The creation of sexually explicit “deepfake” images is to be made a criminal offence in England and Wales under a new law, the government says. Under the legislation, anyone making explicit images of an adult without their consent will face a criminal record and unlimited fine.
It will apply regardless of whether the creator of an image intended to share it, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said. And if the image is then shared more widely, they could face jail.
A deepfake is an image or video that has been digitally altered with the help of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to replace the face of one person with the face of another.Recent years have seen the growing use of the technology to add the faces of celebrities or public figures – most often women – into pornographic films.
Under the Online Safety Act, which was passed last year, the sharing of deepfakes was made illegal.
The new law will make it an offence for someone to create a sexually explicit deepfake – even if they have no intention to share it but “purely want to cause alarm, humiliation, or distress to the victim”, the MoJ said. It will apply to images of adults, because the law already covers this behaviour where the image is of a child, the MoJ said.
It will be introduced as an amendment to the Criminal Justice Bill, which is currently making its way through Parliament.Minister for Victims and Safeguarding Laura Farris said the new law would send a “crystal clear message that making this material is immoral, often misogynistic, and a crime”.
“The creation of deepfake sexual images is despicable and completely unacceptable irrespective of whether the image is shared,” she said.
“It is another example of ways in which certain people seek to degrade and dehumanise others – especially women. And it has the capacity to cause catastrophic consequences if the material is shared more widely. This Government will not tolerate it.
Source: BBC
In other news – Prime Minister Rishi Sunak not at Eid party boycotted by guests over Gaza
The prime minister did not attend an Eid party at Downing Street that several invitees shunned over the government’s support of Israel. Rishi Sunak had been due to host the annual event and said he was “looking forward” to hosting Muslim figures.
However, his office said he had parliamentary business to attend to – he was making a statement on Iran in the House of Commons. About half of the usual number attended the reception. Read more
