Child Focus is launching an awareness campaign to draw attention to a fast-growing phenomenon: deepnudes. These are images or videos of a sexual nature created using artificial intelligence (AI), and can be partially or completely falsified.
12.8% of young Belgians are familiar with deepnude applications and 60.5% of them have already tried deepnude themselves (1). Deepnude technology allows people to be digitally undressed without their knowledge. Clothes that are digitally removed from the body without the person's knowledge by deepnudes become importable to the victim. Child Focus is launching a symbolic sale of these clothes on Vinted to raise awareness among young people of the psychological consequences for victims.
The Unwearable Wardrobe
The psychological consequences and impact for victims of deepnudes are comparable to other forms of digital sexual violence, such as the dissemination of real intimate images without consent. Being a victim of online sexual violence can lead to post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety disorders, depression, loss of self-confidence and dark thoughts.
Deepnudes can cause unbearable suffering. Similarly, clothing that is digitally removed from the body without the person's knowledge becomes unimportant to the victim. That's why Child Focus has opened an online shop on Vinted featuring these clothes steeped in history. The price of these items is symbolic: they are not intended for sale, but to tell the story of the victims. Through this campaign, the organisation aims to raise awareness among young people of the devastating emotional consequences of creating and distributing images of this kind.
"The photo was a fake: a harmless photo of me wearing this jumper had been retouched by the AI. Nevertheless, I felt incredibly dirty and humiliated. And I completely panicked when I found out that it had been shared in a newsgroup. I felt powerless and didn't dare tell anyone. Mostly out of fear. That people wouldn't believe me or would judge me". Emma, a victim of deepnudes.
Upward trend
Child Focus is increasingly opening cases in which artificial intelligence plays a role. In the space of a year, the organisation has received more than twenty reports of deepnudes, often associated with sextortion (sexual blackmail). Child Focus treats these cases in the same way as other cases of sexual exploitation and, as a 'trusted reporter', can call on its privileged contacts with the main social media platforms, such as Facebook/Instagram, Google/YouTube, X, TikTok, Discord and Snapchat, to have these images removed more quickly.
According to a recent study conducted by the University of Antwerp in collaboration with Child Focus, 41.9% of young Belgians aged between 15 and 25 have heard of deepnudes and 13.8% have received one (1). However, deepnudes involving minors are punishable by law.
"At Child Focus, we see that deepnudes have a huge impact on victims. Perpetrators and those who share these images need to be made aware of the emotional impact they have. Victims also need to be better protected online through appropriate regulation. Nel Broothaerts, Executive Director of Child Focus.
Deepnude applications are ubiquitous. Child Focus advocates regulation of these applications, search engines and social media. The industry must assume its responsibilities by developing policies and measures to limit the distribution of deepnudes and by banning advertising for applications that generate such images.
Influencer support
Danira Boukhriss (Dutch-speaking journalist and presenter) is supporting the campaign. She herself has been a victim of deepnudes and is talking about it for the first time on her Instagram account. She has just put up for sale on Vinted the clothes she was wearing and which she considers to be importables. Child Focus can also count on the support of well-known personalities such as Véronique De Kock and Julia Lalieux. They have also been victims of the distribution of falsified images without their consent.
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(1): The University of Antwerp (UA) conducted a survey of more than 2,800 young Belgians aged between 15 and 25, at the request of the Institute for the Equality of Women and Men, Child Focus and the Secretary of State for Gender Equality, Equal Opportunities and Diversity. Find out more about the study here: https://igvm-iefh.belgium.be/sites/default/files/deepnudes_onder_belgische_jongeren.pdf
Online shop: www.unwearablewardrobe.be.
Underage victims of deepnudes and their relatives can contact Child Focus on the freephone number 116 000, available 24/7. Adult victims of deepnudes can contact the Institute for the Equality of Women and Men.
Further information: https://childfocus.be/fr-be/Exploitation-Sexuelle/Deepnudes/T%C3%A9moignages-deepnudes
Source : https://childfocus.be
