AI porn: UK wants to criminalize deepfakes with sexual references

The British Labour government wants to take stronger action against "sexually explicit" deepfakes. The lead ministry of justice announced that anyone who creates or disseminates highly realistic content, usually generated with the help of artificial intelligence (AI), with a clear sexual reference to people will be prosecuted in the future. Corresponding acts involving such "hyper-realistic images" would generally be classified as crimes. The British government not only wants to send out a signal that "this abhorrent behavior" will not be tolerated. Rather, it is also about making it clear "that there is no excuse for creating a sexually explicit deepfake of a person without their consent".

In principle, it is already a criminal offense in the UK to share an intimate image without consent or to threaten to publish it. This applies to revenge porn, for example. However, taking a video or photo without consent has so far only been criminalized in certain circumstances, such as upskirting. This involves people using inconspicuous cell phone cameras to secretly photograph or film under the skirt or dress of their victims when they are on stairs, for example.

With the planned tightening of the law, anyone who takes an intimate picture without consent could face up to two years in prison. Anyone who installs devices with which they or someone else can make intimate recordings without consent will also face up to two years in prison. The initiative, which partly takes up a proposal made by the failed previous Conservative government in April, relates to sexually explicit deepfakes with images of adults. Relevant behavior is already punishable if the image depicts a child or young person under the age of 18.

Activist deplores "national emergency"

"The misuse of intimate images is a national emergency," explained female rights activist Jess Davies, who is advising the government on the project. It would cause significant, long-term harm to women and girls as they "completely lose control of their digital footprint". The Executive's Victims' Commissioner, Alex Davies-Jones (Labour), stressed: "It is unacceptable that one in three women have been victims of online abuse. This degrading and disgusting form of chauvinism must not become the norm."

According to the UK Revenge Porn Hotline, image-based abuse through deepfakes has increased by more than 400 percent since 2017. Last year, Channel 4 reported that Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner was one of over 30 British politicians who were victims of a deepfake porn website. The tightening of criminal law is part of the government's draft legislation on crime and policing. It is now to be submitted to parliament in the near future. In Germany, the Federal Council wants to make deepfakes in general clearly punishable. It is calling for up to 5 years in prison.

(vbr)