Drew HarwellJan 29, 2024
New: X has now for two days blocked all searches for Taylor Swift, one of the world's biggest superstars, during a very newsy weekend for her, because it couldn't stop AI-generated sex images of her and had no other ideas. A blunt and desperate measure to accomplish a basic content-moderation task - made tougher since X, under Elon Musk's leadership, fired 80% of its workers and most of its "trust and safety" team
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2024/01/29/taylor-swift-ai-pictures/
X blocks Taylor Swift searches after fake explicit images spread

The superstar’s fans were spurred into action last week after the images, likely generated by AI, began proliferating online.

The Washington Post
Show threadDrew Harwell
Here's Elon's response:
Jan 29, 2024 at 9:59pmWeb
Show threadjoe•iuculano Jan 29, 2024

@drewharwell

The #ElongatedMuskrat doesn't have the sensibility to understand when it would be a good idea to keep his
$†ü₱¡∆ mouth shut

Show threadFemme MalheureuseJan 29, 2024

@drewharwell His response to the problem of nonconsensual AI-created images was to block search. Why did he not block uploads of images instead and then hunt down and remove the offensive images?

Imagine if blocking search only was his response to uploaded CSA imagery — or is that what he's been doing.

(Edit: fixed typo)

Show threadJay 🆘Jan 29, 2024

@drewharwell "What of that is funny to you"

He thinks he's "owning the libs."

Show threadJay 🆘Jan 30, 2024
@drewharwell https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/taylor-swift-targeted-conspiracies-chiefs-super-bowl-1234955940/
Right-Wingers Say Super Bowl Is Rigged So Taylor Swift Can Endorse Biden

Right-wing conspiracy theorists are claiming the NFL Super Bowl has been rigged to facilitate a Taylor Swift endorsement of Joe Biden.

Rolling Stone
Show threadMatt HodgkinsonJan 29, 2024
@drewharwell I used to follow Paul Thacker on Twitter, before he outed himself as a right-wing crank during the pandemic. https://www.respectfulinsolence.com/2022/07/20/thacker-parrots-an-old-antivax-trope-vaccines-are-magic/
Thacker parrots an old antivax trope: "Vaccines are magic!"

Paul Thacker proclaims, "Vaccines are magic!" and that you can't criticize them. This is an old antivax narrative that he's now parroting.

RESPECTFUL INSOLENCE
Show threadMatt HodgkinsonJan 29, 2024
@drewharwell Looking back, our Twitter interactions from 2017 on were usually fractious.
Show threadDan 🦺 DeboerJan 30, 2024
@mattjhodgkinson @drewharwell Sadly such a common story.
Show threadNihl L'AmasJan 29, 2024
@drewharwell Paul Thacker continues displaying his true self he tried to mask for many years.
Show threadThe Green KnightJan 30, 2024
@drewharwell for every burnout hippie that says taking psychoactive drugs makes you more empathetic, I will refer to this hershey stain of a human being.
Show threadLeisureguyJan 30, 2024
@drewharwell I think Musk's "lol" is nervous laughter caused by feeling uneasy.
Show threadGil in fact CanJan 30, 2024
@drewharwell there is a simple solution, and I say this knowing plenty of people invested a lot of their energies into Twitter but hear me out, delete your accounts! Just leave, in the end it was a bad investment, ruined essentially by a petulant child with tons of money who decided he wanted to have it all, like a modern veruca salt. Cut ties, like the destruction of soddom and gammora don't look back. Let Twitter die it's obvious, and undignified death.
Show threadHorst Albermann 🇪🇺🇩🇪Jan 30, 2024

@drewharwell He is having fun because you are still engaging on his platform and thus have not understood what the new rules are. Twitter / X as a public good no longer exists. Only the deceptive appearance.

And that's hilarious - from his point of view. 🤷🏻‍♂️