PHILADELPHIA
A South Jersey woman is speaking out after she was the target of a malicious online attack, in which a perpetrator used artificial intelligence to create sexually explicit images of her and distributed them to friends. The woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, is using her experience to warn others of the dangers of online exploitation.
According to the woman, she learned of the images after a woman contacted her on social media and told her that she had found the photos on her boyfriend’s phone. The woman was horrified to discover that the images were created using AI and that she had no idea who was behind the attack.
The woman, who is now working to bring attention to the issue, believes that the perpetrator may have created the images in an attempt to humiliate her. She is also concerned that the images may have been altered from a version of her real photos.
To combat the growing threat of online exploitation, U.S. Representative Madeleine Dean has introduced the bipartisan No Fakes Act, which would help protect victims of “deepfakes.” The act would give individuals the right to control their own likeness and prevent unauthorized use of their images.
The No Fakes Act is just one of several pieces of legislation being pushed through Congress to address the issue of online exploitation. The Shield Act would create a new criminal offense for individuals who knowingly distribute intimate visual depictions, while the Take Down Act would require social media companies to remove sexually exploited images, including deepfakes, within 48 hours of being notified by a victim.
In Pennsylvania, a new law is set to take effect later this month that makes it illegal to create AI-generated sexually explicit material. The law, which was passed by House Bill 125, prohibits the use of AI to generate child sexual abuse images.
The woman who was targeted by the online attack hopes that her story will raise awareness about the dangers of online exploitation and that it will lead to action being taken to protect victims. “I hope that the person who did this destroys the content, and I hope that laws are put into place to protect victims,” she said. “It’s just too much power for someone to have access to my likeness and do whatever they want.”