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X confirms it blocked Taylor Swift searches to ‘prioritize safety’

X confirmed in a statement to The Wall Street Journal that it's halted searches for Taylor Swift after nonconsensual pornographic deepfakes of the artist went viral last week. Fans mass-reported the offending accounts in attempt to get them removed.

X has confirmed it’s preventing users from searching Taylor Swift’s name after pornographic deepfakes of the artist began circulating on the platform this week. In a statement to the Wall Street Journal on Saturday night, Joe Benarroch, X’s head of business operations, said, “This is a temporary action and done with an abundance of caution as we prioritize safety on this issue.” This step comes days after the problem first became known. X’s handling of the issue from the start has drawn criticism that it’s been slow to curb the spread of nonconsensual, sexually explicit images.

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