A woman who suffered the ordeal of being porn deepfaked by her best friend has “welcomed” the recent government action, following a prolonged period of activism. On January 7, the government declared that creating sexually explicit ‘deepfake’ images is now recognised as a criminal offence.
Individuals found guilty could face up to two years in prison, with new offences established for non-consensual intimate image capture and equipment installation to commit these acts.
Jodie, aged 26 from Cambridgeshire, became a victim of such deepfake pornography when she discovered fictitious videos of herself engaged in sexual activities on dating websites such as OK Cupid and Happn back in 2019.
She approached the police but was informed nothing could be done since she did not know who was circulating these videos. In March 2021, an anonymous email led her to a fringe pornographic website where she encountered ‘deepfaked’ images and videos of herself performing sexual acts.
Photos of Jodie, originally posted on social media while fully clothed, were transformed into explicit content using Artificial Intelligence. Her perpetrator turned out to be Alex Woolf, her supposed best friend, who she identified after he shared a photo that only he possessed.
Jodie reported the matter to the Metropolitan Police, and in August 2021, Woolf confessed to 15 counts of distributing grossly offensive, indecent, obscene, or menacing messages over a public electronic communications network.
Jodie said she now feels worried about how the new legislation will be enforced, highlighting its “lack of clarity”. She is unclear whether the law will focus on the “consent” of the victim or the “intent” of the person posting the images.
She elaborated: “If it is an ‘intent-based’ piece of legislation, victims will have to prove intent of harm as it won’t be covered by consent.
“Which can be really difficult to prove, especially if the victim doesn’t know who is creating the images […] and it can be traumatising to re-live.”
Jodie recounted her own harrowing experience as “the ultimate violation”, revealing: “There were nine or ten pictures and videos of me being what I can only describe as raped, and anally penetrated.
“There was one with a schoolgirl’s body with my face on it, in a student-teacher relationship. It felt like the whole world collapsed around me.
“To take my photo out of context and have it used like that – I think it’s everyone’s worst nightmare.”
Woolf was given a 20-week prison sentence, suspended for two years.
Jodie said: “He was cowering in the corner when he was sentenced and he couldn’t even look at me when I spoke to him.”
Since the incident, Jodie has been actively campaigning for stricter penalties for those who distribute deepfakes and for criminalisation of their creators.
In September 2024, she initiated a Change.org petition, collaborating with The End Violence Against Women Coalition (EVAW), #NotYourPorn, Professor Clare McGlynn, and Glamour UK.
The petition, which garnered over 60,000 signatures and was directed towards Peter Kyle, Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, as well as PM Keir Starmer, called on the government to address image-based abuse, criticising past efforts as piecemeal and ineffective.
Jodie said: “It’s positive knowing the new legislation will make the taking of non-consensual intimate and voyeuristic images illegal.And I’m pleased to see that there will be prison sentences.
“However, the deepfake abuse still lacks clarity – particularly around its enforcement, timings and solicitation.Everyday there are new victims of these crimes, and we still have no idea when this is going to be implemented.
“I worry that this is going to take ages and it will not be a consent-based piece of legislation – which would render it useless.
“It needs to 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 aren’t ‘monsters’, but who live among us – they can be our family, friends, and loved-ones.”