Mateusz Łabuz co-authored the policy report titled “Non-Consensual Sexualising Deepfakes – Threats and Recommendations for Legal and Societal Action”. The report was published by the CEE Digital Democracy Watch.

Together with Maria Pawelec from the University of Tubingen, Mateusz describes how synthetic media have become a tool for producing non-consensual, intimate content, which primarily leads to the victimization of women. Analyses show that this negative phenomenon is gaining momentum and negatively impacts not only individuals but also social and political processes, leading to the objectification of women and their targeted victimization. Such attacks are often aimed at silencing politically active women.

Maria and Mateusz propose a range of legal and non-legal solutions that would enable better protection of the rights of victims, which might be complemented with comprehensive assistance in the psychological sphere. This is an extremely important topic that deserves significantly greater attention from policymakers.

The policy report can be downloaded here.

Photo credits: CEE Digital Democracy Watch