Breeze Liu’s harrowing experience with online abuse began in April 2020 when a college friend informed her that a nonconsensual explicit video of her was posted on PornHub, titled "Korean teen." The footage, allegedly recorded without her consent when she was only 17, was subsequently circulated and transformed into deepfake videos across various porn websites, profoundly impacting Liu’s mental health. She confessed, “I honestly had to struggle with suicidal thoughts, and I almost killed myself.”
The arduous journey to remove around 400 explicit images and videos of herself from the internet proved to be grueling and protracted. Transitioning from venture capitalism to becoming a founder of Alecto AI, a company dedicated to combatting digital abuse, Liu met continual obstacles. Notably, she faced significant challenges in getting Microsoft to address the issue, as approximately 150 explicit images of her remained on its Azure cloud services despite her repeated requests.
An investigation by WIRED, complemented by conversations with advocacy organizations, revealed that Microsoft’s response was slow and often unresponsive. Liu’s emotional struggle was worsened by the lack of effective action from the platform. Microsoft only began responding once Liu confronted a high-ranking safety team member at a conference after months of delays.
Initially, Liu reported the incident to the Berkeley Police Department, which struggled to track down those responsible due to the limited information retained by the websites. Unable to find a resolution, Liu turned to the Cyber Civil Rights Initiative for help. However, because she appeared to be underage in the images, they were unable to assist her with takedowns.
Months passed, during which Liu contemplated abandoning her quest for justice due to the overwhelming emotional toll and the COVID-19 pandemic’s stress. But her resolve reawakened after founding her own tech company in 2022, focusing on developing tools to identify and remove nonconsensual images. With her cofounder Andrea Powell’s support in late 2023, Liu initiated a systematic search for more explicit links associated with her.
Working with a UK victim helpline, they uncovered 832 URLs pointing to intimate images of Liu. However, the helpline could not assist in takedowns for non-UK citizens, leaving Liu feeling trapped. Frustrated by various organizations’ inability to act, including the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, Liu’s search for justice was further complicated as she struggled to provide evidence of her age at the time of the images.
The turning point came when Powell advocated on Liu’s behalf at the Paris Peace Forum, which caught the attention of Point de Contact, a French organization dedicated to aiding victims. Within weeks, they began issuing legal takedown requests, yielding significant progress in the removal of Liu’s content.
Despite some success, significant challenges persisted, with Microsoft remaining unresponsive. An eventual breakthrough occurred when Powell and Liu cornered a key Microsoft official at a conference, which prompted action on the 142 URLs still online. Liu expressed relief and disbelief at the progress made.
However, even after these efforts, some explicit content remained on various sites, and Liu continued facing challenges in gaining investor support for her startup, with some dismissing her experiences as unmarketable. In December 2024, a significant legislative proposal aimed at requiring quicker removal of explicit content gained traction, highlighting ongoing systemic issues with online abuse.
Overall, Liu’s case exemplifies the significant hurdles that victims of nonconsensual sharing face in navigating a complex and often unresponsive digital landscape, revealing deep flaws in the systems that are supposed to protect victims. As advocates continue to push for legislative change, Liu remains determined to see a world where such abuse can be more effectively prevented and addressed.
