The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) tools has introduced a disturbing new form of online harassment: deepfake revenge porn. While nonconsensual sharing of sexual images, also known as revenge porn, has existed since the early days of the internet, AI has taken the problem to a new level. With the power of AI, bad actors can now superimpose someone’s face onto explicit images or manipulate photos to make it appear as if an individual is nude, regardless of whether they have ever taken or shared a nude photo.
The implications of this are profound, as anyone, from celebrities like Taylor Swift and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to high school students, can become a target. In fact, the past year alone has seen an alarming rise in the number of AI-generated, nonconsensual images being shared across the web. Carrie Goldberg, a New York-based lawyer specializing in digital harassment and sex crimes, spoke to CNN’s Terms of Service podcast about the emotional toll on victims, especially young people who may not know how to cope with the overwhelming nature of the internet.
For victims, the process of dealing with AI-generated sexual images can be both terrifying and confusing. Goldberg offers practical advice to those affected, starting with an essential, though counterintuitive, first step: taking a screenshot of the offending images. Although the natural impulse may be to remove the images as quickly as possible, Goldberg stresses that keeping evidence is crucial if victims want to pursue legal action or report the images to authorities.
Next, victims can use removal tools offered by major platforms such as Google, Meta, and Snapchat to request the deletion of explicit content. Nonprofit organizations like StopNCII.org and Take It Down also work to remove such images across multiple platforms, though cooperation from all sites is not guaranteed.
Lawmakers are starting to respond to the rising threat. In August, a bipartisan group of U.S. senators sent an open letter urging tech companies, including X (formerly Twitter) and Discord, to join efforts to combat the issue. This has led to legislative support, with senators such as Ted Cruz and Amy Klobuchar pushing for laws that would criminalize the sharing of deepfake pornography and require social media platforms to act swiftly when victims request removal.
However, despite these legislative efforts, the battle against deepfake revenge porn remains complicated by a patchwork of state laws. While laws exist in some areas to protect against AI-generated sexual content of adults, many states still lack comprehensive criminal laws addressing this form of harassment. In contrast, explicit AI-generated content involving minors typically falls under child sexual abuse material laws.
Goldberg advises would-be offenders to consider the harm they are causing and to avoid engaging in such malicious behavior. “We can never be fully safe in a digital society,” she says, “but it’s kind of up to one another to not be total a**holes.”
For now, victims of deepfake revenge porn must navigate a complex and often confusing landscape, but with the right support and resources, there are steps they can take to protect themselves and seek justice.
Source: Swifteradio.com
