BINI’s agency vows to take action vs inappropriate deepfakes

BINI in a backstage photo during their “BINIverse” concert at New Frontier Theater in Quezon City. Image: Instagram/@bini_ph

Star Music, the agency of P-pop powerhouse BINI, announced that it is taking action against inappropriate deepfake videos and photos of the members, amid concerns of the girl group’s safety.

In a statement on BINI’s social media platforms on Monday, Sept. 2, their label said it “strongly condemns [the] harmful acts” done towards the P-pop girl group.

“It has come to our attention that there are malicious, edited deep fake photos and videos of BINI members circulating on social media. We strongly condemn these harmful acts. Our team has already taken action to remove some of these accounts,” the post read.

#BINI : Advisory pic.twitter.com/iREzIL7S7q

— BINI_PH (@BINI_ph) September 2, 2024

The label added that it was coordinating with “proper government agencies and authorities” to address the matter.

“We are working with the proper government agencies and authorities to identify the individuals behind these acts and pursue legal actions. The safety and well-being of BINI remain our top priority. We will continue to monitor and take all necessary measures against any form of exploitation or harassment,” it added.

The statement comes after BINI’s dedicated fans, or Blooms, called the attention of the girl group’s label after sexually exploitative deepfake videos and photos allegedly containing the members’ faces had circulated in a Telegram chat group and on social media.

According to some posts, fans pointed out that they had long been calling the label’s attention to address the matter “for months.”

PROTECT BINI AT ALL COST #SMProtectBINI@StarMusicPH @direklauren @starmagicphils pic.twitter.com/xCUYL8CDDc

— ًً (@dearmkha) September 2, 2024

With the recent issues arising from the malicious postings and people targeting the girls, we are one with Blooms in supporting the goal to be heard by the management.

PROTECT BINI AT ALL COSTS #SMProtectBINI@StarMusicPH @starmagicphils

— BINI Fan Support ౨ৎ (@binifansupport) September 2, 2024

It’s been months, and we’ve been disregarded. Despite the team’s extensive efforts and resources, we were still ignored. Alam nyo yan. Wala kayong narinig na reklamo galing sa amin.

Pero, ano na @BINI_ph @StarMusicPH @direklauren?

PROTECT BINI AT ALL COSTS

— BLOOM PHILIPPINES (@TEAMBLOOMPH) September 1, 2024

This led to Blooms creating the hashtag “#SMProtectBINI” and the keyword “PROTECT BINI AT ALL COST,” with the hashtag topping the Philippines trends on X (formerly Twitter).

Image: Screengrab from X

Deepfake is a form of AI-generated content (either through photo, video, or audio recording) of a person that is digitally altered to appear to be someone else. This sparked concerns among tech watchers and other netizens, as it can become a tool for misinformation and sexual harassment.

In South Korea, music labels JYP Entertainment, YG Entertainment, ADOR (All Doors One Room), and Woollim Entertainment have vowed to take action against deepfakes following reports of its female artists being the victims of sexual deepfake content.

In an August 2024 report from BBC, South Korean authorities found several chat rooms containing sexually explicit deepfake images of women and underage girls, which sparked calls to combat digital sex crime.