New York officials have seized over a dozen websites that published nonconsensual deepfake videos, marking a significant action against such platforms. The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office announced the seizure of 12 domains on September 14, 2026, which were reportedly used for unlawfully sharing and selling celebrity deepfake videos. Approximately 1,200 individuals, predominantly women, were depicted in these videos, which included social media influencers, actors, and politicians.
District Attorney Alvin Bragg stated that these violations of privacy have severe emotional and mental health impacts on victims and encouraged those affected to contact the cybercrime bureau. The investigations into the websites and the individuals who uploaded the videos are ongoing.
This operation is considered one of the largest takedowns of explicit deepfake websites since the technology emerged in 2017. The rise of artificial intelligence has led to the creation of various websites and applications that generate realistic deepfake content, often depicting women in sexual scenarios. While deepfake technology affects many individuals, celebrities have highlighted the difficulties in removing such content.
The US Take It Down Act has provided some legal framework for removing images, allowing law enforcement to take action against these websites. Although the specific websites seized have not been publicly identified, some were observed to have replaced their homepages with seizure notices.
Leonie Oehmig, a researcher at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, remarked that the takedowns represent a significant advancement in combating synthetic nonconsensual intimate imagery. She noted that effective enforcement can occur even amid fragmented regulations across jurisdictions. The seized websites reportedly received millions of views and hosted videos that manipulated the faces of celebrities into existing pornographic content.
Benjamin Shultz, a lead researcher at the American Sunlight Project, noted that some videos appeared to be reposts from the MrDeepFakes platform, which was taken offline after its creators were identified. He also mentioned that some of the seized sites featured profiles of elected officials alongside manipulated videos.
Oehmig emphasized that addressing the deepfake industry requires intervention at multiple levels, including the tools for creating synthetic content, the promotion of such materials, and the infrastructure that supports them.