The United Kingdom Aims to Ban Non-Consensual Deepfake Porn
The United Kingdom has responded to the advancements in deepfake technology by putting in motion a plan to ban one of its most nefarious use cases: non-consensual deepfake porn.
In an announcement this week, the UK government says it plans to amend its existing Online Safety Bill to criminalize the sharing of any deepfake porn made without the subject’s consent. Those found violating the law can face jail time as well.
The change represents the law catching up with technology as deepfakes become more convincing.
Deepfake technology creates photos or videos manipulated to look like someone else. This can make it appear as though someone is saying or doing something they have not done, and is can be used to spread misinformation. Deepfake porn creates sexually explicit fake images and videos of people.
Within the first eight months of last year, a website that virtually strips women naked received 38 million hits, the UK government noted in its announcement, highlighting the growing prevalence of deepfake pornography.
“We must do more to protect women and girls, from people who take or manipulate intimate photos in order to hound or humiliate them,” Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Justice Dominic Raab said.
The amendment to the Online Safety Bill addresses other concerns, including the recording of images and videos without consent through hidden cameras and “downblousing,” where a photo is taken down a woman’s top without consent.
It still needs to go through Parliament, however, as TechCrunch noted in its report. The publication also noted that the timeline is tight, as well.
The measures follow the UK’s history of banning “revenge porn,” in which previously consensually shared or created explicit images are later shared with others without consent. The UK has also previously targeted “upskirting” where a photo is taken up someone’s dress or skirt, and “breastfeeding voyeurism.”
“I welcome these moves by the government which aim to make victims and survivors safer online, on the streets and in their own homes,” Domestic Abuse Commissioner Nicole Jacobs said in the release.
“I am pleased to see this commitment in the Online Safety Bill, and hope to see it continue its progression through Parliament at the earliest opportunity.”
Image credits: Header photo licensed via Depositphotos.
