X blocks searches for Taylor Swift over explicit AI images

Social media platform X has blocked searches for Taylor Swift after pornographic deepfake images of the singer circulated online.

Attempts to search for her name on the site on Monday 29 January resulted in an error message and a prompt for users to retry their search, which added, “Don’t fret - it’s not your fault.”

Searches for variations of her name such as “taylorswift” and “Taylor Swift AI” turned up the same error messages.

“This is a temporary action and done with an abundance of caution as we prioritise safety on this issue,” Joe Benarroch, head of business operations at X, said in a statement.