The emergence of artificial intelligence has brought about a new form of harassment: deepfake revenge porn. This technology allows perpetrators to create realistic and unauthorized pornographic images by superimposing someone’s face onto a different body, dramatically increasing the potential for digital abuse.
- Emerging Threat: AI tools can now manipulate images to create the illusion that someone is nude, even without their consent or original explicit photos.
- Wide Range of Targets: Individuals from celebrities to everyday people, including minors, have become victims of these AI-generated images.
- Legal Representation: Carrie Goldberg, a New York-based lawyer specializing in digital harassment, advocates for victims and offers strategies for dealing with such invasions of privacy.
- Immediate Steps for Victims: Victims are advised to capture evidence of the deepfake images before attempting to remove them from the internet.
- Support and Resources: Platforms like Google and Meta have mechanisms to request image removals, and nonprofits like StopNCII.org provide assistance in handling multiple platforms.
- Legislative Action: Bipartisan efforts are underway to criminalize the creation and distribution of nonconsensual deepfake porn, with new bills being proposed in the U.S. Senate.
The rapid development and accessibility of AI-driven deepfake technology highlight a pressing need for societal and legislative responses to curb this form of digital exploitation and protect individuals’ privacy and dignity in the digital age.
