Deepfake videos and fake "revenge porn"
- Admin
- Dec 19, 2025
- 8 min read
An investigation into a new form of intimate partner violence and how to resist it in 2025
In 2025, some forms of violence begin without contact, without encounter, without a real scene. They originate in a file. A generated image. A fabricated video. And yet, their effects are very real: humiliation, fear, isolation, psychological breakdown.
Intimate deepfakes—images or videos of sexual content created using artificial intelligence from real faces—have become one of the most brutal forms of contemporary cyberviolence. When used to humiliate, seek revenge, exert pressure, or break someone, they take on a particularly perverse form: staged revenge porn .
A violence that no longer relies on stolen images, but on invented images .
Almendralejo: the day everything changed
In Almendralejo, Spain, in the fall of 2023, several teenage girls discovered that sexually explicit images were circulating with their faces. The bodies were not theirs. The scenes had never taken place. But the faces were recognizable, taken from photos found on social media.
The investigation revealed that boys their age used online artificial intelligence tools to generate this content. Some victims were 13 or 14 years old. For them, schooling came to an abrupt halt. Some never returned to class. Families spoke of a shock "impossible to explain": how can you defend a child when what's circulating is false, but everyone takes it as if it were true?
This case has left its mark on Europe. Not because it was unique, but because it revealed a reality that is now commonplace: it is no longer necessary to have lived through a scene to be trapped by it .
When falsehood is enough to destroy reality
The victims all say the same thing: what hurts the most is not the image itself. It's what it provokes. The way others look at them. The silences. The rumors. The doubt.
In the United States, a high school student in Texas saw a deepfake video of herself circulating at her school. She had never sent any intimate images. Yet, the insults began. Reports didn't immediately stop its spread. She ended up changing schools. Later, her family testified: "The video was fake, but the suffering was immense."
In these cases, the truth always comes out after the shock. And often too late.
Revenge porn without real images
Deepfakes have profoundly altered the mechanics of revenge porn. Previously, this violence relied on a past relationship, a betrayed trust, a genuinely shared image. Today, the perpetrator needs none of that. They fabricate it.
In Australia, a man was convicted of using deepfake images to pressure several women. He created fictitious sexual content from public photos and then threatened to send it to their friends and family. Some victims panicked. Others tried to negotiate. All were traumatized.
This case has brought to light a disturbing truth: blackmail works even when the image is false , because it relies on social fear, not on reality.
This is the heart of staged revenge porn: punishing without proof, dominating without truth.
Minors: a red line crossed
For the past two years, associations have observed an alarming increase in cases involving minors . Middle school and high school girls, sometimes very young, are being targeted by deepfakes generated from class photos or social profiles.
In France, several investigations have been launched following the release of deepfake content targeting middle school girls. The images initially circulated in closed groups before spreading further. Schools had to manage the crisis. Families report sleepless nights, anxiety attacks, and children refusing to leave their rooms.
When a minor appears in sexual content, even if generated by the child, the violence is absolute . The trauma is real. And the law is recognizing this more and more clearly.
What the law says: the law in the face of falsified images
Contrary to popular belief, intimate deepfakes do not exist in a legal vacuum.
In France, several laws apply. The Penal Code punishes the distribution of sexually explicit images without consent, even when these images are doctored, as long as they infringe upon dignity and privacy. Offenses such as harassment, blackmail, and threats can also be invoked.
When minors are involved, the classification changes in severity: the distribution or production of sexual content depicting a minor, even fictitious, may fall under the offences related to child pornography, with heavy penalties.
The LCEN (Law for Confidence in the Digital Economy) requires hosting providers to promptly remove manifestly illegal content as soon as they become aware of it. Failure to act makes them liable.
The GDPR protects the right to one's image and personal data: a face is personal data. Its use without a legal basis, especially in a humiliating context, is unlawful.
At the European level, the Digital Services Act (DSA) further strengthens the obligations of platforms: effective reporting procedures, rapid removals, and cooperation with authorities. Time is no longer an excuse.
The message of the law is clear: the fact that the image is generated does not erase the offence .
When platforms are slow to act, the damage is exacerbated.
One point recurs in almost every case: the slowness. Every hour an image remains online multiplies the copies, captures, and shares. Automated replies, silences, and refusals to remove it become damaging factors.
The 2025 closure of MrDeepFakes, long considered one of the largest hubs for non-consensual pornographic deepfakes, demonstrated that legal pressure works. But it also revealed the reality of the phenomenon: content moves, fragments, and reappears elsewhere.
For the victims, this ordeal is exhausting. They need help, not bureaucratic maze.
How can the victims cope
When a victim discovers a deepfake or blackmail, the shock is immediate. Many initially think: "If I stay silent, it will stop." This is rarely the case.
The first step is a human one before it becomes a legal one: don't stay alone . Talk to a loved one, a relative, a trusted adult, or an organization. Silence protects the abuser, never the victim.
Then comes the time for proof. Even if it's painful, preserving links, messages, screenshots, and dates is essential. Not to relive the assault, but to regain control.
Reporting should be done on multiple fronts: platforms, hosting providers, and search engines. The law mandates swift removal when the illegal nature of the content is obvious. And when the content persists, filing a complaint allows for further action.
In cases involving minors, reporting to the competent authorities is an urgent matter. Protection takes precedence over all other considerations.
Finally, there is the long-term process: psychological support, rebuilding, overcoming shame. Because what the victims are experiencing is not simply a “digital crisis.” It is a profound attack on their identity.
Shame is not on the right side
Almost all the victims utter the same phrase: "I am ashamed." This is one of the biggest lies of this violence.
Having a public face is not consent. Existing online is not permission.
And a deepfake image is never the fault of the person targeted.
The shame belongs to those who create, distribute, threaten, and harass. Not to those whose image has been stolen.
The role of advocacy groups
Faced with this new violence, associations play a central role. They are not there to explain the technology, but to support humans : to help document, to have removed, to understand the legal recourse, to withstand the pressure, to rebuild.
They also remind us of a crucial truth: intimate deepfakes are not a technical "glitch." They are an act of aggression . And staged revenge porn is a strategy of domination.
A collective responsibility
By 2025, the question is no longer whether this violence exists. It is a reality. The question is how society chooses to respond to it.
Through denial? Through slowness? Or through the effective protection of victims?
Defending victims today means refusing to let technology serve as an alibi for cruelty. It means affirming that falsehood can cause as much damage as truth , and that human dignity is non-negotiable.
If you are a victim of deepfake, blackmail or digital humiliation, one thing must be made clear: what you are experiencing is real, even if the image is fake.
And you have the right to help, respect, and justice.
Legal Annex
Intimate deepfakes, staged revenge porn, and online harassment
What the law says – and how to use it when you are a victim
This appendix has a clear objective: to empower victims . Contrary to what some abusers or platforms still claim, intimate deepfakes are not a legal “grey area .” The law exists. It applies. And it is evolving rapidly.
1. Intimate deepfakes are NOT exempt from criminal law
➤ Distribution of sexual images without consent
Article 226-2-1 of the Penal Code (France)
The law penalizes the dissemination, without the consent of the person , of sexually explicit images or videos depicting them, even when these images are doctored , as long as they infringe upon dignity or privacy.
👉 The fact that the image is fake does not negate the offense . 👉 What matters is the infringement , not the authenticity.
Penalties incurred:
up to 2 years imprisonment
€60,000 fine
2. Staged revenge porn = blackmail + attack on dignity
➤ Blackmail
Article 312-10 of the Penal Code
As soon as a person threatens to disseminate an image (real or falsified) in order to obtain:
money
silence
a behavior
additional images
➡️ This is blackmail , regardless of the veracity of the content.
Penalties incurred:
5 years imprisonment
€75,000 fine
3. Online harassment: deepfakes as a tool
➤ Psychological harassment via digital means
Article 222-16-2-2 of the Penal Code
Being subjected to repeated messages, broadcasts or attacks that lead to a deterioration of living conditions constitutes an offense, even without direct contact , even if the facts are “shared” by several people .
➡️ Deepfakes are here a vector , an amplifier of harassment.
Penalties incurred:
up to 2 years in prison
A €30,000 fine (penalties are increased if the victim is a minor)
4. When the victim is a minor: an absolute red line
When a minor appears in sexually explicit content, even if generated by AI , the law shifts into an extremely serious criminal regime.
➤ Sexual images involving a minor
Article 227-23 of the Penal Code
The production, distribution or possession of content depicting a minor of a sexual nature is severely punished, including when the images are artificial , as long as a minor is identifiable.
Penalties incurred:
up to 7 years imprisonment
€100,000 fine
👉 The argument "it's AI" does not protect the author . 👉 The protection of children takes precedence over any technical consideration.
5. Responsibility of platforms and hosting providers
➤ Law for Confidence in the Digital Economy (LCEN)
Article 6 – I – 2 and following
Hosting providers are required to:
quickly remove manifestly illegal content
as soon as they have actual knowledge of it
👉 A non-consensual sexual deepfake, especially one involving a minor, is clearly illegal .
⚠️ In case of inaction after reporting, the hosting provider may be held liable .
6. The GDPR: the face is personal data
➤ General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR – EU)
An identifiable face is personal data . Its use:
without consent
without legal basis
in a humiliating or harmful context
➡️ constitutes unlawful processing .
The victims can invoke:
the right to erasure
the right to object
the right to compensation
And enter:
the CNIL (France)
or the equivalent authority in the EU
7. The Digital Services Act (DSA) – Europe
Since the DSA came into effect , platforms have had strengthened obligations:
effective reporting procedures
quick withdrawals
prevention of repeated abuse
specific protection of minors
👉 Silence or automated responses are no longer sufficient . 👉 Response time is now a legal factor .
8. What victims can do in concrete (legal) terms
Without going into complex procedures, the law already allows us to take action:
Keep the evidence (links, screenshots, usernames, dates)
Formally notify the platforms (report + written record)
To take legal action against the hosting provider based on the LCEN
File a complaint (even against an unknown person)
Contact a advocacy group to structure the case
👉 The law does not require the victim to prove that the image is true. 👉 It requires proof of the infringement and the dissemination .
9. The legal position of our association
We assert one essential thing: intimate deepfake is an act of violence , not a technological curiosity.
The law recognizes:
the attack on dignity
invasion of privacy
psychological harm
the seriousness is aggravated when minors are involved
Our role is to help victims activate these levers , to deal with the platforms , and not to remain alone in the face of a system that moves too slowly .
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