What can you do if you are the target of deepfake nudes?

SINGAPORE – A group of Singapore Sports School students were caught and punished in November for creating and circulating deepfake nude images of their female schoolmates.

Their actions have ignited discussions about how the young – especially young girls – can best protect themselves from such online harms, and how they can respond if they are victimised by deepfakes.

This is, of course, a global issue.

In South Korea, for instance, a Telegram channel with more than 220,000 members was

reportedly used to create and share artificial intelligence (AI)-generated pornographic images.

In its 2023 Survey on Online Harms in Singapore, non-profit group SG Her Empowerment (SHE) reported that 9 per cent of the 1,056 Singaporean residents older than 15 who were surveyed experienced image-based sexual abuse, including via altered images or videos.

Yet, SHE’s Safeguarding Online Spaces survey, also conducted in 2023, found that four in 10 young people reported low awareness of self-help tools for online harms, while five in 10 reported low awareness of legal recourse options.

If you are unsure where to go and what to do if you have been targeted by deepfakes, here are some answers by experts to pressing questions you might have.

Q: What’s the first thing to do if I become the target of deepfake nudes?

A: The most important first step is to document evidence, said experts interviewed.

Taking screenshots of posts or videos, recording links or URLs, and saving messages and timestamps all go a long way when reporting the incident to the authorities or social media platforms.

Singapore University of Technology and Design’s Assistant Professor Roy Lee, who specialises in AI, emphasised that while the knee-jerk reaction may be to report the image or video as soon as possible to have it removed, recording as much evidence as possible serves crucial purposes.

He said: “Harmful content can be deleted, altered or moved by the perpetrator, making it difficult to prove that the incident occurred. Screenshots act as a timestamped record, ensuring that the evidence is not lost.

“Platforms and authorities (also) often require concrete evidence when investigating cases of online harm. Having screenshots can strengthen the case and increase the likelihood of action being taken against the offender.”

But even if you don’t take a screenshot, all is not lost.

SheCares@SCWO support centre head Lorraine Lim said that “law enforcement will do their best to investigate using the information available” and “police may collaborate with platforms to retrieve relevant data if possible”.

Q: How do I report harmful online content?

A: Experts say you should report harmful content to the social media platform that is hosting it. Many platforms have policies against such content, and each has its own mechanisms for reporting.

Ms Sugidha Nithiananthan, director of advocacy and research at the Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware), said: “Familiarising yourself with online platforms’ policies for reporting and removing harmful content beforehand can save precious time if you need to act quickly.”

For instance, Facebook and Instagram include

a “Report” link on nearly every post

for users to report content that violates policy. WhatsApp allows users to report only other users and groups, but not individual messages. Conversely, Telegram users can flag only individual messages and images.

You should also make a police report if you have been targeted by deepfake nudes or have been the victim of online harms. A police spokesperson told The Straits Times that these harms may fall under a variety of offences, including the Protection from Harassment Act (Poha) and sexual- and voyeurism-related offences.

If the matter is not urgent and does not require immediate police attention, you are advised to visit the nearest police station or make a police report online.

While in-person reporting at a police station allows officers to ask questions that could provide helpful and relevant context, some victims may be too distressed to share their experience verbally, and typing an online report might be more comfortable for them.

Investigation officers will follow up on submitted reports to gather additional details when necessary.

Q: What are my next steps if I want to pursue legal action against the perpetrators?

A: There are laws within the Penal Code, Films Act and Poha that exist to protect victims of deepfake nudes and other forms of image-based sexual abuse.

Experts said that those who want to pursue immediate legal action should file a protection order under Poha – a court order that protects victims of harassment by prohibiting perpetrators from continuing harassing behaviour.

Guardian Law director Liane Yong explained that Poha protects victims by criminalising behaviour or communication that both intentionally and unintentionally “causes harassment, alarm or distress”.

To file a court order, one must be at least 21 years old; applications for all victims below 21

must be done through an older representative.

Before filing a court order, victims should complete a pre-filing assessment on the

Community Justice and Tribunals System (CJTS) e-platform

to determine the complexity of their cases. This will determine which e-platform (CTJS for simplified cases or e-litigation for more complex cases) victims submit their applications to.

Victims must then submit applications to the respective e-platforms. Applications generally include details about the harassment, evidence and information about the types of remedies sought. Application fees range from $30 to over $100, based on the platform and type of claim.

Q: Where can I go to for support if I become a target of deepfake nudes?

A: You can reach out to trusted adults – parents and teachers – for support. Many non-profit organisations also provide emotional, legal and technical support for victims of online harms.

The SheCares@SCWO support centre is Singapore’s first support centre for online harms. It provides free legal advice through clinics with volunteer lawyers and free counselling support, and even accompanies victims to a police station to file reports if need be.

Similarly, the Aware Sexual Assault Care Centre provides support for victims, including a free legal clinic, assistance with gathering evidence, filing police reports or magistrate’s complaints, and applying for Poha court orders.

Q: How do I avoid becoming a victim of deepfake nudes and other online harms?

A: “With advanced technology such as AI tools becoming widely available and easier to use, anyone with an online presence is vulnerable, so it’s important to exercise caution when navigating the online world,” said Ms Lim.

She advised limiting who can see your posts through privacy settings and avoiding sharing highly personal information such as full names or addresses. She also warned young people to be wary of unfamiliar follower requests and suspicious behaviour on social media.

Ms Lim said: “Be aware of overly friendly accounts, or accounts that are quick to offer gifts or offers that are too good to be true.

“Love-bombing tactics – providing excessive attention, making grand gestures or offering exorbitant gifts, pushing for commitment or exhibiting controlling behaviour – are a sign that something is wrong.”

But while these steps may reduce your chances of becoming a victim, it always remains a possibility.

Ms Nithiananthan said: “There is very little a person can do to entirely protect themselves from violence and harm, both online and offline.

“When we place too much emphasis on the victim protecting herself, we imply that it is her duty to avoid this abuse. It is this type of thinking that downplays the accountability of perpetrators and wrongly shifts focus to the victim’s actions.”

Experts agreed that over-focusing on what an individual can do to protect themselves may make victims believe that what they experienced was their fault, and stand in the way of their making official reports.

Prof Lee said one of the best ways to reduce deepfakes and online harms is the act of reporting harmful content.

“Reporting... contributes to preventing harm to the next potential victim.

“I encourage victims to take action – for themselves and for the community. Together, we can improve online safety if each of us stands up against malicious content.”