Last night saw the airing of the Vikki Pattison deepfake documentary where footage of synthetic sexual content (most commonly known as deepfakes) was shown involving the former reality TV star. Pattison consensually agreed to involve herself in the content ‘’Because I wanted to experience—even just a tiny fraction—what victims of this horrifying & ever-growing trend go through. I wanted to expose the devastating reality of deepfake pornography’’ (Instagram)
Due to the nature of the documentary, there may be understandable concern from those who have experienced intimate image abuse or those who may be worried about being targeted.
In this article we would like to raise awareness around how to get support if you have been affected by synthetic sexual content and what you can do to protect yourself.
What is a “Deepfake”?
Synthetic sexual content is often referred to as ‘deepfake’ content and refers to any sexual or nude media created using AI that represents the likeness of another individual without their consent, which is a form of intimate image abuse. Examples of synthetic sexual content can include, but are not limited to:
- AI-generated content that swaps someone’s face with another person’s nude body.
- Content generated by AI, sometimes using ‘nudification’ apps, alters a clothed image to make it appear nude.
What is the Legislation Around Deepfakes?
It is against the law in England, Wales and Scotland to share or threaten to share an intimate image without consent. This includes images which have been manufactured, edited or altered to become an intimate image.
In January 2025, the Government decided to U-turn on their proposed legislative amendment surrounding synthetic sexual content to be consent based as opposed to motivation based.
The original amendment which was announced beforehand would have required victims to prove that perpetrators intended to cause them harm, distress or humiliation, or to gain sexual gratification through the creation of synthetic sexual content. In a positive move, it now seems that the Government will be focussing their amendment around whether the victim consented or not. Please note: This is currently not law and is still to be passed and implemented.
Where Can I Go for Support?
The Revenge Porn Helpline is available to anyone over the age of 18 in the UK who needs support with intimate image abuse including synthetic sexual content.
If someone has created a 'deepfake' or synthetic sexual content of you and has shared or is threatening to share this, we would encourage you (if you are over 18) to contact the Revenge Porn Helpline for support and guidance.
StopNCII.org is a free global tool for adults (18+) to protect intimate images from being shared across partnering platforms. If a 'deepfake' or synthetic sexual image of you has been shared without consent across participating platforms, then you can use StopNCII.org to prevent it from being shared on these platforms.
Intimate images are never transferred nor saved on the StopNCII.org website, instead, the image is hashed and never leaves the user's device; ensuring user privacy.
- Emotional Support
The potential impact of harmful and sexual synthetic content, especially when it affects individuals personally, can be incredibly distressing. However, there is support available to support your mental health and wellbeing.
We would encourage you to reach out to friends and family that you trust but you can find plenty of services that can offer emotional support on the Revenge Porn Helpline and Report Harmful Content websites.
To find out more about deepfakes, the current legislation, and information about intimate image abuse in the UK, you can visit the Revenge Porn Helpline’s website.
