Creating and sharing sexually explicit “deepfakes” will become a criminal offense in Britain, the government said on Tuesday, to tackle a rise in the spread of such images mainly targeting women and girls.
Deepfakes are videos, images or audio clips created by artificial intelligence to appear real, and such technology can be used to digitally transform pornographic images into someone else’s likeness.
Publishing intimate photos or videos without consent and with the intention of causing distress – so-called revenge porn – was criminalized in Britain in 2015, but this law does not cover the use of fake images.
Data from the UK-based Revenge Porn Helpline showed that image-based abuse using deepfakes has increased by more than 400% since 2017.
Under the new offense to be introduced by the government, offenders could be charged and prosecuted for both creating and sharing these images.
“There is no excuse for creating a sexually explicit deepfake of someone without their consent,” the Justice Ministry said in a statement.
The previous Conservative government, which lost power to the Labor Party in July, had announced a similar plan to make sexually explicit deepfakes a criminal offence. Under its proposal, offenders would face fines and even jail time.
The Justice Ministry said further details of the new offense would be provided in due course.
The government said it would also create new offenses for taking intimate photographs without consent and installing devices with intent to commit these offences. Those found guilty may face imprisonment of up to two years.
Victims Minister Alex Davies-Jones said, “This outrageous and disgusting form of chauvinism should not be normal.”
Technology Minister Margaret Jones said tech platforms hosting offensive images would face tougher scrutiny and significant penalties.
Campaigner Jess Davies said, “Intimate image abuse is a national emergency that is causing significant, long-lasting harm to women and girls who face losing control over their digital footprint due to online misogyny.”
The new offenses will be included in the government’s Crime and Policing Bill, which will be introduced to Parliament. The date is yet to be decided.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
