The Matt Gaetz Nomination, Abortion Reversal Lawsuits, and Deepfakes in Schools
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** CfA's November 15, 2024 Newsletter
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With your support, Campaign for Accountability is working to expose corruption and hold the powerful accountable.
** This Week's Updates:
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CfA Calls for Release of Matt Gaetz Report
In June, the House Ethics Committee reopened ([link removed]) its investigation into Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), after determining that certain allegations made against the congressman merited continued review. Specifically, the bipartisan committee decided to investigate allegations that Gaetz had engaged in sexual misconduct and illicit drug use, in addition to abusing his position in the House to accept improper gifts and dispense favors. Now that President-Elect Donald Trump has tapped ([link removed]) Gaetz to serve as his Attorney General, it is particularly important for the American public to see the contents of the Ethics Committee’s report.
“If the House Ethics Committee found that Gaetz violated federal law, he should absolutely be disqualified from running the nation’s top law enforcement agency,” said CfA Executive Director Michelle Kuppersmith. “The Senators who are considering Gaetz’ nomination must demand access to the committee’s report, and bring this investigation into the light of day.”
UPCs Fail to Dismiss Abortion “Reversal” Investigations
Across the United States, anti-abortion organizations are telling women that they can safely “reverse” the effects of abortion medication by taking large doses of progesterone – a practice that the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists calls ([link removed]) “unproven and unethical.” This health disinformation is particularly dangerous when it comes from unregulated pregnancy clinics (UPCs), which masquerade ([link removed]) as real abortion providers in order to mislead patients. While some anti-abortion messaging is protected by the first amendment, anti-abortion organizations may be violating state consumer fraud laws by making deliberately false and misleading claims about medical treatments.
In late 2023, the Attorneys General of California ([link removed]) and New Jersey ([link removed]) opened investigations into UPCs that advertised “abortion reversal,” arguing that they were violating laws related to false advertising and consumer protection. Now, judges in both states have declined to dismiss ([link removed]) lawsuits filed by UPCs that sought to block the probes, potentially limiting their ability to promote dangerous and unproven drug protocols.
How Meta Continues to Enable Image-Based Sexual Abuse
Last week, a private high school in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, released more details about a case involving a student who used AI to make deepfake images of female classmates. While the school initially identified ([link removed]) 22 students as victims, its administrators are now saying that almost 50 students were targeted – making this one of the largest known instances of deepfake sexual abuse in an American school. 40% of students in public K-12 schools report being aware of deepfakes made of their classmates or teachers, according to a recent survey ([link removed]) conducted by The Center for Democracy and Technology, suggesting that many incidents are going unreported.
Typically, tech-backed organizations will advocate for “education ([link removed]) ” to address harassment or abuse facilitated by technology, shifting the blame to parents and teachers who must contend with an ever-growing list of digital threats. While open-source AI models are difficult ([link removed]) to rein in, “gateway” companies like Meta, Google, and Telegram could make it far more difficult for young people to access these tools. A quick search by TTP, however, revealed that Meta is actively running advertisements ([link removed]) for a Telegram bot used to create nonconsensual sexual deepfakes. The advertisements violate Meta’s policies against sexual content ([link removed]) and AI-generated nonconsensual nude images
([link removed]) , but have been allowed to circulate for almost a week.
What We're Reading
A pregnant woman sues for the right to an abortion in challenge to Kentucky’s near-total ban ([link removed])
Project 2025’s Mastermind Is Obsessed With Contraception ([link removed])
Oklahoma superintendent has no power to make schools show Trump prayer video, AG’s office says ([link removed])
** Follow Our Work:
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We thank you for your continued support. Without people like you, our work would not be possible.
Here is how you can stay involved and help us accomplish our mission:
1. Follow CfA on Threads ([link removed]) and BlueSky ([link removed])
2. Follow the Tech Transparency Project on Threads ([link removed]) and Bluesky ([link removed])
3. Tell your friends and colleagues ([link removed]) about CfA.
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5. Make a tax-deductible donation ([link removed]) .
Be on the lookout for more updates about our work in the upcoming weeks. Thanks again for signing up to be a part of CfA!
Sincerely,
Michelle Kuppersmith
Executive Director, Campaign for Accountability
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