US EditionBree Smith, NewsChannel 5 failed to get semi-nude deepfakes removed
- Former NewsChannel 5 meteorologist Bree Smith testified before a state House subcommittee in Nashville on Wednesday about being the victim of sexually charged AI deepfake videos that were used to scam her fans, leading to her departure from the station in January after nine years.
- Fueled by the increasing affordability and accessibility of GenAI tools since researchers began exploring GANs for image and video synthesis in 2014, deepfakes have become a significant problem worldwide, with imposter scams costing people more than $2.9 billion in 2024.
- Smith testified that fake social media accounts used her image to create sexually explicit deepfakes, leading a viewer to receive videos where it appeared Smith promised sexual acts and requested money, causing her to feel humiliated, scared, and deeply depressed.
- Despite NewsChannel 5's efforts to assist Smith by reporting the situation to police and social media platforms, the station manager, Richard Eller, stated that they exhausted their options, while Smith claimed she was told nothing could be done.
- Smith is now advocating for the Preventing Deep Fake Images Act , which strengthens protections for victims and allows them to sue perpetrators, with her lawyer stating that she is focused on enacting laws to protect people from violations of privacy and trust, emphasizing that there is still a lot of work to be done.
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Tennessee LookoutReposted by 
Elk Valley Times
Elk Valley TimesFormer News Channel 5 Meteorologist Bree Smith backs Tennessee bill to criminalize deepfakes
Tennessee State Capitol (Photo: John Partipilo)Former NewsChannel 5 meteorologist Bree Smith said she was “devastated” when imposter social media accounts claiming to be her began to solicit personal information and money from fans last fall. “These accounts used fake pictures that showed my face on someone else’s semi-nude body. They also made fake videos that used my face and my name to try to convince people it was the real me,” Smith testif…
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