The Know Daily - Tuesday 16 April 2024

_{Read in 5m 24s ∙ Listening to Dua Lipa ∙}

The Caribbean island of Aruba is moving to amend its constitution to recognise that nature has the right to exist. If the country’s legislature votes in favour of the change, Aruba would become only the second country in the world to make such a move, after Ecuador did the same in 2022. Watch this space 👀

👏 Criminalising deepfakes

Creating a sexually explicit deepfake image is set to be made an offence in England and Wales, the government has announced.

Tell me more.
A deepfake is an image or video that has been digitally altered using AI to replace the face of one person with the face of another, explained the BBC. The sharing of intimate deepfakes is already a crime under the Online Safety Act 2023, but now the creation of sexually explicit deepfakes will also be made an offence - regardless of whether the creator intends to share them. 

What will the law look like?
Under the legislation - which will form part of the Criminal Justice Bill currently making its way through parliament - anyone who makes explicit images without consent will face a criminal record and a fine. They could also face a prison sentence if the image is shared more widely.

Laura Farris, minister for victims and safeguarding, said the new offence sent a “crystal clear message” that making sexually explicit deepfakes is “immoral, often misogynistic, and a crime”. 

How big a problem is it?
As The Guardian pointed out, as AI advances, so too does the creation of deepfakes, which overwhelmingly target women. According to an analysis conducted by Channel 4 News last month, in 2016 researchers identified just one deepfake pornography video online. In the first nine months of 2023, over 143,000 videos were uploaded online - more than in all the previous years combined.

How’s the announcement been received?
Labour welcomed the announcement, as did women’s rights campaigners. Glamour UK’s editor-in-chief Deborah Joseph described the proposed legislation as an “important first step” towards helping women feel safer from the technology.