Deepfake abuse to generate nude photos of kids on the rise

[LAUREN TAYLOR]

THE RISE IN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IS BOTH A GIFT AND A CURSE. 

WHILE IT CAN ULTIMATELY BE USED TO MAKE EVERYDAY LIFE A LITTLE SIMPLER… JUST LIKE ANYTHING ELSE SPAWNING FROM THE INTERNET – IT CAN ALSO BE USED TO TERRORIZE PEOPLE.  

A NEWLY RELEASED REPORT BY “THORN” – A TECH COMPANY THAT WORKS TO COMBAT THE SPREAD OF CHILD SEX ABUSE MATERIAL – SHOWS DEEPFAKE ABUSE IS BECOMING ALL TOO COMMON.  

THORN SAYS THAT’S BECAUSE SO-CALLED “UNDRESSING” APPS ARE WIDELY AVAILABLE AND INEXPENSIVE… AS ARE OTHER USER-FRIENDLY A-I POWERED TOOLS THAT CAN BE USED TO CREATE DEEPFAKE VERSIONS OF NUDE PHOTOGRAPHS THAT LOOK ALARMINGLY BELIEVABLE. 

IN A RECENT SURVEY OF MORE THAN A THOUSAND STUDENTS AGES 9 TO 17 YEARS OLD – THORN FOUND 11 PERCENT OF THEM HAD FRIENDS OR CLASSMATES WHO’D USED A-I TO GENERATE DEEPFAKE NUDES OF CLASSMATES… 

WHILE ANOTHER 10 PERCENT REFUSED TO ANSWER THE QUESTION. 

THE SURVEY ALSO FOUND THAT ALMOST 1 IN 4 KIDS 13 TO 17 YEARS OLD SAID THEY HAD BEEN SENT OR SHOWN AN *ACTUAL* NUDE PHOTO OR VIDEO OF A CLASSMATE OR PEER WITHOUT THAT PERSON’S KNOWLEDGE. 

AND – PERHAPS UNSURPRISINGLY – ONLY 7 PERCENT OF THE STUDENTS SURVEYED ADMITTED THAT THEY HAD PERSONALLY SHARED A NUDE PHOTO OR VIDEO WITHOUT THE OTHER PERSON’S KNOWLEDGE. 

HOWEVER – SHARING *REAL* NUDES IS A PRETTY BIG PROBLEM AMONG TEENS… WITH ALMOST 1 IN 3 (31%) SAYING THAT’S NORMAL FOR PEOPLE THEIR AGE… 

BUT ONLY 17 PERCENT OF THEM ADMITTED TO SHARING NUDES OF THEMSELVES. 

THORN NOTES THIS TREND COINCIDES WITH A RISE IN SEXTORTION AMONG YOUNG PEOPLE… WITH 6 PERCENT OF THOSE SURVEYED SAYING SOMEONE HAD BLACKMAILED THEM – THREATENING TO SHARE THEIR NUDE PHOTOS UNLESS THEY SENT MONEY OR DID SOMETHING ELSE THE BLACKMAILER ASKED.