UK criminalises creation of 'deepfake' images without consent

London | Despicable people who create sexually explicit “deepfakes” will face prosecution under a new law going through its parliamentary journey, the British government said on Tuesday.

Deepfake refers to images and videos made to look hyper-realistic, with the victim usually unaware and unable to give their consent.

Under the new offence, those who create such images without consent face a criminal record and an unlimited fine. If the deepfake content is then shared more widely, offenders could be sent to jail.

“The creation of deepfake sexual images is despicable and completely unacceptable irrespective of whether the image is shared,” said Laura Farris, UK Minister for Victims and Safeguarding.

“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. This new offence sends a crystal-clear message that making this material is immoral, often misogynistic, and a crime,” she said.

Last year, reforms in the UK's Online Safety Act criminalised the sharing of “deepfake” intimate images for the first time. The new offence, which will be introduced through an amendment to the Criminal Justice Bill, will mean anyone who makes sexually explicit deepfake images of adults maliciously and without consent can now also face prosecution. It will apply to images of adults as the country’s law already covers this behaviour where the image is of a child under the age of 18.

The Ministry of Justice said the Bill, which continues its passage through Parliament, is also creating a range of new criminal offences to punish those who take or record intimate images without consent – or install equipment to enable someone to do so. The government has also re-classified violence against women and girls as a national threat, meaning the country's police must prioritise their response to it, just as they do with threats like terrorism.

Under the Bill, a new statutory aggravating factor will be brought in for offenders who cause death through abusive, degrading or dangerous sexual behaviour – or so-called “rough sex”, often used as a defence in such legal cases.

A new statutory aggravating factor for bitter former partners who murder at the end of a relationship is also a part of reforms following recommendations made in the Domestic Homicide Sentencing Review three years ago.

Meta's Oversight Board seeks public view on AI-generated images of Indian, US celebrities

New Delhi | Social media giant Meta's Oversight Board has invited public comments to decide on actions to be taken on AI-generated obscene images in two cases related to public figures in India and the US.

One of the two cases involves an AI-generated image of a nude woman posted on Instagram, the board, which decides on content moderation, said.

"The image has been created using artificial intelligence (AI) to resemble a public figure from India. The account that posted this content only shares AI-generated images of Indian women. The majority of users who reacted have accounts in India, where deepfakes are increasingly a problem," it said.

Meta has sought public opinion on the issue, even though the Ministry of Electronics and IT has already asked social media firms to remove AI-generated fake images and videos and issued an advisory, asking these platforms to strictly adhere to them.

Fake or morphed images and videos of several Indian actresses, including Rashmika Mandanna and Priyanka Chopra Jonas, have gone viral on social media platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, and X.

The board said in the case related to India, a user reported the content to Meta for pornography but the report was automatically closed because it was not reviewed within 48 hours.

"The user then appealed to the Board. As a result of the Board selecting this case, Meta determined that its decision to leave the content up was in error and removed the post for violating the bullying and harassment community standard," the board said.

As per IT rules of 2021, an online platform is required to remove full or partial nudity within 24 hours of receiving a complaint.

The board has also invited public views on a case in the US where an AI-generated obscene image of an American celebrity was posted in a Facebook group.

The majority of users who reacted to the post have accounts in the US, the board said.

In this case, the image was already considered a violation of Facebook's Community Standards and was removed.

The public comment window for this case is open for 14 days till April 30, the board said.

The Oversight Board did not mention the name or details of the celebrities.

The post, however, shared a link of a news article which mentioned the names of Indian and US celebrities affected by such content.