More than two dozen lawmakers have been the victims of deepfake pornography, with female lawmakers significantly more likely to be targeted, according to a new report released Wednesday.
The report from the American Sunlight Project, an advocacy group focused on combatting disinformation, found more than 35,000 mentions of 26 lawmakers on prominent deepfake websites. The impacted lawmakers included 25 women and one man.
“This report reveals a stark and disturbing reality,” Nina Jankowicz, CEO of the American Sunlight Project, said in a statement.
“Female lawmakers are being targeted by AI-generated deepfake pornography at an alarming rate,” she continued, adding, “This isn’t just a tech problem; it’s a direct assault on women in leadership and democracy itself.”
After the group notified the affected members of Congress, the content depicting 14 of these lawmakers was removed in less than 48 hours, according to the report.
The content depicting another nine lawmakers was entirely or mostly removed but remained on landing or search result pages.
