UK journalists and celebrities victimized by sexually explicit deepfake images
Channel 4 News presenter Cathy Newman and Love Island star Cally Jane Beech have publicly disclosed being victims of deepfake pornography created using their faces without consent. The UK government announced new legislation making the creation and sharing of sexually explicit deepfakes punishable by up to two years in prison.
What happened
Cathy Newman, a Channel 4 News presenter, discovered deepfake pornography had been created using her face without her consent while investigating the abuse of women through AI images. Cally Jane Beech, a Love Island star, found that AI had been used to alter images of her to remove her clothes and post them online.
Newman described the experience as "haunting" and noted that the worst aspect was not knowing who created the deepfake or why. Both women discussed how the lack of legal recourse at the time left them without protection.
Reported impact
Cally Jane Beech expressed concern about the implications for her daughter and noted that the technology has also been used by paedophiles to create images of children without anything stopping them. Both victims expressed worry about speaking publicly, fearing it could attract more deepfakes or unwanted attention.
When Cally Jane Beech contacted the police, officers indicated there was little they could do because the images were not real images of her, highlighting a gap in legal protections at the time of the incidents.
Index analysis
Both victims became aware of deepfake pornography depicting them through their own discovery rather than being informed by platform operators or other third parties. The incidents expose vulnerabilities in how AI image manipulation tools can be used to create non-consensual sexual content of real people.
Governance controls
The UK government announced it will introduce a new offence making it possible to charge perpetrators for both creating and sharing sexually explicit deepfake images without consent. Cally Jane Beech noted that the new legislation needs to be based completely on it being an offence rather than relying on proving intent to cause harm, as this creates loopholes.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.