San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu declared his intention to close down 16 of the most popular AI “undressing” websites during a press conference, as reported by The Verge. These sites are accused of violating federal laws related to revenge pornography, deepfake pornography, and child pornography, as well as California’s unfair competition law. The complaint targets 50 defendants in total, some of whom operate well-known websites that offer nonconsensual images of women and girls. One identified defendant is Augustin Gribinets of Estonia, accused of owning an AI undressing site with unauthorized images. These websites have amassed over 200 million visits in six months, causing distress to women and children who are bullied and humiliated by the unlawful dissemination of their images. The complaint details an incident involving fake nude images of eighth grade students at a California middle school, reminiscent of a scandal at a Beverly Hills high school. Moreover, the rise of deepfake technology has prompted legal concerns at a federal level, leading to calls for new laws to protect individuals from AI-generated replicas of their voice, face, or body.
