one? A new operating system gives your device a whole new feel, and if you’ve got a PC lying around, it could probably use this Microsoft Windows 11 Pro upgrade. If you act fast, you can get it for only $9.97 through tonight at 11:59 p.m. PT.
Windows 11 Pro breathes new life into an old computer, extending its lifespan for less than the cost of your lunch. Unlike older operating systems, this one was made with the modern professional in mind.
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Rest easy knowing Windows 11 Pro is filled with features that can improve your workflow — from an easy-to-use interface that enhances usability to snap layouts, seamless redocking, a more powerful search experience, and improved voice typing.
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Entertainment
3 AdultFriendFinder red flags — how to avoid scams on AFF
Depending on who you ask, AdultFriendFinder is either the Wild West of hookup sites, an “anything goes” paradise for adult fun, or a total scam replete with bots, fake profiles, and inactive accounts.
After months of personal testing, I can confidently say which AFF you experience ultimately boils down to how you use the site. If you approach it naively, without a strategy, you’re probably going to have some frustrating experiences. On the other hand, if you exercise a modicum of caution and common sense, you’ll discover a huge, fun, and kink-friendly community.
Here are three red flags to look out for as you use AFF, to help you spot potential scammers and separate the authentic users from the fake profiles.
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Unverified accounts
AdultFriendFinder already offers a fantastic first step in combatting fake profiles that they call ConfirmID. Once you’ve created an account, you can, at any time, upload a clear scan of a government-issued ID card and then, using a webcam, undergo a quick face verification scan to confirm that you are indeed the person identified in the government document.
This step strikes the perfect balance between not being onerous enough to annoy the average user but still requiring enough effort to deter scammers, who notoriously go after the low-hanging fruit.
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Once you’ve completed the ConfirmID sequence, you’ll be rewarded with a verification badge on your profile, and we strongly recommend that you limit your one-on-one interactions on the site to other verified users.
Perfect profile photos
Alright, admittedly this one requires some personal judgment, as everyone should strive to upload good, high-quality photos of themselves to dating websites. But if every photo looks like it belongs in a magazine, or if the person in the photo looks a little too good to be true, you should exercise caution.
In the age of generative AI and filters, it’s trivially easy to create a fake photo or series of photos, so you should also be on the lookout for what isn’t in the photos. Are there recognizable local landmarks (clubs, restaurants, well-known parks, or street corners) in the photos, or are they all equally generic?
Over-eager chatters
Ever since chat bots became a thing, dating sites have become plagued with them, and as AI improves more and more, it’s not always easy to know, right away, if the “person” you’re talking to is really human. One dead giveaway, though, is how much they chat and how quickly they reply.
Real people go off on tangents, employ non sequiturs, and sometimes stumble with awkward questions or comments. Chat bots, on the other hand, are typically always chipper and extremely fast-talking, so much so that a paragraph-long answer can come back to you in seconds.
They also almost always have an agenda, too, whether that’s directing you to click on a link (“Follow my Instagram profile”) or getting you to divulge some potentially compromising bit of personal information about yourself.
Access all your AI tools in one spot with this Chrome extension, now $75 for life
This $10 upgrade transforms your PC — but it’s only on sale until midnight
