Most business owners think of Google updates as things that move their rankings up or down. The July 2024 explicit fake content update was different. It was not about marketing sites at all. It was about protecting real people from sexually explicit images and videos of them that were faked, usually with AI, and shared without their consent.
Still, it is worth understanding, for two reasons. First, it shows clearly how Google uses removal requests as a ranking signal, which can affect any site that hosts user content. Second, if you or someone at your company is ever targeted, knowing how the system works helps you act quickly.
Let me explain what Google announced on 31 July 2024, how the removal and ranking changes work, and what it means for site owners. You can see where it fits among other 2024 changes in our Google algorithm updates timeline.
The explicit fake content update at a glance
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Announced | 31 July 2024, Google blog post by Emma Higham, Product Manager |
| Type | Ranking and removals policy change (not a core or spam update) |
| Confirmed by Google? | Yes |
| What it targeted | Non-consensual sexually explicit fake content, often called deepfakes |
| Main changes | Easier removals, automatic filtering of similar results, duplicate scanning, demotion for name-based queries, site-level demotions |
| Reported impact | Over 70% less exposure to explicit image results on targeted name queries, from ranking updates earlier in 2024 (Google) |
| Who was affected | Sites hosting this content, especially those with a high volume of removals |
Why deepfake imagery became a search problem
AI image and video tools got much better and cheaper in 2023 and 2024. That made it easy to create realistic explicit images of a real person, using only a few normal photos of their face. Victims include celebrities, but also private people: students, teachers, employees, ex-partners.
Search engines matter here because a victim's name is often the search that leads people to this content. If someone searches a person's name and the top image results are fake explicit pictures, the harm spreads with every search. Removing one URL does not help much when copies sit on dozens of other sites.
Google already had a process for requesting removal of this type of content. The July 2024 update was about making that process work better and making the ranking systems less likely to surface the content in the first place.
How Google changed the removal process
According to Google's announcement, two main things changed for people who file a removal request:
- Filtering similar searches. Once a removal request for non-consensual fake explicit imagery is approved, Google's systems aim to filter explicit results on similar searches about that person. The victim does not have to report every variation of the search.
- Removing duplicates. When an image is removed under the policy, Google's systems scan for and remove copies of that image they find.
Google said these protections were already working for other types of non-consensual imagery:
“These protections have already proven to be successful in addressing other types of non-consensual imagery.”
— Emma Higham, Google, How we're addressing explicit fake content in Search
If you need to report content of this kind, here is the simple process I would follow:
- Search for the person's name in Google web and image search, and note each URL showing the content.
- Take screenshots with dates as a record. Do not share or re-upload the images.
- Use Google's removal request form for non-consensual explicit or intimate personal images, which covers fake content.
- Include every URL you found, plus the search terms where it appears.
- Contact the hosting sites directly as well, since a Google removal hides results but does not delete the content from the web.
- Check again after Google confirms the removal, to see whether similar results are now filtered.
- If the content is part of harassment or extortion, report it to the police as well.
Ranking changes for searches that include a person's name
The second part of the update changed ranking itself. For searches that seek this kind of content and include a person's name, Google said it aims to surface non-explicit, high-quality content instead, such as relevant news articles, when available.
Google reported that ranking updates made earlier in 2024 had already cut exposure to explicit image results on these name-based queries by over 70%. As Search Engine Journal noted, that figure comes from Google and has not been independently verified.
The idea is that people searching for news about a deepfake incident can read about it, including articles that explain the harm, without being shown the content. SEJ also reported that the system may reduce how often explicit fake content appears in general searches, not just name searches.
There is a trade-off here, which Google admitted. It has to tell the difference between real, consensual explicit content, such as an actor's scenes, and fake content. Its blog post said that is a technical challenge, and that it aims to show real content when people search for it, while demoting the fake.
The site-level demotion for sites with many removals
This is the part that matters most for SEO. Google said sites that receive a high volume of removals for fake explicit imagery will be demoted in rankings. Its reasoning is short and clear:
“that's a pretty strong signal that it's not a high-quality site”
— Emma Higham, Google, How we're addressing explicit fake content in Search
In plain words: one removal does not tell Google much. Lots of removals tell Google the whole site is a problem. So the demotion applies to the site, not just to the URLs that were removed.
This is not new thinking. Google already does the same for copyright complaints and for sites with exploitative removal practices. I explain those in detail in our guide to removal-based demotion systems. The July 2024 update extended that same approach to explicit fake content.
How this fits Google's removal-based demotion systems
Google's ranking systems guide lists "removal-based demotion systems" as one of its named systems. It now names explicit non-consensual fake content directly. The guide says Google "may apply similar demotion practices for sites that receive a significant volume of removals of content involving" doxxing, explicit personal imagery shared without consent, or explicit non-consensual fake content.
Here is how the different removal-based demotions compare:
| Removal type | What triggers demotion | Scope |
|---|---|---|
| Copyright (DMCA) | A significant volume of valid copyright removal requests | Other content on the same site |
| Defamation, counterfeit goods, court orders | Similar demotion signals to copyright | Other content on the same site |
| Personal information (exploitative removal practices) | A significant volume of removals from sites that charge to remove content | The site, plus other sites showing the same pattern |
| Explicit fake content, doxxing, non-consensual imagery | A significant volume of removals of this content | The site |
| Child sexual abuse material | Always removed when identified | All content demoted on sites with a significant proportion of it |
The pattern is consistent. Google treats a high volume of valid complaints as evidence about the whole site. This is related to, but separate from, the spam systems I cover in our guide to SpamBrain.
What site owners should check
Most business sites will never be touched by this update. But some types of site carry risk without realizing it:
- Forums and communities where users can upload images.
- Image hosts and file-sharing sites.
- AI image generation tools with public galleries.
- Adult sites that accept user uploads without verification.
- Sites with weak moderation or abandoned sections where spam accounts post freely.
If you run any of these, I suggest a few simple safeguards:
- Have a clear content policy that bans non-consensual and fake explicit imagery.
- Offer a simple, visible way for people to report content, and act fast.
- Remove reported content promptly and keep records.
- Use image hashing or moderation tools where you can, to stop re-uploads.
- Close or moderate abandoned user upload areas.
Example (hypothetical): a hobby photography forum lets members upload images. A spam account posts a few fake explicit images of a local news presenter. If the forum removes them within hours of a report, Google may never receive a removal request. If the forum ignores reports for months and Google processes dozens of removals, the whole forum could see its rankings drop, including thousands of normal, useful threads.
The lesson is the same as with site reputation abuse: what users and third parties do on your domain can affect how Google treats the entire site.
Where this update sits among other 2024 changes
2024 was a busy year. The March core update folded the helpful content system into core ranking, there were spam updates in March, June and December, and Google introduced new spam policies for site reputation abuse and expired domains. The explicit fake content update was smaller in SEO terms, but larger in its effect on people's lives. See our 2024 algorithm updates review for the full picture, and our article on the June 2024 spam update for the spam update that came just before it.
It also connects to other changes in what Google chooses to show. A year earlier, Google's hidden gems ranking work promoted first-hand content from forums. In 2025, it let readers pick their own news sources with Preferred Sources in Top Stories. Each change shows Google adjusting not just which pages rank, but what kind of content appears for a given search.
Questions people ask about Google's deepfake update
Does this update affect normal business websites?
Almost never. It targets sites hosting non-consensual explicit fake content, especially those with a high volume of removals. A normal business site will not be affected unless users can upload content and abuse that feature.
Does a Google removal delete the content from the internet?
No. It removes the content from Google Search results. The image stays on the hosting site until that site removes it, so contact the host too.
How much did the update reduce exposure?
Google said ranking updates made earlier in 2024 cut exposure to explicit image results on targeted name queries by over 70%. That figure has not been independently verified.
Can real, consensual explicit content be demoted by mistake?
Google said it aims to show real content when people search for it while demoting fakes, and admitted this is a technical challenge. Some errors are possible.
What to take from Google's explicit fake content update
In brief: the July 2024 update made it easier for victims to remove fake explicit content and harder for that content to appear for their names. For SEO, the key lesson is that Google counts valid removal requests against the whole site. If you host user content, good moderation protects both people and your rankings.
If your site has seen an unexplained drop and you suspect a removal-based demotion or another penalty, our penalty recovery service can help you investigate. For reputation issues linked to search results, see our online reputation management page, or simply get a quote.
Google updates around the same time
Before this update:
- Google’s June 2024 Spam Update (Jun 2024)
- From SGE to AI Overviews to AI Mode: A Timeline of Google's AI Search Rollouts (May 2024)
After this update:
- Google’s August 2024 Core Update and Small Publishers (Aug 2024)
- Google’s November 2024 Core Update Explained (Nov 2024)
Or browse every Google update on one timeline, newest first.
Sources for this explicit fake content update guide
- Google: How we're addressing explicit fake content in Search (31 July 2024)
- Search Engine Journal: Google search algorithm update targeting explicit deepfakes
- Google Search Central: A guide to Google Search ranking systems
- Search Engine Journal: Google algorithm history
