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A 2021 investigation described an unnamed website that let users put a face into a porn video by uploading a photo and choosing a clip. The site did not reliably establish that the uploaded face belonged to the user or that the person depicted had consented. The report said the service stopped accepting new users in September 2021; it does not establish whether the site or similar tools are available now.
How the face-swapping app worked
Karen Hao’s September 13, 2021, report for MIT Technology Review, reproduced by the University of Notre Dame’s Institute for Scholarship in the Liberal Arts, described a service the reporter called “Y.” Hao did not name the website or reproduce its promotional material.
A visitor uploaded a face photo, browsed a library of porn videos, and could preview a face-swapped result within seconds. Downloading the full version required payment. Results varied: some looked visibly distorted, while others could appear subtle to a casual viewer. The report did not establish that every result was convincing or indistinguishable from authentic footage. Read the reproduced report.
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The site presented itself as a safe way to explore sexual fantasies, but the described workflow did not verify who was in the uploaded photo or whether that person agreed to the use. Hao also reported that comments on online forums suggested users had uploaded other people’s faces; that was not a quantified survey of users.
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What is known about the site’s availability
Hao reported that after a third attempt to contact the creator, the site displayed a notice on August 17, 2021, saying it was no longer available to new users; the notice remained on September 12. OECD.AI’s incident entry says the app was taken offline after public backlash, while cautioning that the information displayed there does not represent official views of OECD or its member governments. These accounts establish a restriction in 2021, not the site’s present status or the availability of other tools. OECD.AI incident entry.
Why a fake video can still cause real harm
Consent is not a question of whether the output is technically flawless. Fabricated sexual imagery can use a person’s identity and likeness without permission, with consequences for their sense of safety, reputation, relationships, and work. Hao’s report describes psychological violation, social isolation, employment and career impacts, and the difficulty of getting copies removed.
The report relates accounts involving Australian activist Noelle Martin, Indian journalist Rana Ayyub, UK poet and broadcaster Helen Mort, and a teacher whose case was handled by the UK Revenge Porn Helpline. These examples illustrate the experiences described in the report; they should not be read as a controlled study.
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“It’s ‘tailor-made’ to create pornographic images of people without their consent.”
Adam Dodge, founder of EndTAB, quoted in Hao’s report as reproduced by Notre Dame
“This kind of abuse—where people misrepresent your identity, name, reputation, and alter it in such violating ways—shatters you to the core.”
Noelle Martin, quoted in Hao’s report as reproduced by Notre Dame
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Martin also described the lasting difficulty of removal: “To this day, I’ve never been successful fully in getting any of the images taken down. Forever, that will be out there. No matter what I do.” Dodge warned that uncertainty about whether fabricated imagery “counts” as victimization can itself impede recovery: “If somebody is wrestling with whether they’re even really a victim, it impairs their ability to recover.”
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What the reported statistics do—and do not—show
Hao’s 2021 article attributed an estimate to Sensity AI that 90%–95% of online deepfake videos were non-consensual pornography, and around 90% of those featured women. UNDP and Aapti Institute repeated that estimate in a 2024 report, citing Hao. It is an attributed estimate, not a current census of all synthetic sexual imagery; the original Sensity publication was not located for this account. UNDP and Aapti Institute report (PDF).
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What to do if someone makes or shares an intimate deepfake
In the United States, the FTC says platforms covered by the Take It Down Act must provide a way to report non-consensual intimate images, including deepfakes, and remove the reported image and known identical copies within 48 hours of a request. The FTC advises reporting through the platform and contacting the FTC if a covered platform fails to act within that period. This is US-specific guidance, not a worldwide rule. FTC: Take It Down Act—what to know.
- Report the content to the platform. Use its process for non-consensual intimate imagery and retain the report confirmation and relevant URLs. For covered US platforms, the FTC says the removal deadline is 48 hours after a request.
- For eligible adults, consider StopNCII.org. The FTC points adults to this free tool, operated by the Revenge Porn Helpline. It accepts synthetic or generated nude, semi-nude, or sexual imagery when the depicted person is over 18 and has access to the image. Check StopNCII’s eligibility and guidance.
- Understand what StopNCII shares. It creates a digital hash, or fingerprint, on the person’s device; the image itself does not leave the device, though the hash is shared with participating platforms. The tool does not accept the original source image used to make a synthetic image, and it cannot guarantee removal everywhere.
- If the person depicted is a minor, use the appropriate child-safety resource. The FTC directs minors and those helping them to separate resources, including the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. See the FTC’s guidance and resources.
The FTC defines image-based abuse to include intimate imagery that is real, digitally altered, or AI-generated. A depicted event does not have to have happened for the image to be abusive. Rules and reporting options outside the United States differ by jurisdiction.
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