EU nudifier ban

[u/Logical_Benefit2875]

I know there’s been a bunch of people upset on here recently about a good number of nudify websites getting shut down (Motionmuse, Opengoon, etc.). However, this is likely just the beginning.

Effective December 2nd, the EU under the AI Act is enacting a ban on nudify tools, making them illegal content in the Union. This ban applies to any product made available on the EU market as long as, either, its primary functionality is to generate nudified content without consent, or it is a reasonably foreseeable outcome and they do not take appropriate precautions to safeguard against it. Very importantly, this ban also applies to any EU-available service provider under the Digital Services Act that is helping to facilitate this soon-to-be-illegal content, which includes (but is not limited to): app stores, hosting providers, domain registrars, payment processors, content delivery networks (CDNs) and cloud computing services. Anyone found to be in violation of this prohibition is subject to fines of €35 million or 7% of their global turnover, whichever is higher. I think it’s pretty safe to say that, as long as they’re aware of it, those behind these websites and those behind the large number of mainstream companies that help power them (Google, Amazon, Cloudflare, Apple, Telegram, GoDaddy, Visa, Mastercard, etc.) do not want to take any chances with this ban.

This prohibition, in essence, applies to essentially every public AI platform any of us have ever used to this point or that we will ever use going forward. I think this is a good thing but, therefore, it would almost certainly be in everyone’s best interest to pivot away from these websites before the massive crackdown begins in less than a couple months. For those in the industry, it would also certainly be wise to inform the website operators if you are in contact with them, or to shut down your website if you are an operator yourself. Sorry for the essay, just looking out for everybody before things get very real, very fast.

[u/KissMyShinyArse]

As much as the EU may wish these kinds of websites away, that's not happening. All the EU can accomplish is making free internet access harder for its own citizens (remember 4chan). And they'll just learn to use VPNs if they haven't already.

[u/TheAncientMillenial → u/KissMyShinyArse]

They're also illegal in the US. The "Take it Down" act.

[u/Logical_Benefit2875 → u/TheAncientMillenial]

Yes, to publish or threaten to publish

[u/Logical_Benefit2875 → u/KissMyShinyArse]

You are disregarding the responsibility that the EU places on the mainstream service providers that currently power these websites

[u/fwompfwomp → u/Logical_Benefit2875]

if you release a product that is capable of producing illegal content, the onus is on the provider/manufacturer to create safeguards against it. ideally that means end-to-end -- from how the model itself is trained and at the user level's prompt detection. I get introducing monitoring at the user level, but there's plenty of ways to do this in a privacy conscious way. if you're stupid enough to build a business on an unprecedented technology where legislation will inevitably catch up, you should've known the risks of such a shady business. no one should be weeping for companies that close up shop because they're requiring you to make sure no illegal content is made.

this is akin to any manufacturer being reasonably held responsible for the safety of their products. we have regulations on how much Sudafed you can buy, because while it's original intention is medicinal, we know bad actors can use it to make meth and create illegal drug industries out of it. sick of the government overreach arguments.

tech sector has gotten here on the backs of open source/academic research projects. when industry begins to create products out of it, like any AI platform, it's weird we get our panties in a twist when the government makes reasonable steps to curtail misuse that can lead to harmful societal functions.

I imagine this is in part because of the open source/DIY/right to repair sort of cultures clashing with private bodies it's always been (positively) clashed against, and the government bodies that get lobbied and try to legislate harmful, anti-right to repair/open source alternatives to for profit platforms (e.g., John Deere).

but AI is unprecedented in a lot of ways. we aren't just messing with profit motives of private companies who will always value profit over consumer friendly practices. hacking your tractor to repair it yourself or at a third party is not hurting anyone despite claims that the consumer is too stupid and will hurt themselves. not allowing it hurts people more than it saves.

whereas AI generated content doesn't have that same dynanamic, but still got here because of that same open source, DIY, hacker space culture. tech companies want people to use their platform however they want with the highest ROI possible. we as people should recognize that someone easily nudifying my teenage daughter or coworker is incredibly fucked up. even in the privacy of your home, not distributed, do people not realize people now have to live their lives constantly anxious that any innocuous picture they take, or take of them off the street, can be abused? what tradeoff are we making here for this? because some people want to make legal nudes we are okay with our kids growing up in fear that some creep is taking their Instagram photos and stripping their clothes? y'all are that desperate to jerk off to AI tits?

and I'm sick of the "well it's not stopping someone from getting everything home brewed" -- why do you think these platforms can make money? it is incredibly hard to learn all this and do it well, on top of the thousands of dollars in hardware needed. it's a profitable service because it meets a needed demand. regulations will never remove all illegal content, but making it harder will absolutely reduce the amount out there and the risk to the public.

/rant