What's the story?
A recent investigation revealed that over 4,000 celebrities (including 250 British celebrities) have been exploited by deepfake porn.
The origin of the analysis is channel 4 news It turned out that her own presenter, Cathy Newman, was also among the victims.
The list of affected individuals includes female actors, television personalities, musicians, and YouTubers.
The study focused on the top five deepfake websites that use advanced AI techniques to manipulate individuals' faces and superimpose them onto explicit content.
Deepfake website attracted 100 million views in quarter
An investigation revealed that five deepfake websites collectively attracted a staggering 100 million views in just three months.
One of the victims, Ms Newman, described her experience as invasive and disturbing.
“It's very disturbing to think that someone has created this false representation of me, and I don't know who they are,” she said.
Online safety law aims to tackle deepfake porn
The UK's Online Safety Act, enacted on January 31, makes it illegal to distribute deepfake pornography without consent.
However, this law does not criminalize the creation of such content.
This law was enacted primarily in response to the proliferation of AI-generated deepfake pornography.
In the first three quarters of 2023, a staggering 143,733 new deepfake porn videos were uploaded to the 40 most frequently visited deepfake porn websites, more than all previous years combined Ta.
How regulators and tech giants are addressing deepfake concerns
Ofcom, the UK broadcasting regulator, is currently considering how best to enforce online safety laws.
A representative from Ofcom said: “Illegal deepfake material is extremely troubling and harmful.”
Tech giants Google and Meta (owner of Facebook and Instagram) have also pledged to tackle the issue.
Meta's Ryan Daniels said, “Meta has strict policies against child nudity, sexual content involving children, and non-consensual explicit images generated by AI.”
Victims blame deepfake porn
Merseyside victim Sophie Parrish found explicit photoshopped images of herself online before the new laws were introduced.
talk to channel 4 newsShe said: “It's a very violent and degrading act. It feels like women are being objectified.”
These personal stories highlight the extremely dire effects of deepfake porn on affected individuals and their lifestyles.
