More than two dozen international civil society organizations called on major tech firms to bolster their Artificial Intelligence (AI) policies to combat “sexist and misogynistic” disinformation plaguing social media platforms, AFP reported.
The letter to the chief executives of six giants—Meta, X, YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat, and Reddit—follows an online boom in non-consensual deepfake porn as well as harassment and scams enabled by cheap, widely available artificial intelligence tools.
“It’s evident that these harms are not felt equally,” said the letter, signed by 27 digital and human rights organizations including UltraViolet, GLAAD, the National Organization for Women, and MyOwn Image.
“Specifically, women, trans people, and nonbinary people are uniquely at risk of experiencing adverse impacts of artificial intelligence-based content on social media.”
The groups said they will make the letter public on Friday and included a dozen recommendations to strengthen artificial intelligence policies.
Those include clearly defining the consequences for posting non-consensual explicit material, which should involve suspension of repeat offenders, implementing a third-party tool to detect artificial intelligence-generated visuals, and clear labelling of such content.
The groups also demanded a coherent procedure for users to flag and report harmful content, as well as that platforms carry out comprehensive annual audits of their artificial intelligence policies.
Misogynistic, sexist attacks
The letter arrives just one month before November 5, widely regarded as America’s first artificial intelligence election. The tight race to the White House has seen a firehose of disinformation.
A particular target of gendered disinformation is Democratic Party nominee Kamala Harris, which has included a flood of misogynistic and sexist narratives attacking the first Black, South Asian, and woman vice president in US history.
“These harms silence us online, violate our right to control our own image, and distort our elections,” said Jenna Sherman, the campaign director at UltraViolet.
“But worse, they normalize and even algorithmically codify sexual exploitation, reinforcing harmful stereotypes about gender, sexuality, and consent.”
The proliferation of non-consensual deepfakes is outpacing efforts to regulate the technology globally, experts say, with several photo apps digitally undressing women and manipulated images fuelling “sextortion” rackets.
While celebrities such as singer Taylor Swift and actress Emma Watson have been victims of deepfake porn, experts say women not in the public eye are equally vulnerable.
“AI technologies have further facilitated the creation and spread of gender-based harassment and abuse online,” said Ellen Jacobs, senior US digital policy manager at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, which was among the organizations that signed the letter.
“We need effective policies that specifically address the heightened risks to women, girls, and LGBTQ+ people.”
Prior to the letter’s release, the platforms did not respond immediately to a request for comment.
“The world’s largest platforms have shown they are not equipped to handle the rise of artificial intelligence-facilitated hate, harassment, and disinformation campaigns, including deepfakes and bots that can spew hate-based imagery at massive scale,” said Leanna Garfield, social media safety program manager at GLAAD.
The platforms “need to take concrete action now, so that everyone can feel safe online.”
