18 million visitors from this country use AI websites to unclothe people virtually | Trending

A recent survey The Yomiuri Shimbun revealed that websites allowing users to create sexually explicit deepfake images using generative AI received more than 18 million visits from Japan over the span of a year. This places Japan as the third-largest country in terms of traffic to such sites, following the United States and India, according to The Star. A survey found that more than half of deepfake websites were launched in 2024.(Pexel) The growing trend of creating and sharing explicit deepfakes is becoming a serious issue both in Japan and worldwide. People are increasingly producing these fake images and spreading them through social media, with platforms that enable the creation of such content playing a significant role in the problem. Also read: Pop stars are turning to OnlyFans, selling feet and bottom pics as a side hustle Experts have expressed concerns, urging the implementation of rules and regulations to prevent the harm caused deepfake technology. Ichiro Sato, a professor at the National Institute of Informatics, emphasised the need for laws and increased information literacy to address the issue, reported The Star. Millions flock to ‘Deepfake Porn’ sitesThe survey identified 41 websites that allow users to produce fake sexual images. The digital traffic was analysed from December 2023 to November 2024 using Similarweb Ltd., a digital analytics firm. The United States topped the l with 59.73 million visits, followed India with 24.57 million and Japan with 18.43 million visits. Russia and Germany followed with 17.59 million and 16.86 million visits, respectively. On average, about 410,000 people from Japan accessed these websites monthly, with the majority—around 80%—using smartphones to visit them. These sites allow users to upload images of individuals and alter them to create explicit content, with instructions typically available in English, Russian, and some Japanese. The survey also found that more than half of these websites were launched in 2024, coinciding with an increase in the creation and online sharing of deepfake images and videos. According to a report U.S. cybersecurity firm Security Hero, 95,820 deepfake videos were detected online in 2023, which is five and a half times the number recorded in 2019. An overwhelming 98% of these videos were sexually explicit. With the rise in deepfake content, many countries have begun draughting new laws to combat the issue. Sato, who specialises in information science, called on Japan to introduce similar legislation and promote better information literacy to help prevent the creation and dribution of harmful deepfake images.