Paul Stenhouse: Apple's forced to allow outside apps and explicit deepfake images of Taylor Swift

Apple is being forced to allow apps from outside it's App Store 

The EU's Digital Markets Act is coming into effect in March and it will see monumental changes to Apple's iPhone business. For the first time apps from outside of its App Store will be allowed to be installed on the phone, either directly, or via a third-party-created app store of their own. It's huge because Apple charges up to 30% of an App's direct revenue to be distributed in their store and have strict guidelines on what apps can and cannot do. These new rules allow for more freedom than ever. These new DMA rules will also force Apple to allow for web browsers to be powered by technology other than their proprietary "WebKit". For New Zealanders it won't mean much but it may give more ammunition for other governments to propose similar legislation. 

 

Explicit Taylor Swift images are going viral, but they're deepfakes 

Don't believe what you're seeing. The realistic pornographic images are likely generated by AI technology which makes creating them as easy as typing "prompts" or instructions - no photoshop skills necessary. A single instance of one image on X (formally Twitter) was viewed 47 million times before the account was taken down. In the US there aren't federal regulations around AI imagery, and no states have laws against creation or sharing of non-consensual deepfake photography. 

Taylor Swift's is one of America's sweethearts and this is shining a light on a very real issue because these types of images can be created for almost anyone. 

 

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