New York seizes 12 domains in largest deepfake porn crackdown
New York authorities have carried out what they describe as their largest crackdown to date on websites distributing AI generated non consensual pornography, seizing 12 domains primarily dedicated to celebrity deepfake sexual content. The operation was announced by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg Jr.
Investigators say the websites used artificial intelligence to create explicit images and videos involving approximately 1,200 real people without their knowledge or consent. Victims included actors, politicians, athletes, musicians, social justice advocates and social media influencers, with women representing the overwhelming majority of those targeted.
The sites specialized in non consensual intimate imagery, or NCII, digitally placing victims’ faces and bodies into fabricated sexual material. According to prosecutors, the platforms made little attempt to conceal their purpose and openly advertised themselves as sources of deepfake pornography. Authorities are also investigating individuals involved in creating the AI generated material.
The investigation uncovered links to broader forms of cybercrime. Authorities found that five online vendors connected to the domains were also selling stolen credit and debit card information and personally identifiable information belonging to cardholders. The stolen data reportedly covered more than one million payment cards across the United States, including tens of thousands associated with people in New York.
Authorities additionally shut down a domain called Coin Dispute Network. Its founders, Michael Lauchlan and Gary Zaydman, were indicted over allegations that the service falsely claimed it could trace and recover stolen cryptocurrency in exchange for payments from victims.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office emphasized that AI generated sexual imagery can create lasting consequences for victims because fabricated explicit material may continue circulating online and affect their personal and professional lives long after its initial publication.
The New York action forms part of a broader international effort against deepfake pornography. Authorities in several countries have increasingly pursued operators and creators of non consensual AI generated sexual material. The article points to previous enforcement in the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, including pressure that contributed to the shutdown of the prominent deepfake pornography platform MrDeepFakes.
Overall, the case represents a significant escalation from targeting individual pieces of deepfake content toward disrupting the infrastructure and commercial networks used to create, distribute and monetize non consensual AI pornography.
