Britain to make sexually explicit ‘deepfakes’ a crime – World

Creating and sharing sexually explicit “deepfakes” will become a criminal offense in Britain, the government said on Tuesday, in a bid to tackle a rise in the proliferation of such images, mainly aimed at women and girls.

Deepfakes are videos, images or audio clips created with artificial intelligence to appear real, and such technology can be used to digitally alter pornographic images into the likeness of another person.

The publication of intimate photographs or videos without consent and with the intention of causing distress (so-called revenge porn) was criminalized in Britain in 2015, but that legislation 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 more than 400 percent since 2017.

Under the new offense to be introduced by the government, perpetrators 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 Ministry of Justice said in a statement.

The previous Conservative government, which lost power to the Labor Party in July, announced similar plans to criminalize sexually explicit deepfakes. Under his proposal, violators would face fines and even jail terms.

The Ministry of Justice said more details about the new offense will be released in due course.

The government said it would also create new offenses for taking intimate images without consent and installing equipment with the intent to commit these offences. Those found guilty could face up to two years in prison.

“This degrading and disgusting form of chauvinism must not be normalised,” said Victims Minister Alex Davies-Jones.

Technology Minister Margaret Jones said tech platforms hosting abusive images would face stricter scrutiny and significant penalties.

“Intimate image abuse is a national emergency that is causing significant and lasting harm to women and girls who face a complete loss of control over their digital footprint, at the hands of online misogyny,” said campaigner Jess Davies.

The new offenses will be included in the government’s Crime and Policing Bill, which will be introduced to parliament. A date has not yet been set.



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