Credit: Getty
Politics
More than 30 female MPs have been targeted by deepfakes, a new investigation finds
8 months ago
1 min read
The government’s plan to outlaw the creation of deepfake porn – via an amendment to the Criminal Justice Act – was dropped as a result of the election being announced. A new Channel 4 investigation that found sexually explicit deepfakes of high-profile MPs demonstrates the importance of getting this legislation back on track.
A new Channel 4 investigation has found “400 digitally altered pictures of more than 30 high-profile UK politicians on a sexually explicit website dedicated to the abuse and degradation of women”. Among the politicians are Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner, education secretary Gillian Keegan, Penny Mordaunt, former home secretary Priti Patel and Labour backbencher Stella Creasy.
The investigation also discovered that the site that hosts these deepfakes images had more than 12.6 million visitors in the last three months alone.
Credit: Getty
It appears that AI technology was used to ‘nudify’ several female politicians, and several of those targeted by these images are planning to report them to the police. Speaking to Channel 4, Stella Creasy said she felt “sick” when told about the images, adding that “none of this is about sexual pleasure, it’s all about power and control”.
While sharing non-consensual deepfake content is now a criminal offence, the government’s plan to make the creation of deepfake porn illegal – as part of the Criminal Justice Act – was dropped as a result of the general election being announced.
The Conservatives, Labour and the Liberal Democrats have pledged to bring the proposed legislation back if they win the next election, meaning it is very likely that the creation of deepfakes will be outlawed.
Images: Getty
Sign up for the latest news and must-read features from Stylist, so you don’t miss out on the conversation.
By signing up you agree to occasionally receive offers and promotions from Stylist. Newsletters may contain online ads and content funded by carefully selected partners. Don’t worry, we’ll never share or sell your data. You can opt-out at any time. For more information read Stylist’s Privacy Policy
Thank you!
You’re now subscribed to all our newsletters. You can manage your subscriptions at any time from an email or from a MyStylist account.