DigitalABUSE TACTIC

Synthetic Nonconsensual Imagery as Intimidation

What it is

Creating or circulating sexually explicit fabricated images of a real person without consent in order to humiliate, silence, extort, or drive them out of public or private life.

How it works

This is image-based sexual abuse; the fabrication does not make it less so. The harm does not depend on anyone believing the image is real. It works through shame, through the target's knowledge that colleagues, family, or voters have seen it, and through the implied threat that more will follow. Targets are overwhelmingly women and girls. In public life the aim is often exit: to make standing for office, reporting, or speaking out cost more than it is worth, which turns a private violation into a tool of political exclusion. In schools and relationships the aim is control or punishment, and it can accompany sextortion. Recognition signals include threats to release images that the target knows cannot exist, sudden harassment that references such images, and anonymous accounts tagging employers or family. Laws are arriving late and unevenly; removal tools exist but are partial.

Real-world examples

  • •In April 2022, weeks before the Northern Ireland Assembly election, a fabricated explicit video falsely presented as SDLP candidate Cara Hunter circulated widely on WhatsApp; she has since campaigned for legislation and described the episode as nearly ending her career.
  • •Italy's prime minister Giorgia Meloni, of the right-wing Brothers of Italy, sought 100,000 euros in damages in a Sardinian court case reported in 2024 over deepfake pornographic videos using her face that were posted online before she took office.
  • •A December 2024 American Sunlight Project study found more than 35,000 mentions of sexually explicit deepfakes depicting 26 members of the U.S. Congress, 25 of them women, on deepfake sites; most material was removed after the researchers alerted the affected offices.
  • •In 2024 South Korean journalists and police uncovered Telegram channels sharing fabricated explicit images of students, teachers, and soldiers, many of them minors. In September 2024 the National Assembly made possessing or viewing such material a crime punishable by up to three years in prison.
  • •In the United States the TAKE IT DOWN Act, signed May 19, 2025, criminalizes knowingly publishing nonconsensual intimate images including digital forgeries, and required covered platforms to operate a 48-hour notice-and-removal process by May 19, 2026.

Ethical guidelines

  • ●This technique is inherently unethical and psychologically harmful. Never use it in any context. If you recognize yourself doing this, seek professional help.
  • ●Do not view, forward, or search for the material, including to check whether it is real. Every view and share is part of the harm.
  • ●Never suggest that the target invited it by posting ordinary photos. Any public image of a face is enough raw material; no one can prevent this by being careful.
  • ●Journalists and researchers should report on cases without linking to, describing in detail, or naming the sites that host the material.
  • ●Bystanders in schools and workplaces have a duty to report to a responsible adult or to the platform, not to circulate evidence.

How to defend against it

  • ►If this is happening to you: it is not your fault, and it is abuse whether or not the image is real. Your safety comes first. If the person threatening you is a partner or ex-partner, or you fear escalation, talk with a domestic-violence or sexual-assault advocate before responding or confronting them.
  • ►Do not pay and do not negotiate with anyone demanding money or more images; payment usually increases demands. In the U.S., report sextortion to the FBI at tips.fbi.gov or to local police.
  • ►Use the hash-based removal tools: StopNCII.org (for adults, operated by the UK Revenge Porn Helpline with participating platforms) and NCMEC's Take It Down service (for images of anyone under 18). Both work without you uploading the image itself.
  • ►Preserve evidence safely where you can: screenshots with URLs, usernames, and dates, stored somewhere the abuser cannot access. If collecting it is distressing or unsafe, ask a trusted person or an advocate to do it. Your safety comes before documentation.
  • ►Report to each platform under its nonconsensual intimate imagery policy; in the U.S., covered platforms must now act on valid requests within 48 hours. The Cyber Civil Rights Initiative runs an image abuse helpline and keeps a state-by-state guide to laws.
  • ►If a child or teenager is targeted, involve the school and a parent or guardian, avoid punishing the victim by removing their devices, and contact NCMEC's CyberTipline. Tell them clearly that they are not in trouble.

References

  1. McGlynn, C., & Rackley, E. (2017). Image-Based Sexual Abuse. Oxford Journal of Legal Studies, 37(3), 534-561
    The framing of nonconsensual creation and distribution of sexual images, including altered images, as a form of sexual abuse.
  2. Congressional Research Service (2025). The TAKE IT DOWN Act: A Federal Law Prohibiting the Nonconsensual Publication of Intimate Images. CRS Legal Sidebar LSB11314 · link
    The Act's criminal prohibition covering digital forgeries, the 48-hour notice-and-removal duty, and the May 19, 2026 compliance date.
  3. The 19th News (2024). AI enters Congress: Sexually explicit deepfakes target women lawmakers. The 19th News, December 2024, reporting the American Sunlight Project study · link
    The finding of more than 35,000 mentions depicting 26 members of Congress, 25 of them women.
  4. CNN (2024). South Korea to criminalize watching or possessing sexually explicit deepfakes. CNN, September 26, 2024 · link
    The Telegram deepfake scandal and the September 2024 law criminalizing possession and viewing.
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