The U.K. government announced on Tuesday (Jan 7) it would outlaw the creation and sharing of sexually explicit deepfake images. The action has been taken to protect women and young girls, who are mainly targeted with this type of material. It is already illegal to make such imagery of children, but the law is being extended to protect those aged over 18. Deepfake is a term given to AI-powered images or videos that have been altered or edited to depict a real person. The United Kingdom criminalized revenge porn – the dissemination of intimate images without consent to cause distress – in 2015, but further action means perpetrators could now be charged and face up to two years in prison for deepfakes. The U.K.-based Revenge Porn Helpline has outlined how image-based abuse, using deepfake material, has increased by 400% over the last eight years. This week in Hong Kong, the police busted a syndicate using AI deepfakes for romance crypto scams. This morning @AlexDaviesJones spoke on @BBCBreakfast about how intimate image abuse and ‘deepfakes’ (AI-generated fake images) degrade women. We’re introducing new provisions to address taking intimate images and creating sexually explicit 'deepfakes' without consent.