AI Startup Founder Fights to Remove Explicit Videos from Microsoft

- Breeze Liu discovered an explicit video of herself on PornHub in April 2020
- The video had been filmed without her permission when she was 17 and uploaded without her consent
- Liu spent years trying to get the video and other similar content removed from the web
- Microsoft's abuse team was slow to respond and took no action on the matter for months
- A French victims' aid organization, Point de Contact, helped Liu get some of the content removed
- Liu's team confronted a senior member of Microsoft's safety team at a conference, leading to the company finally taking action
- Liu's experience highlights the need for tech companies to improve their reporting processes and relationships with victim aid groups
Breeze Liu's online nightmare began in April 2020 when she discovered an explicit video of herself on PornHub. The video had been filmed without her permission when she was 17 and uploaded without her consent. Liu spent years trying to get the video and other similar content removed from the web, but faced significant challenges, including a lack of response from Microsoft's abuse team. Despite her efforts, the content continued to spread, causing Liu significant emotional distress and frustration. Liu eventually turned to a French victims' aid organization, Point de Contact, which was able to help her get some of the content removed. However, Microsoft's slow response and lack of action on the matter prolonged Liu's ordeal. It wasn't until Liu's team confronted a senior member of Microsoft's safety team at a conference that the company finally took action to remove the content. Liu's experience highlights the difficulties victims of intimate image abuse face in trying to erase the content from the web and the need for tech companies to improve their reporting processes and relationships with victim aid groups.