Pastoral Care and Wellbeing
Disrespect and Deep Harm from Deepfakes
Have you ever seen a video of a celebrity doing something surprising and wondered if it's real? High chances are - it's not. It could be a deepfake.
Deepfakes most often consist of videos where an artificial face has been superimposed onto another person’s face, resulting in a highly convincing recording of someone doing or saying something that they actually never did. Think of it as a super-advanced form of Photoshop for videos.
For example, deepfake technology was used to depict the footballer David Beckham “speaking” nine languages in a campaign against malaria. If you would like to watch you can view it here. How amazing it is to see his ability to easily switch between the different languages.
We are seeing the adoption of this technology already, with deepfakes being used creatively to improve storytelling. For example, in the Star Wars TV show “The Book of Boba Fett”, the character of Luke Skywalker is played by an actor with a younger version of the original Luke Skywalker (actor Mark Hamill) superimposed onto their face.
More recently, a news story wrote that around 50 students have had their images altered. This, however, was not so amazing. The possibility of harm to the people who have been targeted is multifaceted. It was acknowledged in the article that, "This has the capacity to affect every aspect of your life from your employability, from your future earning capacity, from your reputation to your emotional and mental and physical health."
If someone has shared, or threatened to share, your intimate image or video it can be stressful and upsetting. You don’t have to cope on your own. It’s a good idea to tell a friend, family member, or someone else you trust, so they can help you deal with the situation. This may include involving the police.
The eSafety Commissioner can also help. For those whose images have been altered and posted contact eSafety . eSafety investigates image abuse and can help to remove online material. Once the online report link is clicked, there will be a series of guided steps you will need to follow.
The eSafety has some great resources for young people and parents.
In Australia on 5 June, recent new criminal laws have been introduced to combat the ever changing landscape of artificial intelligence and consent.
Countering Sextortion & What You Need to Know About Deepfakes
For those who are interested in learning more - Safe on Social are hosting an online zoom webinar for parents, carers and teachers on 24 July 2024 7pm - 8pm.
Suzanne Pola
College Leader - Student Wellbeing