New York authorities have seized 12 websites accused of sharing and selling AI-generated sexual content involving about 1,200 people without their consent. The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office announced the seizure on September 14 as part of an ongoing investigation.
Most of the people shown in the content were women. They included actors, politicians, athletes, musicians, social justice advocates and social media influencers. According to authorities, the websites used existing photos and videos of real people to create fake sexual images and videos. The content was then shared or sold through the sites.
The case shows how AI tools are being used to create and spread fake sexual content and the challenges authorities face in stopping it. The investigation is continuing as prosecutors look into the people who ran the websites and uploaded the material.
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12 Deepfake Websites Seized in Manhattan Investigation
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office seized 12 website domains after investigators found that they were being used to distribute AI-generated sexual content. The domains were taken down under a court order as part of an ongoing investigation.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office described the action as the largest known seizure of AI-generated celebrity deepfake websites to date. Authorities said they will continue monitoring the seized domains to prevent operators from moving the material to other websites.
The case also shows how AI-generated sexual abuse can be distributed through websites that host and monetize the content. By targeting the websites themselves, authorities focused on the platforms used to distribute the material rather than only individual images or videos.
Authorities have not publicly confirmed how many people operated the websites or how many users created and uploaded the deepfake material. The investigation remains ongoing.
About 1,200 People Were Identified in the New York Case
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office said investigators identified about 1,200 people whose faces or bodies appeared in AI-generated sexual content found on the seized websites. According to the office, most of the people targeted were women. The group included people from different public-facing professions, such as:
- Actors
- Politicians
- Athletes
- Musicians
- Social justice advocates
- Social media influencers
Authorities have not released a complete public list of the people shown in the content. The case also highlights how AI deepfake pornography can target people who have never created or shared intimate images. Ordinary photos and videos can be manipulated to create fake sexual content without a person’s knowledge or consent.
How AI Deepfake Sexual Content Is Created
AI deepfake sexual content is made by using artificial intelligence to put a person’s face or likeness into a fake sexual image or video. The final result can look real even though the person was never part of the original scene.
Different AI tools can be used for this. Face-swapping tools replace one person’s face with another, while AI image tools can create new images using a person’s photo. Similar technology can also be used to change faces in videos.
Creating this type of content does not always require advanced technical skills. Research by the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD) found that some websites offered tools that could create synthetic intimate images using just one photograph.
This means that photos posted publicly online can sometimes be used to create fake sexual content. Once created, the material can be shared through websites, social media platforms and other online services.
The person shown in the content may have never agreed to its creation or sharing. Although the image or video is fake, it can still use a real person’s face or likeness without their consent.
AI Deepfakes and the Rise of Non-Consensual Intimate Images
The New York case is part of a wider problem known as non-consensual intimate imagery (NCII). NCII refers to intimate images or videos that are shared or created without the person’s consent. It can include real intimate material shared without permission as well as fake content created using AI and other editing tools.
Research from the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD) has identified NCII as a form of technology-facilitated gender-based violence. The research also found that advances in AI have made it easier to create realistic fake intimate images without advanced technical skills.
This has increased the risk for people whose photos are publicly available online. In some cases, a normal photograph can be used as the basis for creating fabricated sexual content without the person knowing about it.
The impact can be serious even when the content is completely fake. Such images can be used to harass, threaten, embarrass or damage a person’s personal and professional reputation.
Women Are the Main Targets of AI-Generated Sexual Deepfakes
Research shows that women are disproportionately affected by sexually explicit deepfakes. Several studies have found that most of the people targeted by this type of content are women.
In 2025, UN Women cited research estimating that 90% to 95% of online deepfakes are non-consensual pornographic images, with about 90% depicting women. It also cited research showing that the number of deepfake videos increased by 550% between 2019 and 2023.
The research cited by UN Women found that 98% of deepfake videos online were pornographic, while 99% of the people targeted were women.
These figures provide a broader view of the problem, but they do not represent the 1,200 people identified in the New York investigation. The UN Women figures come from separate research and should not be used to estimate the number of women affected in the Manhattan case.
Research into AI tools that create synthetic intimate images has also found that women are more frequently targeted. This gender gap is one of the main concerns raised in research on AI-generated sexual abuse.
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AI Deepfake Sites Attract Millions of Monthly Visits
The number of websites offering tools for creating AI-generated intimate images has grown alongside the wider use of generative AI. These sites can attract millions of visits, making it harder to deal with the problem by removing individual images or videos.
A 2025 study by the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD) identified 31 websites that offered or hosted tools for creating synthetic intimate imagery. These websites received nearly 21 million visits in May 2025.
The number of visits varied between websites. Some received only a few hundred visits during the month, while the most visited site received almost 4 million visits. ISD researchers also found that some of these tools could be found through regular search engines, meaning users did not necessarily need advanced technical knowledge to find them.
The scale of these websites also makes it harder to stop the spread of deepfake content. Removing one image or video does not prevent copies from appearing on other websites or platforms. ISD said efforts to address the problem need to consider the wider system, including content creation tools, hosting services, distribution channels and payment systems.
How Authorities Are Tackling AI Deepfake Networks
The Manhattan case shows one way authorities are responding to the growing problem of AI-generated sexual content. Instead of focusing only on individual images or videos, prosecutors targeted the websites that were allegedly used to distribute and sell the material.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office said the seized websites were almost entirely focused on AI-generated non-consensual intimate imagery. The investigation into the people operating the sites is still ongoing.
Prosecutors also said they would monitor the seized domains to prevent the operators from bringing the content back through different website addresses. This is important because the same material can be moved to new domains after a website is taken down.
The case also points to a wider challenge for law enforcement. AI-generated sexual content can be copied and shared across websites, social media platforms and private online groups. Researchers have therefore called for efforts that address the wider system involved in creating, hosting, promoting, distributing and monetizing this type of content.
How Deepfake Pornography Can Harm Victims
Deepfake pornography can affect victims even when the images or videos are completely fake. The effects can reach a person’s personal life, career and social life.
UN Women has said that AI-based online abuse can cause psychological, professional, financial and social harm. It has also warned that once this type of content is posted online, it can spread across different platforms and become difficult to remove.
Research by the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD) has also found that people targeted by fake intimate images can face emotional and professional harm. Women who are already visible online may face greater risks because their photos and other personal information are often publicly available.
The harm is not limited to whether the content is real or fake. The key issue is that someone’s face or likeness is used in sexual content without their consent. This can expose victims to harassment, threats, embarrassment and damage to their reputation.
Authorities Continue Investigating Deepfake Website Operators
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office has not publicly identified everyone involved in running the 12 seized websites. The investigation is still ongoing as authorities work to determine who operated the sites and how the content was created and distributed.
Prosecutors are also asking people who may have been targeted to come forward. The District Attorney’s Office said it will continue investigating the seized websites and similar operations and will monitor the domains.
The case also raises questions about how authorities can respond to similar websites based outside New York or the United States. Online operations can cross borders, making investigations more difficult.
The spread of AI-generated content adds another challenge. Websites can be taken down, new domains can appear and the same images or videos can be copied and shared across different platforms. The seizure removed 12 domains from operation, but the wider network of tools and websites used to create and distribute synthetic intimate imagery remains active.
What the Case Reveals About AI Deepfake Abuse
The New York case shows how AI-generated sexual content can be created and distributed on a large scale. Investigators identified about 1,200 people across 12 websites, with women making up most of those targeted.
The case also shows how publicly available photos can be misused. The people depicted included celebrities and other public figures whose images were available online. Their photos were allegedly used to create fake sexual content without their consent.
Research from UN Women and the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD) shows that this is part of a wider problem involving non-consensual intimate imagery. AI tools have also made it easier to create realistic fake sexual content without advanced technical skills.
The investigation is still ongoing. Prosecutors are working to identify the people who operated the websites, those who uploaded the content and how the material was created, distributed and sold. The findings could help provide a clearer picture of how AI deepfake websites operate and the challenges involved in stopping similar networks.
