What is a deepfake and why does the government want to make them illegal?

The creation of sexually explicit “deepfake” images is to be made a criminal offence under new legislation, the Ministry of Justice has announced.

Individuals who create sexually explicit deepfakes without consent could face an unlimited fine or jail time under the new laws.

The creation of a deepfake will be an offence irrespective of whether the creator intended to share it or not.

Deepfake images have become more prevalent in recent years, with images being viewed millions of times a month across the world.

The fake images and videos are made to look hyper-realistic with the victim usually unaware and unable to give their consent to being sexualised in such a way.

The new offence will be introduced through an amendment to the controversial Criminal Justice Bill, which is still making its way through parliament.

Prime minister Rishi Sunak said the government will crackdown on “vile degenerates” who create “distressing and abusive” deepfakes, and the announcement has been welcomed by campaigners and politicians.

A deepfake is a combination word of “deep learning” and “fake” and is an image that has been digitally manipulated to replace one person’s likeness convincingly with that of another.

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