Despicable individuals who create sexually explicit ‘deepfakes’ will now face prosecution under a new law announced by the government. This significant measure aims to combat the proliferation of harmful deepfake content and better protect women.

Key Points:

1. New Offence: The creation of a sexually explicit ‘deepfake’ image is now a criminal offence.
2. Penalties: Those convicted of this immoral crime will face prosecution and an unlimited fine.
3. Consent Matters: Even if the intent is not to share the deepfake, merely creating it with the purpose of causing alarm, humiliation, or distress to the victim constitutes an offence.
4. Sharing Amplifies Consequences: If the image is shared more widely, offenders could be sent to jail.
5. Strengthening Existing Laws: The new law reinforces existing offences. If an individual both creates and shares such an image, they may face charges for two offences, potentially leading to increased sentences.
6. Hyper-Realistic Deception: Deepfake images, often hyper-realistic, have become increasingly prevalent. Victims are typically unaware and unable to give consent to their sexualization.
7. Online Safety Act Reforms: Last year, the Online Safety Act criminalized the sharing of intimate ‘deepfake’ images for the first time.
8. Criminal Justice Bill Amendment: The new offence will be introduced through an amendment to the Criminal Justice Bill. Anyone who maliciously creates sexually explicit deepfake images of adults without consent will face consequences.

Minister for Victims and Safeguarding, Laura Farris, emphasised the gravity of this issue:

“The creation of deepfake sexual images is despicable and completely unacceptable irrespective of whether the image is shared. It is another example of ways in which certain people seek to degrade and dehumanise others—especially women. And it has the capacity to cause catastrophic consequences if the material is shared more widely. This government will not tolerate it. This new offence sends a crystal-clear message that making this material is immoral, often misogynistic, and a crime. This government has made it a priority to better protect women from physical, emotional, and online abuse through changes to the law.”

As part of the ongoing efforts to safeguard victims, the Criminal Justice Bill also introduces new criminal offences related to intimate images taken or recorded without consent.