Bluesky Reinstates AI-Generated Video of Trump and Elon Musk After Initial Takedown

Bluesky, a semi-decentralized alternative to X (formerly Twitter), recently removed an AI-generated “protest” video depicting President Trump engaging in a compromising act with billionaire oligarch and self-proclaimed “first buddy” Elon Musk. The platform initially deemed the video “non-consensual explicit material,” essentially categorizing it as deepfake porn. However, after the writer who posted the video highlighted its political implications, Bluesky reinstated the content, claiming that its moderators had initially overlooked the context.

The video in question first surfaced on Monday when independent journalist and author Marisa Kabas shared the clip online. The video had actually originated from the federal offices of HUD, where it appeared on hacked TV screens throughout the agency. The text overlay on the disturbing footage read “Long Live The Real King,” seemingly referencing the accusation that Musk is America’s real president.

The clip quickly went viral on multiple platforms, including Bluesky. However, Kabas, who posted the video to the social media site, received a takedown notice from the platform, according to 404 Media. The notice stated: “A Bluesky account you control (@marisakabas.bsky.social) posted content or shared a link that contains non-consensual explicit material, which is in violation of our Community Guidelines. As a result of this violation, we have taken down your post.” It further emphasized: “We trust that you will understand the necessity of these measures and the gravity of the situation. Bluesky explicitly prohibits the sharing of non-consensual sexual media. You cannot use Bluesky to break the law or cause harm to others. All users must be treated with respect.”

However, the platform has since reversed its decision. Kabas wrote an email to Bluesky’s moderators, reportedly stating: “Hello—the post you have taken down was a video broadcast inside a government building to protest a fascist regime. It is in the public interest and it is legitimate news. Taking it down is an attempt to bury the story and an alarming form of censorship. I love this platform but I’m shocked by this decision. I ask you to reconsider it.”

404 Media reports that Bluesky stated its moderators had reevaluated the newsworthy character of the fake video. “This was a case of our moderators applying the policy for non-consensual AI content strictly,” they said in an email. “After re-evaluating the newsworthy context, the moderation team is reinstating those posts.” The videos are now once again available on Bluesky for public viewing.