United Kingdom's Ministry of Justice has announced it is looking to criminalize the creation of unconsented sexually explicit deepfake images.
Anyone who makes such an image without permission is subject to an unlimited fine and a criminal record under the law. If the picture is circulated more widely, they might also go to jail.
According to the department, whether or not the developer intended for the deepfake image to be shared, it will still be illegal to create one.
Artificial intelligence advancements are making it easier to create deepfake intimate photographs, which are already illegal to share according to the Online Safety Act of last year.
Artificial intelligence is reportedly developing rapidly, which has increased the production and distribution of deepfake photos and movies.
This law is intended to assist the police in taking tough measures against a practice that is increasingly being used to degrade or upset victims.
The UK has designated violence against women and girls as a national threat, meaning that police must prioritize addressing it.
(Photo: STEFANI REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images) This photo illustration created on July 18, 2023, in Washington, DC, shows an advertisement to create AI girls reflected in a public service announcement issued by the FBI regarding malicious actors manipulating photos and videos to create explicit content and sextortion schemes.
Additionally, the government is creating new criminal penalties for those who install technology that allows someone to shoot or film actual, personal photos without permission.
For perpetrators who employ abusive, demeaning, or hazardous sexual behavior to cause death, a new statutory aggravating factor will be implemented.
Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper applauded the announcement, saying it is good that the government agreed with Labour's demands to make the production of deepfake pornography illegal.
Cooper continues by saying that putting someone's picture over sexually explicit images and videos is a flagrant invasion of their privacy and autonomy, which can have devastating consequences and should never be allowed.
Read Also: Stable Diffusion from Stability AI is Now Used to Generate Porn Through AI
London Students on Deepfakes
The newly-announced legislation comes as numerous London-based students recently advocated for AI-centered education to help prevent the creation and proliferation of sexually explicit deepfake images.
Every student surveyed in a London-based school said that if the offending student or students are discovered, there ought to be a suspension.
Even though she doesn't know who is responsible, one of the students who claimed to have been the target of AI-generated photos of themselves in the nude says she feels embarrassed about her classmates' actions.
The youngster says it is "super frustrating," and they want people to believe it is not them, and that even knowing that it's not them still makes it embarrassing.
AI Deepfake Cases
The number of fake AI-generated nude cases is still rising worldwide. The month prior, a third-grade teacher in the US was placed under arrest upon discovering child porn and artificial intelligence-generated porn that was created using the yearbook photos of three students.
The Pasco County Sheriff's Office identified the accused as Steven Houser, a 67-year-old science teacher at Beacon Christian Academy in New Port Richey who instructs third graders.
Related Article: Australia's Tasmania Makes First-Ever Conviction for AI-Generated Child Abuse Material
(Photo: Tech Times)
