Taylor Swift has recently been the victim of graphic and inappropriate AI-generated images circulating online while also dealing with a stalker in New York who has been repeatedly arrested. This combination is prompting “Protect Taylor Swift” to trend as her fans band together on social media.
The AI-generated images of Swift were sexually explicit, with one post viewed over 45 million times on X.
Explicit AI-generated content is prohibited on X. The account that shared the images has been suspended, and the post was taken down. Nevertheless, users are still finding ways to circulate the images.
Swift’s fan base came to her defense, flooding the internet with uplifting posts of Swift on stage in hopes of drowning out the fake images.
The posts from her fans are the reason “Protect Taylor Swift” and “Taylor Swift AI” began trending.
In addition to the fake content of Swift, there are also reports of a stalker who won’t leave Swift alone.
David Crowe, who is originally from Seattle, was arrested for the third time in five days near Swift’s New York townhouse. Prosecutors said Crowe has gone to her home 30 times within the past two months.
On Saturday, Jan. 20, and Monday, Jan. 22, police responded to complaints of “an emotionally disturbed man acting erratically” near Swift’s house. Crowe allegedly tried to open the door to her building.
Crowe already faces stalking and harassment charges but continues to be released based on New York law. None of his violations have been deemed bail-eligible yet and some judges in the state have been ordered not to take a criminal’s history into account.
A New York Post editorial piece warns of another John Lennon-type tragedy if nothing is done to protect the singer — a reference to the former Beatle’s 1980 murder in New York City.
“Has this city forgotten the tragedy of Mark David Chapman and John Lennon,” the New York Post editorial board wrote. “Do we really want something terrible to happen even though authorities were given 30 warnings and still did nothing? Protect Taylor Swift. Protect all New Yorkers.”
