General Article Deepfake pornography: a new epidemic of violence against women

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By Mila Stricevic

One of the internet’s first encounters with ‘deepfake’ technology was a seemingly harmless viral video of Tom Cruise on social media. Despite the trivial nature of the video, even at the time serious ethical concerns were being raised about the implications of unleashing this technology into the world. Just two years later these concerns have been legitimised by the rapid circulation of deepfake pornography. 

Deepfake technology allows people to generate pornographic material using only a person’s face. Victims of this technology are often women and girls, whose faces are inserted into violent, graphic porn which is so realistic that it can be difficult to tell it has been computer-generated. Deepfake pornography is a freely accessible and increasingly popular avenue of violence toward women. 

While it is illegal in Scotland to distribute intimate videos, images, or other content without consent under the Abusive Behaviour and Sexual Harm Act 2016, deepfake technol...

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