By: Aya Salah
We live in an era where AI technology is advancing at an unprecedented pace, with applications across various fields and purposes. Yet, this powerful technology poses serious potential threats to women, namely deepfakes.
According to a 2019 report by Deeptrace Lab, non-consensual pornography constitutes 96% of all deepfake content found online, with 99.9% of it depicting women. The report also highlights that deepfake pornography disproportionately targets and harms women, while non-pornographic deepfake videos on platforms like YouTube primarily feature men.
Deepfakes are digitally manipulated or generated images, videos, or audio that can depict real or fictional people, created using AI. The term “deepfake” combines “deep,” referring to deep-learning AI, with “fake,” indicating the content’s falseness.
This digital assault is particularly alarming in countries like Egypt, where women are already vulnerable to various forms of digital violence, including the use of leaked private or fabricated sexual content for coercion and extortion.
Egyptian press reports documented 169 cases of online sexual coercion and extortion between 2019 and 2022, with 50.3% of these incidents reported in 2022 alone, according to Tadween for Gender Studies. While data on victims was incomplete, women comprised the majority of cases at 82.9%, compared to 10.3% for men.
Know Your Rights
In Egypt, cyber blackmail is punishable by at least six months of imprisonment under Article 25 of the Anti-Cyber Crimes Law (Law No. 175 of 2018). Under Article 26 of the Penal Code, perpetrators face two to five years in prison and fines between 100,000 and 300,000 EGP, even if the victim had previously shared personal photos with them.
Report It: Don’t Stay Silent
Taking the step to report incidents of sexual harassment, including cyber blackmail, is often challenging for many women. Fear of judgment from family and social circles, as well as concerns about reputation, can prevent girls and women from speaking up. But if a woman faces such an incident,she should always remember: it’s not her fault. The blame lies solely with the predator, and they should be brought to justice.
There are various ways to seek legal action. For example, victims can report incidents through the National Council for Women’s hotline at 15115. Additionally, Egypt’s Ministry of Interior has internet investigation units across all governorates, with a main department in Cairo’s Police Academy, and a dedicated hotline at 108 for electronic blackmail cases.
Stay Safe Online
To protect yourself online, limit the sharing of personal data and photos, as oversharing can increase vulnerability. Make full use of privacy settings to control who can view your posts, helping to keep sensitive information secure. Additionally, enable multi-factor authentication on all accounts; this extra security step makes unauthorized access far more difficult and enhances your overall digital safety.
As AI technology continues to advance, it is imperative to develop robust legal frameworks and ethical guidelines to protect individuals from the harmful consequences of its misuse and disseminate AI literacy to the public.
Commenti