Free Republic

SAG-AFTRA deplored the AI-generated graphic images of Taylor Swift that went viral on X (formerly Twitter) this week, calling the content “upsetting, harmful, and deeply concerning” in a statement issued on Friday. “The development and dissemination of fake images — especially those of a lewd nature — without someone’s consent must be made illegal,” the union said, while also calling support to Congressman Joe Morelle’s Preventing Deepfakes of Intimate Images Act to combat the practice. “As a society, we have it in our power to control these technologies, but we must act now before it is too late. We support...

New York CNN — Pornographic, AI-generated images of the world’s most famous star spread across social media this week, underscoring the damaging potential posed by mainstream artificial intelligence technology: its ability to create convincingly real and damaging images. The fake images of Taylor Swift were predominantly circulating on social media site X, previously known as Twitter. The photos – which show the singer in sexually suggestive and explicit positions – were viewed tens of millions of times before being removed from social platforms. But nothing on the internet is truly gone forever, and they will undoubtedly continue to be shared...

A Superior Court judge in San Diego tentatively awarded nearly $13 million to almost two dozen young women on Thursday, ruling that they had been tricked into performing in pornographic videos that derailed and uprooted their lives and led several to become suicidal. The ruling capped an unusual 99-day civil trial that exposed the bait-and-switch tactics and false promises deployed as part of a scheme to induce young women, who would not otherwise consider filming pornography, to fly to San Diego and shoot a pornographic video. ...snip...Judge Enright found that the women had been lured with Craiglist ads that offered...

<p>MILWAUKEE (AP) — Mention Amazon to the incoming class of college freshmen and they are more likely to think of shopping than the South American river. PC doesn't stand for political correctness and breaking up is a lot easier thanks to Facebook and text messaging.</p>

While the United States credit rating with Standard & Poor's may have been downgraded recently, Florida's jumped from AA+ to AAA. S&P upgraded Florida in July, which means now the state can refinance its old debt, thereby saving millions of dollars. Since July Florida has refinanced $1.5 billion in bonds, totaling $135 million in savings for the state. "We went through, got lower pricing, because a triple A bond rating can give us that. In this marketplace, there aren't many of us out there who have that rating," says Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater. Tax reductions and state budget cuts...

Young thugs and gang members should be made to ‘fear’ the police and stiff punishments for crimes, according to the Prime Minister’s new American crime adviser. Former New York police chief Bill Bratton, famed for his ‘zero tolerance’ tactics, said yesterday that UK forces should be more assertive with offenders, advocating a doctrine of ‘escalating force’. Last week David Cameron was reported to have approached Mr Bratton to discuss taking charge of the Metropolitan Police, and he has already enlisted him to help tackle the threat of gangs. However his comments came as fresh doubts emerged over his chances of...

Following a three-day manhunt, an unemployed Army veteran was arrested today for allegedly killing four people at a Long Island pharmacy, and later identified as the shooter by a witness in a police lineup, authorities said. David Laffer, 33, was arrested by Suffolk County police at about 10 a.m. at his Medford home. Shortly after Laffer's arrest, his wife Melinda Brady, 29, was also taken into custody, cuffed and placed in another car. Sources said Laffer's wife is believed to have driven the getaway car following the massacre. The fiance of one of the shooting victims, James Manzella, was waiting...

Months before Jacksonville police say 12-year-old Cristian Fernandez beat his 2-year-old half brother to death, investigators started asking why the toddler's leg was broken. The family said David Galarriago had an accident while playing on a jungle gym, according to court papers. Thursday, prosecutors say that wasn't just a lie but a warning sign about the rampant abuse that ultimately took the toddler's life and made Fernandez the youngest person in city history to be charged with first-degree murder. "It is disturbing, but when you know you have to balance the safety of other children in the home and in...

The Haddad children of Middletown, Md., have a lot on their minds: school projects, SATs, weekend parties. And parents who believe the earth will begin to self-destruct on Saturday. The three teenagers have been struggling to make sense of their shifting world, which started changing nearly two years ago when their mother, Abby Haddad Carson, left her job as a nurse to “sound the trumpet” on mission trips with her husband, Robert, handing out tracts. They stopped working on their house and saving for college. Last weekend, the family traveled to New York, the parents dragging their reluctant children through...

Regardless of whether a judge or jury finds Evan Emory guilty of a sex offense for creating a lewd video with schoolchildren in the background, the case has highlighted a cultural divide between the so-called Millennial Generation and pretty much everyone else. Many of the Millennials — mostly young adults without children — wonder what all the fuss is about. So Emory made a video with Ravenna elementary children in the background looking surprised and smiling a lot. They say since Emory sang a harmless “Lunch Lady Land” song to the children during his actual performance and subbed in lyrics...

Here's what Generation Y doesn't want: formal living rooms, soaker bathtubs, dependence on a car. In other words, they don't want their parents' homes. Much of this week's National Association of Home Builders conference has dwelled on the housing needs of an aging baby boomer population. But their children actually represent an even larger demographic. An estimated 80 million people comprise the category known as "Gen Y," youth born roughly between 1980 and the early 2000s. The boomers, meanwhile, boast 76 million. Gen Y housing preferences are the subject of at least two panels at this week's convention. A key...

When Thomas Baker was confronted by two youths while out on a late night run he decided to defend himself. Having been punched in the face and fearing his attacker was armed he pulled out a handgun from his pocket and shot dead the teenager who had hit him. As the gun debate rages afresh across America in the wake of the Tuscon massacre, prosecutors in Florida have ruled Baker should not face any charges, even though 18-year-old Carlos Musteller did not have a weapon. Citing the state's 'stand your ground' law they ruled the 28-year-old was entitled to protect...