Explicit deepfakes are a monumental problem. Paris Hilton just published a TikTok series to combat them.
Paris Hilton has taken the fight against explicit deepfakes to TikTok.
Her production company 11:11 Media partnered with award-winning longtime tech journalist Laurie Segall to make Searching for Mr. Deepfakes, a vertical docuseries created by Segall that chronicles her investigation into one of the largest deepfake pornography hovels on the internet.
As you likely know, deepfakes are more prevalent than ever now thanks to the advent of generative AI. We knew this was coming; after the earliest versions of DALL-E and ChatGPT sparked a gen AI gold rush and big tech companies began pouring money into models hoping to make big bucks, experts and watchdogs warned that rapidly evolving technology could be used to target and exploit people–especially women.
In our space specifically, we’ve seen numerous instances of female content creators harassed by people making deepfakes of them. Meanwhile, platforms like YouTube and TikTok have introduced systems to let celebrities, creators, and regular people file claims if they see deepfakes of themselves uploaded. (But at the same time, those platforms are also introducing their own homegrown tools that let people do things like insert themselves in other people’s videos.)
Segall has been reporting on the intersection of humanity and technology for 15 years, and is the CEO of Mostly Human Media, a creator-led media/entertainment network focused on that very topic. For the last three years, she’s been reporting on the impact of sexually explicit deepfakes.
In Searching for Mr. Deepfakes, which dropped today on Hilton’s TikTok account, Segall works to take down a website that, at its height, got 17 million views a month. The site was at the center of a community crawling with people who made money by generating deepfakes of everyone from celebrity women to their own family members.
@parishilton PART 1: The most dangerous man on the internet could be hiding in plain sight. I’m teaming up with journalist @Laurie Segall to expose the disturbing reality of AI-generated deepfakes and why urgent change is needed now more than ever. 👊🏻⚠️ 1 in 8 teens report knowing someone targeted by deepfake p*rn. This issue is growing fast… and it could happen to anyone. 🥹 14-part series streaming TOMORROW MAY 27th on my TikTok channel 🔍 #Deepfake #OnlineSafety #DefianceAct #AI #ParisHilton @RAINN ♬ original sound – ParisHilton
Segall worked with fellow investigators and white-hat hackers to track down the site’s owner. Her series also spotlights deepfake survivors and figures like Hilton who are advocating for stronger protections against this kind of sexual abuse.
“This series is designed to give audiences a sense of agency in understanding and confronting the future of technology and its impact on humanity. This is a deeply reported series that was built specifically for how people consume information today,” Segall said in a statement. “We believe this project is a blueprint for the future of journalism. You don’t have to sacrifice rigor, humanity, or impact to meet audiences where they are. With Paris Hilton and 11:11 Media as our partners, Mostly Human is proving that important stories can be told in innovative ways and still drive real change.”
Searching for Mr. Deepfakes dropped this morning in 16 short-form parts, with the first episode (embedded above) racking up 1.6 million views so far. Hilton, who was involved in promoting The DEFIANCE Act earlier this year, said Segall’s series is “exactly the kind of story I’m proud to elevate through 11:11 Media.”
“This series shines a light on a dangerous and deeply personal issue, and by sharing it directly with my audience on TikTok, I hope it sparks meaningful conversation and drives real change. My goal in sharing this story on my platform is to make it clear that protecting women and girls in the digital world is a responsibility we all share.”
Thanks to Segall’s investigation, the Mr. Deepfakes site was shut down in May 2025. But the threat of sexually explicit deepfakes continues, and so does Segall’s work.
“When it comes to the rise of sexually explicit deepfakes, we’ve seen a version of this story before: the one where tech moves quickly, the laws haven’t caught up, and the earliest victims are women,” she said, noting that she previously reported on nonconsensual pornography, where people’s explicit photos are posted online against their will, and often without their knowledge.
“Paris Hilton was one of the earliest victims of this type of abuse, and now, fast-forward all these years later, she’s one of the earliest victims of deepfake pornography,” Segall said. “[N]one of us are safe. In this AI-driven era, to become a victim, you don’t have to take a nude picture. You just have to exist.”
