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Tech guru warns no one is safe from deepfake porn and there's little Brits can do

One expert fretted that although revenge porn has been a big issue for a long time, the growing abilities of deepfakes makes it even more of a threat than ever before

[Nadia Zalecka, an Irish-Polish model who has been a victim of deepfaking]

An edited version of Nadia Zalecka, an Irish-Polish model who has been a victim of deepfaking(Image: Instagram)

A tech guru has warned how artificial intelligence has put all of us at risk of deepfake porn, and said Brits can do little to help themselves.

Olivia DeRamus, founder of Communia, a social media platform designed to be a safer place for women to connect, said deepfakes have centred on celebrity women to date, but said it is now "a problem that affects every woman (and even men and young boys) in the United Kingdom, as well as around the world."

She said the advances AI has made in the last few years have made image-based violence "something even a stranger on the internet can do."

READ MORE: Tech expert says we must 'act now' against AI as 'deepfakes make anyone target'

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Olivia fears that people's likeness can be manipulated into awful graphic images, and shared a worrying warning that only tech companies can help.

[Olivia DeRamus said deepfakes have centred on celebrity women to date, but it's now 'a problem that affects everyone']

Olivia DeRamus said deepfakes have centred on celebrity women to date, but it's now 'a problem that affects everyone'(Image: Olivia DeRamus)

Asked what we can do ourselves, she told the Daily Star: "This is not the answer I want to give, but honestly? Very little. That's why it's so terrifying.

"All a bad actor needs is your profile picture. Staying offline is not an option for most people, nor should it have to be.

"So, one thing you can try to do, as best you can, is protect your privacy. But even if you are successful in doing that, often, image-based violence comes from people we know - so we're facing this threat on multiple fronts."

[Nadia Zalecka, her real face shown, told of her experience in a chat with the Daily Star]

Nadia Zalecka, her real face shown, told of her experience in a chat with the Daily Star(Image: nadiazalecka/TIKTOK)

Olivia spoke about an Irish-Polish model, Nadia Zalecka, who was the victim of a deepfake video, after an unknown person changed Nadia's face to look Asian in a video of her changing clothes.

She said: "The model in this story references her frustration in not knowing how to get this content taken down.

"While there's not much we as individuals can do to protect ourselves, there's a lot of simple ways tech companies could protect us, as the users of their platforms and as the medium where this harassment is spread."

Olivia warns that, if nothing is done to stop people from using AI for explicit deepfake uses, this will become a "universal experience" for women and young girls.

[Taylor Swift is a victim of disturbing AI generated deepfakes]

Taylor Swift is a victim of disturbing AI generated deepfakes (file)(Image: Getty Images for TAS Rights Management)

It comes after Nadia Zalecka told of her experience in a chat with the Daily Star. "It's so so scary. One of my TikTok followers came across it and tagged me. People need to realise how bad it actually is," she said.

Nadia added that people have used her likeness before, and even added her name and pictures to an explicit website.

"Ive had people impersonate me on dating apps," she said. "Ive also seen some of my pictures on an 'AI undress' website, which was really uncomfortable and gross."

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