Perpetrators of ‘demeaning and disgusting’ crimes that affect one in three women and can leave victims feeling terrified to go online could be prosecuted under a new law.
In a move announced this week, the Ministry of Justice said the creation of ‘hyper-realistic’ and sexually explicit deepfake images, usually by AI tools accessed online, has grown at an ‘alarming rate’, and warned of a ‘crackdown’ on the behaviour.
It comes as part of a package of new laws to help protect women and girls.
Hera Hussain is the Manchester-based founder of Chayn, an international organisation that uses online tools to fight against gender-based violence. She told the Manchester Evening News deepfake creation can have a ‘devastating’ impact on the lives of victims.
“All victims and survivors will experience things like betrayal and loss of trust of the people around them,” she said.
“Many will retreat into themselves and self-censor, so they won’t openly post things online. They’ll withdraw from society both online and offline, and feel real fear because they don’t know who has seen it [the image] and who hasn’t.”
She added the offence ‘raises great loss of trust in people and systems’ and can lead to PTSD, anxiety, and in some cases self-harm and suicide.
“It can also act as a form of blackmail and revenge, which creates huge problems for people’s lives,” she continued.
“People can stop going to school or university or leave their jobs, and feel like they can’t even post a picture when they’re going out because anything they post can be taken and misused.”
Many accounts of victims of deepfake offences have never made or shared intimate images of themselves, but have found deepfake pornography posted online generated from innocent pictures.
She said the new law was an ‘important step’ and ‘sends a strong message’ that such behaviour will not be tolerated in the UK.
The government says deepfakes are a growing problem in the UK
(Image: PA)
“A lot of the people who create deepfakes say it is ‘just a bit of fun’ – this law sends a really strong message that it is not just a joke,” she told the M.E.N. “And for those who know the harms of it and are still doing it, it’s communicating the seriousness of that crime, and that it is a crime.”
However, she said warned the ‘proof’ of how effective the legislation will be in tackling deepfakes will be in its implementation.
“How well are the police going to be trained in supportive survivors through this?,” she asked. “There’s often a great administrative burden on survivors to find all the places where the image exists and take screenshots, which is extremely traumatising, so how will the implementation of this law take the burden away from them?
“Are the courts prepared to adequately tackle this?”
She said victims of deepfakes should reach out to trusted people around them and get in touch with the Revenge Porn Helpline, which helps track and take down revenge porn and deepfake images.
“Know that it isn’t your fault and if you have people around you who you can trust and understand this please ask them for help anf support because you deserve it,” Hera said. She added Chayn also have the only online course on healing from image-based abuse, which survivors can access for free.
Victims Minister Alex Davies-Jones said: “It is unacceptable that one in three women have been victims of online abuse. This demeaning and disgusting form of chauvinism must not become normalised, and as part of our Plan for Change we are bearing down on violence against women – whatever form it takes.
“These new offences will help prevent people being victimised online. We are putting offenders on notice – they will face the full force of the law.”