26-year-old woman victim of deepfake explicit video distribution on dating websites leading to 2024 legal advocacy campaign
Summary
A 26-year-old woman from Cambridgeshire discovered in 2019 that fake explicit videos of her, created using deepfake technology, were being circulated on dating websites such as OK Cupid and Happn. The perpetrator was identified as Alex Woolf, her close friend, who admitted in August 2021 to distributing 15 counts of grossly offensive messages online. Woolf received a 20-week suspended prison sentence. In 2024, the victim, Jodie, launched a petition calling for stronger legal measures against deepfake abuse and better enforcement of new laws criminalizing non-consensual intimate image creation. The new legislation, announced in January 2024, makes producing explicit deepfakes a criminal offense punishable by up to two years in prison, but Jodie expressed concerns about its clarity and effectiveness in protecting victims.
Incident Details
Unauthorized collection, tracking, or exposure of personal data and private information.
Sources
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