Google Tightens Search Controls To Combat Deepfakes And Explicit Content

Google is upgrading its safety features to simplify the removal of deepfakes from search results and prevent them from ranking highly.

Although users can already request the successful removal of explicit deepfakes, Google aims to streamline this process by automatically filtering out related search results and flagging similar or duplicate images.

Google Search rankings are being adjusted to prioritize high-quality, non-explicit content, such as relevant news stories, for queries that carry a higher risk of surfacing explicit fake content.

The search giant revealed that recent updates have reduced exposure to explicit image results for deepfake-related queries by over 70% this year.

In May, Google started removing advertisers promoting deepfake porn services. Additionally, in 2022, it expanded the types of content related to “doxxing” that could be removed and began blurring sexually explicit imagery by default in August 2023.