According to The Guardian, the UK’s revenge porn helpline has received 40 times more calls since 2015. Just last year alone, more than 20,000 people reached out for help. And if the current trend continues, the helpline expects its caseload to double by 2028.
That’s thousands of lives torn apart, mostly women, dealing with humiliation and trauma.
And now, there’s a new layer to the madness: AI deepfake porn. With how realistic these doctored videos have become, it’s getting harder to distinguish what’s real and what’s fake.
A woman doesn’t even need to have sent a nude; all it takes is someone pulling her picture from Instagram, running it through software, and suddenly there’s a “sex tape” of her circulating online.
Urban Woman spoke to women about how this terrifying new reality is shaping their lives:
Hope
I don’t even send pictures anymore. Not even to my boyfriend. The fear of someone editing my face onto a body and spreading it online terrifies me.
Gechy
When revenge porn happens, the first reaction is always blame: ‘Why did she take those pictures? Why did she trust him?’ Nobody asks why the guy betrayed her trust and decided to humiliate her.
Davida
The thing about deepfakes is, you can’t even prove it’s not you. There is literally nothing you can do, even if you scream that it’s fake, nobody will listen to you.
Jemimah
It’s not just about sex or nudes. It’s about control. It’s about people using your image, your body, your face, without your consent. It ruins careers, families, and relationships. And even when the internet moves on, you’re left to pick up the pieces.
Olekanma Favour is a resourceful, self-motivated, and result-driven writer with a passion for crafting compelling narratives and insightful content. She loves tackling complex topics and weaving engaging stories.
When she’s not writing, Olekanma enjoys immersing herself in a good book, exploring new cuisines, and discovering new cultures.