Warning: This text discusses specific grownup content material and baby sexual abuse materials (CSAM).
Whether or not AI-generated or not, non-consensual grownup intimate media has no place on our platform – or on the web.
A US synthetic intelligence firm surreptitiously collected cash for a service that may create nonconsensual pornographic deepfakes utilizing monetary providers firm Stripe, which bans processing funds for grownup materials, an investigation by Bellingcat can reveal.
California-based AnyDream routed customers by a third-party web site presenting as a distant hiring community to a Stripe account within the title of its founder Junyu Yang, more likely to keep away from detection that it was violating the grownup content material ban. Stripe stated it couldn’t touch upon particular person accounts however, shortly after the funds supplier was contacted for remark final week, the account was deleted.
AnyDream, which permits customers to add pictures of faces to include into AI-image technology, has been utilized in latest weeks to create nonconsensual pornographic deepfakes with the visage of a schoolteacher in Canada, an expert on the US East Coast, and a 17-year-old actress.
Bellingcat will not be naming any of the ladies who have been focused to guard their privateness however was in a position to determine them as a result of AnyDream posted the photographs to its web site together with the prompts used to create them, which included their names.
The corporate has over ten thousand followers on Instagram and over three thousand members in its Discord server, the place many customers share their AI-generated creations.
(Replace, 28 November, 02:26 CET: Following the publication of this story, Discord deleted AnyDream’s server on the platform. “Discord’s Group Pointers prohibit the promotion or sharing of non-consensual grownup intimate media, together with these which might be AI-generated, in any other case often called ‘deepfakes’,” stated a Discord spokesperson. “Regarding the content material in query, we will verify that we have now reviewed the server and content material and the suitable actions have been taken.”)
AnyDream claimed, in an electronic mail despatched from an account bearing the title “Junyu Y”, that Yang is not with the corporate. This electronic mail was despatched 121 minutes after the Discord of an administrator within the firm’s server, which recognized itself as “Junyu” in April and gave out his private Gmail tackle earlier this month, dealt with a request from a consumer within the firm’s server on the messaging platform.
Requested about this, AnyDream stated that it had taken management of Yang’s Discord account, which additionally linked out to his private account on X, previously Twitter, till it was eliminated after Bellingcat contacted the corporate. The title of the e-mail account beforehand bearing his title was then modified to “Any Dream.”
AnyDream claimed its purported new house owners, who it refused to determine however stated took over someday this month, left Yang’s title on the Stripe account “through the testing course of by mistake.”
Nonetheless, the Stripe account in Yang’s title was used to gather funds through surreptitious third-party routing as early as October 10. Yang’s private electronic mail tackle was given out to customers within the firm’s Discord server weeks later, suggesting whether or not or not he stays with the corporate, he was concerned when the routing was arrange.
“We acknowledged the problem of processing by Stripe through the due diligence of our transition,” the corporate stated, in an electronic mail, including there “might be a brand new fee supplier changing Stripe very quickly.”
The corporate prevented answering questions on why it had continued to surreptitiously route Stripe funds by the third-party website. Yang — whose Discord account referred to the routing as “my non permanent answer” for gathering funds on October 16 — didn’t reply to a number of requests for remark.
Bellingcat additionally discovered that Yang directed customers to make funds to his private PayPal account, doubtlessly violating its phrases banning grownup content material. AnyDream stated it has stopped utilizing Paypal — the corporate final directed a consumer to make a fee to Yang’s private electronic mail through Paypal on November 2.
Whereas AnyDream declined to offer any data on its purported new house owners, Bellingcat was in a position to determine a person who lists himself as co-founder, a serial entrepreneur named Dmitriy Dyakonov, who additionally makes use of the aliases Matthew Di, Matt D.Y., Matt Diakonov, and Matthew Heartful.
In the meantime, fee points should not the one concern at AnyDream. Customers of the platform, which might AI-generate pornographic materials utilizing uploaded pictures of somebody’s face, alleged earlier this yr that there have been depictions of what they considered as underage-looking ladies on the corporate’s website and Discord server.
In a press release to Bellingcat, AnyDream burdened its opposition to and banning of the technology of kid intercourse abuse materials (CSAM), however acknowledged it “did have some points at first.”
“We’ve got since banned 1000’s of key phrases from being accepted by the AI picture generator,” the corporate added. “We even have banned 1000’s of customers from utilizing our device. Sadly, AI creates a brand new problem in age verification. With AI, there are pictures the place the character clearly appears too younger. However some are on the border.”
“Principally I’ve been making faux nudes of my spouse’s pal”
AnyDream is certainly one of dozens of platforms for producing pornographic content material which have proliferated alongside the latest growth in AI tech. Based earlier this yr by Yang, a former information scientist at LinkedIn and Nike based on his LinkedIn profile, it lets customers generate pornographic pictures primarily based on textual content prompts. Customers purchase “tokens” which permit them to create AI-generated pictures, together with the choice of importing pictures of a face to include.
This permits anybody to immediately generate photorealistic specific pictures that includes the facial likeness of almost any particular person of their selecting, with or with out their consent. Customers usually share pictures they’ve made within the firm’s Discord server, lots of them pornographic, and a few are additionally revealed on a “Uncover” web page on the corporate’s web site that highlights new and in style content material.
Bellingcat discovered a number of incidents of AnyDream getting used to generate nonconsensual pornographic deepfakes of personal residents. One consumer publicly posted nonconsensual AI-generated porn of his ex-girlfriend, an expert on the American east coast, on social media. He named and tagged her private accounts within the posts. AnyDream’s web site additionally prominently displayed the pictures.
Final week, a consumer generated pictures utilizing the title and likeness of a grade faculty instructor in western Canada — these pictures additionally appeared on the corporate’s web site.
On 26 August, one other consumer shared within the firm’s Discord server that they’d generated AI nudes of their spouse’s pal. On 22 October one other solicited recommendation, “like i’ve an image of this lady and that i need to use her face for the images.” A moderator replied with detailed steerage.
AnyDream stated in a press release that it’s working to restrict deepfaking to “solely customers who’ve verified their identities within the close to future,” although didn’t supply a particular timeline. The corporate stated its major enterprise case is for Instagram and OnlyFans creators who could make deepfake pictures of themselves, “saving 1000’s of {dollars} and time per photoshoot.” For now, nevertheless, customers can nonetheless create nonconsensual pornographic deepfakes.
These findings add to rising considerations about AI content material technology, particularly the unchecked creation of pornographic pictures utilizing girls’s likenesses with out their consent.
“Picture manipulation know-how of this type is turning into extremely refined and simply obtainable, making it virtually tough to tell apart ‘actual’ nudes from deep fakes,” Claire Georges, a spokesperson for the European Union legislation enforcement company Europol, advised Bellingcat concerning the broader problem of nonconsensual deepfakes.
In lots of nationwide jurisdictions, together with the US, there isn’t a federal legislation governing deepfake porn — a handful of states, together with California, New York, Texas, Virginia, and Wyoming, have made sharing them unlawful.
Ninety-six per cent of deepfake pictures are pornography, and 99 per cent of these goal girls, in accordance to a report by the Centre for Worldwide Governance Innovation. Seventy-four per cent of deepfake pornography customers advised a survey by safety agency Dwelling Safety Heroes they don’t really feel responsible about utilizing the know-how.
Of be aware, the most typical targets of nonconsensual AI porn are feminine celebrities. Some picture generator platforms that may produce pornography, reminiscent of Unstable Diffusion, ban superstar deepfakes.
On AnyDream, pornographic deepfakes of celebrities stay commonplace. Shared on the platform’s web site and Discord in latest days and weeks are pornographic deepfake pictures utilizing the face of a sitting US congresswoman and the faces of a number of multiplatinum Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriters and Academy Award-winning actresses.
AnyDream stated it has banned 1000’s of superstar names from picture prompts, however acknowledged, “Individuals can nonetheless misspell it to a minor diploma to get AI to create it.”
“We’re within the course of of making a greater moderation to counter that,” the corporate added, in a press release. “Sadly, it’s an iterative course of. I personally am not very plugged into popular culture so I even have a tough time telling who’s a star and who will not be.”
Nonetheless, as a result of the textual content prompts used to generate pictures are publicly shared on AnyDream’s web site are seen for anybody to assessment, Bellingcat was in a position to decide that the accurately spelt names of a number of celebrities, together with two actresses who’ve starred in multibillion-dollar movie franchises, have been used to create nonconsensual pornographic deepfakes in latest days and weeks.
“Too most of the pics look waaaaay too f—king younger”
One of many biggest considerations amongst consultants concerning the proliferation of AI picture technology know-how is the potential for creating pornographic materials depicting underage topics. AnyDream, by the corporate’s personal admission, has struggled to include this materials regardless of banning it, and the corporate’s filters to stop the technology of underage content material have generally failed. This has led a number of the platform’s personal customers to flag inappropriate materials on the “Uncover” web page of AnyDream’s web site.
The AnyDream Discord server’s chief administrator, who makes use of the deal with @noOne, has responded to previous complaints by eradicating offending pictures — generally inside hours or so long as a day — and by pledging to strengthen filters designed to stop the creation of illicit materials. The consumer additionally acknowledged that the corporate was utilizing minimal safeguards: “Sorry, I’ve a comparatively rudimentary CP [child pornography] filter primarily based on key phrases,” the account wrote to 1 consumer on Discord in June.
We imagine Yang was @noOne. The account was the primary administrator when the server was created in March, supplies updates about AnyDream, and is the first account that handles technical and fee points.
As well as, @noOne wrote within the Discord on 16 April, “My title is Junyu. However kinda need to go a bit anon working this website.” AnyDream claimed the account is not managed by Yang, although prevented answering questions on who now controls it.
The administrator account has additionally given out a private Gmail tackle that shows with Yang’s title when entered into the e-mail supplier’s search perform.
“Most main tech platforms will proactively ban something resembling CSAM, however these that don’t—in addition to platforms which might be decentralized—current issues for service directors, moderators and legislation enforcement,” reads a June report by the Stanford Web Observatory’s Cyber Coverage Centre.
AnyDream can simply create pornographic pictures primarily based on prompts and uploads of faces as a result of it runs on Secure Diffusion, a deep studying AI mannequin developed by the London- and San Francisco–primarily based startup Stability AI. Secure Diffusion was open-sourced final yr, that means anybody can modify its underlying code.
One of many authors of the Stanford report, technologist David Thiel, advised Bellingcat that AI content material mills like AnyDream which depend on Secure Diffusion are utilizing a know-how with inherent flaws that enable for the potential creation of CSAM. “I take into account it improper the best way that Secure Diffusion was skilled and distributed — there was not a lot curation in the best way of what information was used to coach it,” he stated, in an interview. “It was fortunately skilled on specific materials and pictures of kids and it is aware of learn how to conflate these two ideas.”
Thiel added {that a} “rush to market” amongst AI firms meant that some applied sciences have been distributed to the general public earlier than adequate safeguards have been developed. “Mainly, all of these things was launched to the general public far too quickly,” he stated. “It ought to have been in a analysis setting for almost all of this time.”
A spokesperson for Stability AI stated, in a press release to Bellingcat, that the corporate “is dedicated to stopping the misuse of AI. We prohibit using our picture fashions and providers for illegal exercise, together with makes an attempt to edit or create illicit content material.”
The spokesperson added that Stability AI has launched enhanced security measures to Secure Diffusion together with filters to take away unsafe content material from coaching information and filters to intercept unsafe prompts or unsafe outputs.
In AnyDream’s case, not the entire alleged instances of fabric depicting probably underage topics which have been flagged by customers have resulted in deletion. In Might, one consumer in AnyDream’s Discord server posted nonconsensual pornographic AI-generated pictures of a well-liked actress dressed as a movie position she initially performed when she was a minor. “That’s fairly dodgy IMO,” wrote one other consumer. “You’ve sexualised pictures of somebody who was a baby in these movies.”
The pictures stay reside and publicly obtainable on the Discord server.
Pay from Afar
Discovering a technique to facilitate monetary transactions for a web site that generates non-consensual pornographic deepfakes has confirmed tough for AnyDream. The corporate resorted to violating the phrases of two fee suppliers — Stripe and PayPal — to get round these struggles.
The corporate wrote in its Discord server on 6 September that it misplaced entry to Stripe as a result of the fee supplier bans grownup providers and materials. The principle administrator account has regularly bemoaned the issue of securing and sustaining fee suppliers, which they stated have objected to the creation of nonconsensual superstar deepfakes and to AI-generated nudity.
This didn’t cease AnyDream from utilizing Stripe. Sooner or later after 6 September, the corporate started gathering funds surreptitiously by routing them by a third-party website known as Rent Afar — which describes itself as a networking platform for distant software program staff — to a Stripe account in Yang’s title.
When a consumer clicked on fee choices on the AnyDream web site, they have been redirected to Rent Afar, which redirected them to Stripe.
@noOne admitted within the AnyDream Discord server on 15 Oct that “HireAfar is my non permanent answer for redirecting”. Customers who made purchases with AnyDream confirmed on the server that their bank cards have been charged to “AnyDream www.hireafar.ca”.
Additional information on AnyDream’s earnings from Stripe have been made public in a Reddit put up made final month by an individual whose username is Yang’s first and final title and identifies themself because the founding father of an unrelated firm that Yang lists himself because the founding father of on his LinkedIn profile. Within the Reddit put up, Yang requested for recommendation about promoting his enterprise, noting his “AI NSFW picture gen website” was making $10,000 in income per 30 days and $6,000 in revenue. He stated “all revenue is coming from stripe” in a remark beneath the put up.
The Reddit account has additionally posted about proudly owning a AI Girlfriend service known as Yuzu.fan, which native data present Yang registered as a enterprise title in Alameda County, California. It additionally additionally hyperlinks out to a defunct X deal with, @ethtomato — looking out on X reveals this was Yang’s earlier deal with earlier than it was modified to @battleElements.
Stripe isn’t alone amongst fee suppliers whose phrases and circumstances AnyDream has skirted round. Earlier than the corporate started rerouting funds through the Rent Afar website, it posted a private Gmail tackle for Yang on its funds web page and solicited funds through PayPal there.
AnyDream’s administrator account in its Discord server additionally directed prospects to ship funds through PayPal to the identical Gmail account. Customers have been directed to ship funds to this tackle since a minimum of June 16 and as not too long ago as November 2.
When entered into PayPal’s web site, the e-mail auto-populated Yang’s title and photograph, indicating it’s his private account. That is doubtlessly a violation of PayPal’s phrases of service that ban the sale of “sexually oriented digital items or content material delivered by a digital medium.”
AnyDream can also be more likely to have violated insurance policies with a 3rd exterior vendor, on this case its web site registrar. In accordance with ICANN, AnyDream’s area registrar is Squarespace, which bans the publishing of sexually specific or obscene materials underneath its acceptable use coverage.
AnyDream didn’t immediately tackle questions on why it continued third-party routing of funds to Stripe, stated it has stopped utilizing PayPal and stated it could search various web site providers. AnyDream has begun accepting fee through cryptocurrency with the promise of providing bank card buying sooner or later.
Serial Founder
A LinkedIn account that features his title and picture says Yang is a former information scientist at LinkedIn and Nike.
Final month, he recognized himself as AnyDream’s founder on X in an attraction to a Bay Space enterprise capitalist who put out a name for entrepreneurs “engaged on AI for grownup content material.”
He additionally flagged that he’s growing a “chatbot for digital influencers,” linking out to a website on the tackle Yuzu.fan. A search of on-line data in Alameda County, California, confirms that Yang has registered AnyDream and Yuzu as fictitious enterprise names, a authorized time period for a reputation utilized by an individual, firm, or organisation for conducting enterprise that’s not their very own title.
AnyDream, asserting once more that Yang will not be concerned within the firm, stated in an e-mail that it plans to deregister the fictional enterprise title.
Information additionally counsel Yang has grouped these, and different entities, underneath an umbrella firm known as Open Insights, Inc. The web sites for AnyDream, Yuzu and Rent Afar—the web site used to redirect Stripe funds for AnyDream—all include a copyright declare to Open Insights on the backside of their homepages. So does a fourth web site, Hireacross.com, the URL of which could be discovered as a result of it’s in a contact e-mail listed on Rent Afar which makes use of Yang’s first title.
A fifth website that lists Open Insights could be discovered on Yang’s Linkedin — he lists himself because the co-founder of RinaHQ, an AI transcription startup whose web site additionally lists the identical copyright. The YouTube video on RinaHQ’s webpage additionally hyperlinks to Yang’s YouTube web page. AnyDream, which once more declined to specify its purported new house owners, claimed the brand new possession had purchased this group of entities. It could solely consult with the particular person or folks behind them as “the administration workforce at Open Perception, inc.”
Moreover, two of the websites — AnyDream and Hireacross— use the identical background picture and structure. The similarities are probably as a result of the websites have been constructed utilizing the identical platform — most are registered by Squarespace, based on ICANN data.
Open Insights, in the meantime, is included in the UK, based on Firms Home, the UK’s public registry of enterprise entities. It was included within the UK in June 2023 as Open Insights VT Ltd utilizing a California tackle with the identical zip code as one listed on AnyDream’s web site. It lists Yang as its sole director. In an e-mail AnyDream denied any information of this UK entity.
The UK is a well-liked jurisdiction for offshore firms to register as a result of there they’re solely topic to taxes on their earnings made within the UK. Open Insights registered at a London tackle affiliated with an organization formation service supplier — these are companies within the UK that present providers, together with bodily addresses to register at, in order that they’ll domicile in Britain.
The sharing of deepfake pornographic pictures generated with out consent is ready to turn out to be a legal offence in England and Wales underneath the On-line Security Invoice, which acquired Royal Assent on 26 October 2023. (The laws doesn’t impose rules on firms like AnyDream that enable for the technology of those pictures).
A Co-founder Emerges
Whereas AnyDream declined to supply data on its purported new possession, Bellingcat was in a position to determine one other Bay Space entrepreneur who lists himself as a co-founder of the corporate.
Dmitriy Dyakonov, who additionally makes use of the aliases Matthew Di, Matt D.Y., Dmitry Y, Matt Diakonov, and Matthew Heartful, acknowledged that he’s an AnyDream co-founder on his TikTok profile, which makes use of his Matthew Heartful alias. The TikTok profile was deleted after Dyakonov was contacted for remark.
A video posted to this TikTok profile on October 30 that features instructions for learn how to use AnyDream was crossposted to a YouTube account, which makes use of Dyakonov’s Matthew D.Y. alias, on the identical day.
The TikTok video additionally recognized Dyakonov’s varied aliases, displaying them through the login strategy of its AnyDream demo.
Bellingcat was in a position to additional hyperlink Dyakonov to AnyDream through a LinkedIn account underneath his Matthew Di alias. His profile lists the position of Founder at an organization known as “Keyrent” amongst his previous expertise. The account additionally states he’s at present the co-founder of a “stealth startup” working in picture technology — “stealth startup” is a tech trade time period for firms that keep away from public consideration. He additionally states this startup earns $10,000 in month-to-month income, the identical quantity Yang stated AnyDream was incomes in his Reddit put up.
With the data on this LinkedIn account, Bellingcat was capable of finding movies Dykanov posted on one other YouTube account, this one underneath his Dmitry Y alias. In a kind of movies, he introduces himself because the co-founder of Keyrent underneath the title Dmitriy Dyakonov. (This video was deleted after Bellingcat contacted Dyakonov for remark.)
Moreover, coming into Dyakonov’s TikTok username with “@gmail.com” into Gmail reveals an account with a picture of his face as the principle show picture. This account makes use of his “Matthew Heartful” alias.
Dyakonov’s face additionally seems on the account of an administrator within the AnyDream Discord server which fits by the title “Matt.”
The Matt account joined Discord on November 5 — Dyakonov’s LinkedIn account underneath the Ma alias says he joined the stealth startup he at present works at in September. He didn’t reply to a request for remark and AnyDream didn’t reply to questions on his involvement.
AnyDream’s long-term plans transcend deepfake pictures. AnyDream shared on 21 October within the firm’s Discord server, “We’re growing faceswap for movies. Simply ready for the financial institution to clear us. Don’t need to add extra ‘dangerous’ options earlier than that.” As AnyDream appears to increase its providers, authorized regimes world wide are speeding to maintain up with the proliferation of AI-generated non-consensual deepfake content material.
“Girls don’t have any approach of stopping a malign actor from creating deepfake pornography,” warned a report by the US Division of Homeland Safety final yr. “Using the know-how to harass or hurt non-public people who don’t command public consideration and can’t command sources essential to refute falsehoods ought to be regarding. The ramifications of deepfake pornography have solely begun to be seen.”
Michael Colborne and Sean Craig contributed analysis.
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