Microsoft Partners with StopNCII to Combat Revenge Porn

Microsoft has announced a partnership with StopNCII, an organization that allows victims of revenge porn to create digital fingerprints of explicit images, real or not, on their device. This partnership aims to stop the spread of revenge porn on Microsoft's Bing search engine.

• StopNCII's partners use the digital fingerprint, or "hash," to scrub the image from their platforms.
• Bing joins Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, Reddit, Pornhub, and OnlyFans in partnering with StopNCII.
• Microsoft took action on 268,000 explicit images being returned through Bing's image search in a pilot through the end of August using StopNCII's database.

The AI Deepfake Nude Problem

The advancement of generative AI tools has created a new problem for the internet: the proliferation of synthetic nude images resembling real people. This issue is compounded by the popularity of "undressing" sites that create explicit content without consent.

• StopNCII's tools only work for people over 18, but "undressing" sites are already creating problems for high schoolers around the country.
• The United States doesn't have an AI deepfake porn law to hold anyone accountable, relying on a patchwork of state and local laws.
• San Francisco prosecutors announced a lawsuit in August to take down 16 of the most prominent "undressing" sites.

Google's Efforts to Combat Revenge Porn

Google Search offers tools to report and remove explicit images from its search results but has faced criticism for not partnering with StopNCII, according to a Wired investigation. Since 2020, Google users in South Korea have reported 170,000 search and YouTube links for unwanted sexual content.

Legal Landscape for Deepfake Porn Laws

According to a tracker for deepfake porn laws created by Wired:

• 23 American states have passed laws to address nonconsensual deepfakes.
• 9 states have struck down proposals related to deepfake porn laws.

Scalability Concerns with User Reporting

Microsoft acknowledges that user reporting alone may not effectively scale for impact or adequately address the risk of explicit imagery being accessed via search. This partnership with StopNCII aims to address these concerns by proactively identifying and removing illicit content.