Bluesky, the social media platform often seen as an alternative to X (formerly Twitter), reversed its decision to remove an AI-generated video that depicted former President Donald Trump in a provocative scenario involving Elon Musk. The video, initially flagged as “non-consensual explicit material” – essentially, deepfake pornography – was taken down before being reinstated after the person who posted the content argued its political implications.
The controversial video first appeared on Monday. Marisa Kabas, an independent journalist and author of The Handbasket, shared the clip online. The video, according to reports, originated from hacked TV screens at the federal offices of HUD. The altered video showed a grotesque scene, with a text overlay that read: “Long Live The Real King,” seemingly referencing the claim that Musk holds significant underlying influence.
The clip quickly gained traction across multiple platforms, including Bluesky. However, Kabas received a takedown notice from the platform for her post, 404 Media reported. The notice stated, in part, that the content violated community guidelines against “non-consensual explicit material.” It further emphasized the platform’s strict prohibition on sharing non-consensual sexual media, citing the need to respect all users.
However, Bluesky appears to have changed its position. Kabas responded to the platform’s moderators, stating that the removal of the video constituted censorship. She said the video was a protest broadcast within a government building and was considered legitimate news. According to 404 Media, Bluesky issued a statement regarding the decision. The statement explained that moderators had initially applied the policy on non-consensual AI-generated content strictly. “After re-evaluating the newsworthy context, the moderation team is reinstating those posts,” the platform said, in an email. That means the videos are now back on Bluesky.
