Teen Girls and the Crisis of Deepfake Nudes
#INVESTIGATION | When Taylor Swift was *deepfaked* in Jan it was undoubtedly humiliating for her, but it did help raise awareness of a crisis disproportionately affecting teen girls. What to know...
Thanks to new AI technology, deepfake nudes — and other easy-to-create, manipulate, and circulate, fake pornographic imagery — have been in the news well before Taylor Swift was caught in the technology’s snare.
And while the episode was no doubt embarrassing for the singer, the drama did succeed in shining a much brighter light on something too many teen girls have been struggling with since generative AI burst onto the scene less than two years ago.
This reporting by the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC) on the subject is unnerving, but an important read.
What Happened to TSwift?
If you missed the debacle, you’d be forgiven, as the scandal was here and gone within an internet minute.
A sexually-explicit altered image of Swift was shared for a day in January on X and 4chan. And while it was taken down less than 24 hours later, the image had already amassed millions of views, forcing X to also disable any search for the singer until the controversy abated.
Everyday Women Not the Well Known are Most-Plagued by Deepfakes
Unfortunately for young women, the plight of pornographically-enhanced imagery has been accelerated and enhanced by generative AI tools — faster to create, easier to distribute and more “realistic” in output.
Last year the family of a 14-year-old Westfield, NJ, teen spoke up about the lack of legal protections available to victims after their daughter’s battle. The teen and several of her classmates were blindsided when they heard that “nude photos” (created by male students) were being circulated in online chat groups. A similar event occurred in Seattle, Washington. And no doubt many more incidences that aren’t making the news.
According to a report by Sensity AI (The State of Deepfakes 2019 Landscape, Threats, and Impact) 96 percent of deepfakes were considered non-consensual sexual and nearly all were of women.
For teens, who already have a shaky relationship with social media, the addition of this type of abuse is maddening and unfair.
The Darkest End of the Spectrum
Unfortunately, the bad news doesn’t end there. The proliferation of deepfakes has also given way to new a challenge for those who fight child exploitation.
AI-generated content can now make it harder for law enforcement to identify which images of children are real so they can try to save these kids from actual physical danger. According to children’s charity Thorn, a staggering 29 million reports of suspected child exploitation are made to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children each year — making the consequences of not knowing which are fake or real even more alarming.
Even for our children who are safe, having these personal images, shared innocently on social media, turned into pornography is a horrifying thought.
What Families Can Do: We Have Power ⚡️🔥🦹🏼
Of course, first, we all can (and should) take image and video sharing online much more seriously. And this is not about victim shaming, or to suck the joy out of social media and our digitally-connected world, but to suggest we navigate this changing world with a bit more savvy.
A few tips that can help:
Be Cautious with Personal Information
We all should avoid sharing personal details like our full name, address, or phone number online. And, for our kids, they should also avoid posting identifiable additional information such as school, sports team, etc. It’s hard, but every little step taken makes a difference.
Be Mindful of What’s Shared on Social Media
Even seemingly innocent pictures can be manipulated. So we all need to be more selective about what we share, and with who; always with an eye to how they could be altered.
Watch for Those AI image Generator Tools Too
Experimenting with AI image creation is fun, but the sooner kids understand the possible consequences, the better. And this doesn’t mean giving them a spin is out of the question, but even an innocent prank can turn ugly (or thrust any of us into a legal quandary), so we need to put some guardrails into place.
Use Available Privacy Settings
Consider making all accounts private and only sharing with close contacts. It’s not a foolproof solution, but it helps.
Understand What a “Digital Footprint” Looks Like
Digitally-native teens express themselves through online content. It’s a modern day right-of-passage, and part of their lives. But it’s important to teach kids to be aware that anything posted online can potentially be there forever — even when deleted.
Create a Watermark to Use on Photos
Consider putting a “watermark” on the photos you post online. This can deter misuse and help trace the image back to you. It’s really just a fancy way of suggesting a logo or mark that is unique to you and sticks with the image. You can even make it a fun task with kids to design something unique. Of course, a criminal manipulating an image can still wipe the watermark out, but it’s another step making the process harder for them.
Read Social Media T&Cs
Don’t ignore the privacy policies you consent to on social media. Not only are our images exposed to bad actors, but even the “good guys” are having us opt into policies giving them sweeping rights to use our imagery. So flex those “opt in” or “out” buttons.
Secure Your Devices
Using strong passwords, enabling two-factor authentication on all of your devices and updating software and accounts is the last tip here, but should be first on the list. Good digital security is really your first line of defense from your content being siphoned off and stolen.
What to Do If the Worst Happens?
There is no shame in being a victim and we need to really hammer this point home to our kids. We should all get angry and motivated to report, sue, remove, etc., instead of feeling shamed into silence. It’s not our kids’ faults and carrying the emotional burden on their backs won’t help stop the problem.
Get Down to Business Right Away
As soon as you know a fraud has been committed, gather as much information as you can about the fraudulent use of your image, including saving the content and tracing where you know it’s been. Note all details like a detective.
Report This as a Crime
Make sure kids know that an adult can and will help and that they should report any incident asap. Adults can then help report an incident to the platform where the image is being used. Most social media sites have protocols for reporting abuse and impersonation and will act. Check out the resources below for also reporting deepfake fraud to authorities.
Seek Legal Counsel
Consider contacting legal professionals or organizations that specialize in online safety and cyberbullying. Sometimes the threat of legal action will be necessary. Also remember to keep detailed records of all communications and evidence related to the incident, as any legal proceedings will be enhanced by this detail.
Get Support
Make sure children have friends, family, or a counselor who can provide emotional support. Dealing with online harassment and fraud can be stressful and it’s the suffering in silence that proves most devastating often. But the more we de-stigmatize falling victim to AI-image-based fraud the more we all can help one another.
Looking for more help?
The National Cybersecurity Alliance Provides tips and resources for staying safe online.
The Cyberbullying Research Center offers advice and resources for dealing with cyberbullying and online harassment.
StopBullying.gov provides information on how to prevent and respond to bullying and cyberbullying.
Contact me if you want more info too…