Creating sexual ‘deepfake’ images could carry a prison term of up to 2 years as the government brings in tighter measures against online abuse using artificial intelligence (AI).
Today online sexual abuse has evolved, from sextortion, to creating and sharing intimate AI “deepfakes” that further humiliate, harass and defraud victims. Amid the epidemic of violence against women and girls, the package delivers on the Government’s Plan for Change where offenders caught generating sexual images without consent or deepfakes using advanced equipment will be prosecuted.
The Government is bearing down on vile online abuse as part of its mission to make our streets safer, however, deepfake fraud poses a particular risk for online spaces and interactions from logging into a bank account, to viral advertising using celebrity deepfakes.
The proliferation of these hyper realistic images has grown into a phenomenon that deepens prejudices towards women in particular. The new offence will introduce charges for the creation or distribution of these images and refresh the law around obtaining consent.
Victims Minister Alex Davies-Jones said:
“It is unacceptable that one in three women have been victims of online abuse. This demeaning and disgusting form of chauvinism must not become normalised, and as part of our Plan for Change we are bearing down on violence against women – whatever form it takes.
These new offences will help prevent people being victimised online. We are putting offenders on notice – they will face the full force of the law.”
These new offences follow the Government’s action in September 2024 to add sharing intimate image offences as priority offences under the Online Safety Act.
