BINI's agency promises to take action against inappropriate deepfakes

Star Music, the agency of the P-Pop powerhouse BINannounced that it would crack down on inappropriate deepfake videos and photos of the members due to concerns about the girl group's safety.

In a statement on BINI’s social media platforms on Monday, September 2, the label said it “strongly condemns [the] harmful actions” towards the P-Pop girl group.

“We have become aware of malicious, edited deepfake photos and videos of BINI members circulating on social media. We strongly condemn these harmful actions. Our team has already taken action to remove some of these accounts,” the post said.

#BINI : A notice pic.twitter.com/iREzIL7S7q

— BINI_PH (@BINI_ph) 2 September 2024

The label added that it is coordinating with the “relevant government authorities and agencies” to clarify the matter.

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“We are working with the relevant government authorities and bodies to identify the individuals behind these acts and to take legal action. BINI's safety and well-being remain our highest priority. We will continue to monitor any form of exploitation or harassment and take all necessary action,” it said.

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The statement comes after loyal fans of BINI, also known as Blooms, called out the girl group's label after sexually exploitative deepfake videos and photos purporting to show the members' faces began circulating on a Telegram chat group and social media.

According to some posts, fans pointed out that they had been asking the label to clarify the matter for “months.”

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

— ًً (@dearmkha) 2 September 2024

In light of recent issues arising from vicious posts and attacks on the girls, we stand with Blooms to support their goal of being heard by management.

PROTECT BINI AT ALL COSTS #SMProtectBINI@StarMusicPH @starmagicphils

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

It's been months and we have been ignored. Despite the team's extensive efforts and resources, we have still been ignored. Alam nyo yan. Wala wanted to break up with me.

But today @BINI_ph @StarMusicPH @direklauren?

PROTECT BINI AT ALL COSTS

— BLOOM PHILIPPINES (@TEAMBLOOMPH) 1 September 2024

This led Blooms to create the hashtag “#SMProtectBINI” and the keyword “PROTECT BINI AT ALL COSTS”, after which the hashtag topped Philippine trends on X (formerly Twitter).

Image: Screenshot by X

Deepfake is a form of AI-generated content (either through photo, video or audio recordings) of a person that is digitally altered to look like someone else. This has raised concerns among tech watchers and other internet users because of its potential to 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 announced plans to crack down on deepfakes following reports that female artists in their country had fallen victim to sexual deepfake content.

In an August 2024 report by BBCSouth Korean authorities discovered sexually explicit deepfake images of women and underage girls in several chatrooms, leading to calls for action against digital sexual crimes.