Report: 46 female MEPs were targets of AI deepfake pornography
In short
A report by German civil-society group Agora Digital Transformation, cited by Politico, says 46 female members of the European Parliament have been targets of AI-generated deepfake pornography — about one in six — along with four male MEPs. The European Parliament has passed an amendment banning apps used to create such material, effective December 2, and 119 MEPs have urged EU leaders to enforce it and to investigate quickly whether Grok on X was used to make deepfakes. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who says she has been a deepfake target, has applied to register her own voice as an EU trademark.
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A report by the German civil-society group Agora Digital Transformation, cited by Politico, says 46 female members of the European Parliament have been targets of AI-generated deepfake pornography — about one in six. Four male MEPs were also victims, according to the report as described by Yonhap and Asia Economy. Deepfake pornography refers to sexually explicit images or videos made with AI without the person's consent. [ 1 , 2 ]
The report says politicians are especially likely to be targeted because it is difficult for them to keep their faces and images off the internet, both outlets reported. [ 1 , 2 ]
The European Parliament has passed an amendment banning apps used to create deepfake pornography, and the measure takes effect across the EU on December 2, according to both documents. On September 30, 119 MEPs sent a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and other EU leaders asking them to enforce the ban effectively and to complete a swift investigation into claims that the Grok chatbot on X may have been used to make deepfakes. [ 1 , 2 ]
The civil-society group that produced the report argues the app ban will only be effective if payment processors and domain registrars are also held responsible, and suggests considering a requirement for search engines to remove deepfake-generating sites from their results. [ 1 ]
Separately, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has applied to the EU Intellectual Property Office to register her voice as a trademark, submitting a roughly four-second clip of her saying “Io sono Giorgia”, Asia Economy reported, citing ABC News and La Repubblica. The filing is a response to unauthorised AI voice cloning; local media said registration, even if approved, would not automatically block imitation of her voice but would give her an additional legal tool against unauthorised use. [ 2 ]
Meloni has been a deepfake target several times, according to Asia Economy. In May, after fake images of her circulated online again, she said deepfakes can deceive, manipulate and harm anyone, called for verifying content before sharing it, and said “I can defend myself, but many people cannot”. The outlet also noted that actors Matthew McConaughey has registered his voice and motions as trademarks and Scarlett Johansson has publicly objected to an AI voice she said was eerily similar to hers. [ 2 ]
Why it matters
The findings put a number on how exposed elected officials are to AI-generated sexual imagery, and the European Parliament's app ban from December 2 will be an early test of whether EU rules can be enforced. The MEPs' letter extends the pressure to platform and chatbot operators, while Meloni's trademark filing shows victims turning to legal tools of their own. The documents do not say how many MEPs in total are affected, only the ratio and the reported counts.
Key facts
- Forty-six female members of the European Parliament were targets of AI-generated deepfake pornography, about one in six, according to a report by German civil-society group Agora Digital Transformation cited by Politico. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Four male MEPs were also victims, the report said. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The European Parliament passed an amendment banning apps used to create deepfake pornography; the measure takes effect across the EU on December 2. [ 1 , 2 ]
- On September 30, 119 MEPs sent a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and other EU leaders asking them to enforce the ban effectively and to investigate quickly whether Grok on X was used to generate deepfakes. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The civil-society group said the ban will only work if payment processors and domain registrars are also held responsible, and suggested obliging search engines to exclude deepfake-generating sites. [ 1 ]
- Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni applied to the EU Intellectual Property Office to register her voice as a trademark, submitting a roughly four-second clip of her saying “Io sono Giorgia”, according to ABC News and La Repubblica. [ 2 ]
- Meloni said in May that deepfakes can deceive and harm anyone, and that people should verify content before sharing it, adding that she can defend herself but many others cannot. [ 2 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- A report by Agora Digital Transformation, cited by Politico, found that 46 female MEPs and four male MEPs were targets of AI-generated deepfake pornography. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The European Parliament passed an amendment banning apps used to create deepfake pornography, effective December 2. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Some 119 MEPs sent a September 30 letter to EU leaders urging effective enforcement of the ban and a swift investigation into whether Grok on X was used to create deepfakes. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The report says politicians are easy deepfake targets because their faces and images are widely published online. [ 1 , 2 ]
Still unclear
- Whether the Grok chatbot on X was actually used to create deepfakes. Both documents report only that MEPs asked for an investigation into the possibility; no finding is stated.
- The outcome of Giorgia Meloni's trademark application for her voice. Reported by one outlet, which says EUIPO has received the application; no decision is mentioned, and it is not clear the registration would automatically stop AI voice imitation.
- The names of the 46 female and four male MEPs affected, and the total number of MEPs used to calculate the one-in-six ratio. The documents give counts and a ratio but no names and no total.
- Whether the civil-society group's proposals on payment processors, domain registrars and search engines will be taken up. Only one document reports them, and they are described as recommendations.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni says deepfakes can deceive, manipulate and harm anyone and urges verification of online content before sharing, after fake images of her circulated again, adding that she can defend herself but many cannot. [ 2 ]
- 119 MEPs send a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and other EU leaders asking for effective enforcement of the deepfake app ban and a swift investigation into whether Grok on X was used to create deepfakes. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Politico reports on the Agora Digital Transformation findings, and Meloni files her voice trademark application with the EU Intellectual Property Office, according to ABC News and La Repubblica. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Yonhap publishes its report on the deepfake findings and the EU's response. [ 1 ]
- Asia Economy publishes its report on Meloni's trademark application and the deepfake findings. [ 2 ]
- The EU-wide ban on apps used to create deepfake pornography takes effect. [ 1 , 2 ]