A woman who was faked by her pornographic best friend has “welcomed” the government’s new crackdown – after years of campaigning.
On Tuesday, the British government announced that creating sexually explicit ‘deepfake’ images will now be a criminal offence.
Authors will face up to two years behind bars for new offenses for taking an intimate image without consent and installing equipment to enable these offences.
Jodie, 26, from Cambridgeshire, England, became a victim of fake ‘pornography’ – when she found fake videos of herself having sex on dating websites – including OK Cupid and Happn, in 2019.
She went to the police but says the officers could do nothing because Jodie didn’t know who was breaking them up.
Then an anonymous email in March 2021 alerted her to an unusual porn website where she found ‘deep fake’ images and videos of herself – performing sexual acts.
People had taken ordinary, fully clothed photographs of Jodie that she shared on social media and manipulated them using AI into sexually explicit pornographic images and videos.
Eventually, she found out who it was – her best friend, Alex Woolf – after spotting a photo shared that only he had access to – and Jodie reported him to the Met Police.
In August 2021, Woolf pleaded guilty to 15 charges of sending messages that were grossly offensive or of an indecent, obscene or threatening nature over a public electronic communications network.
On Wednesday, Jodie said she feared how the new legislation would be successfully implemented and was concerned about the “lack of clarity”.
She says it is unclear whether the new law will be based on the “consent” of the victim or the “intent” of the poster.
“If it is an ‘intent-based’ legislation, victims will have to prove the intent of the harm as it will not be covered by consent.
“Which can be really hard to prove, especially if the victim doesn’t know who created the images, and it can be traumatizing to relive.”
Jodie described the situation she faced as “the ultimate breach”.
“There were nine or ten photos and videos of me being what I can only describe as being raped and anally penetrated.”
“It was one with the body of a schoolgirl with my face, in a student-teacher relationship.”
“It seemed as if the whole world collapsed around me.”
“To take my photo out of context and use it like that – I think it’s everyone’s worst nightmare.”
Woolf was given a 20-week prison sentence suspended for two years.
“He was cowering in the corner when he was sentenced and he couldn’t even look at me when I spoke to him,” said Jodie.
Since then, Jodie has campaigned for tougher sentences for people who distribute deep fakes, as well as the criminalization of the people who create them.
In September 2024, Jodie launched a Change.org petition for a campaign in partnership with the End Violence Against Women (EVAW) Coalition, #NotYourPorn, Professor Clare McGlynn and Glamor UK.
The petition received more than 60,000 signatures addressed to Peter Kyle, Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, and Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
He called on the government to tackle image-based abuse – which has since been piecemeal and ineffective.
However, after this week’s announcement, Jodie says she is really positive the government is taking action.
“It is positive to know that the new legislation will make it illegal to take non-consensual intimate and voyeuristic images,” said Jodie.
“And I am pleased to see that there will be prison sentences.
However, the abuse of deepfake still lacks clarity – particularly around its implementation, timing and demand.
“Every day there are new victims of these crimes and we still have no idea when this will be implemented.
“I worry that this will take many years and it will not be consent-based legislation – which would make it useless.
“It should be a package where perpetrators are offered therapy, rehabilitation – and even placed on the sex offenders’ register so the police can search their devices at any time.
“The people who commit these acts are not ‘monsters’, but living among us – they can be our family, friends and loved ones.”
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Image Source : nypost.com