The Real Danger of Deepfakes: Examining Pornography, Scams, and Underlying Biases

The digital landscape is rapidly transforming with the rise of deepfake technology, presenting society with complex challenges that extend far beyond occasional viral videos of celebrities. As these artificially generated images and videos become increasingly sophisticated and accessible, their most harmful applications are emerging in areas that receive far less media attention than political disinformation.

Sexual exploitation through deepfakes has become the predominant use of this technology, with research indicating that approximately 96 percent of all deepfake content online is non-consensual pornography. These videos, which superimpose victims’ faces onto explicit content, overwhelmingly target women. The trauma experienced by victims is profound and multifaceted, combining elements of sexual harassment, privacy violation, and identity theft.

The technology’s evolution has coincided with a troubling rise in financial scams. Criminal enterprises are now employing deepfake voices and images to impersonate executives, family members, and even government officials. In several high-profile cases, company employees have transferred millions of dollars to fraudsters who successfully mimicked the voices of corporate leaders during supposed “emergency” situations. Such incidents highlight how deepfakes have moved beyond mere novelty to become sophisticated tools for financial crime.

Equally concerning is how deepfake technology disproportionately impacts marginalized communities. The biases inherent in artificial intelligence systems often reproduce and amplify existing societal prejudices. Women, particularly women of color, bear the brunt of deepfake exploitation. Additionally, people from non-Western countries frequently find themselves with fewer protections and resources to combat these technological threats, creating a digital vulnerability gap that follows familiar global inequality patterns.

The technology itself is advancing at a pace that outstrips regulatory frameworks. While companies like Microsoft and Google have developed detection tools to identify AI-generated content, these solutions remain imperfect and constantly challenged by increasingly sophisticated generation techniques. This technological arms race places significant pressure on platforms to develop more robust systems for identifying and removing harmful deepfake content.

Legal responses to deepfakes vary dramatically across jurisdictions. In the United States, federal legislation specifically addressing deepfakes remains limited, though some states have enacted targeted laws. The European Union has taken a more comprehensive approach with its Digital Services Act, which imposes greater responsibility on platforms to monitor and remove illegal content. However, these regulations face significant enforcement challenges, particularly given the global nature of the internet.

Beyond technical solutions and legal frameworks, experts emphasize the importance of digital literacy. Understanding how to critically evaluate online content has become an essential skill in the age of AI-generated media. Educational initiatives focused on helping people identify potential deepfakes, combined with greater awareness of how and where to report suspicious content, represent crucial components of any comprehensive response.

Industry observers note that while political deepfakes often capture headlines, their actual deployment in electoral contexts has been relatively limited compared to their use in harassment and fraud. This disconnect between public perception and the reality of harm suggests the need for a recalibration of both media attention and policy priorities.

For victims of deepfake exploitation, the path to recourse remains challenging. Content removal processes are often cumbersome and inconsistent across platforms, while legal remedies may be inaccessible or ineffective, particularly for those with limited resources. Advocacy groups are increasingly calling for victim-centered approaches that prioritize rapid content removal and provide support services.

As deepfake technology continues to evolve, the societal response must be multifaceted. Technical safeguards, legal frameworks, educational initiatives, and support services all play crucial roles in mitigating harm. Perhaps most importantly, public discourse needs to shift toward acknowledging the real-world impacts of this technology on vulnerable individuals rather than focusing exclusively on hypothetical political scenarios.

The true challenge of deepfakes lies not in the occasional viral video, but in their systematic exploitation of vulnerable individuals and communities through intimate violations, financial fraud, and the perpetuation of existing social biases. Addressing these harms requires a coordinated response that matches the sophistication of the technology itself.