Filters, face effects, and design overlays are all part of the typical harmless fun of social media. We spent years digitally aging ourselves or changing our appearance based on trends. Now, that same technology is being used for a sinister new purpose – undressing applications. The tool is used to digitally remove clothing in images, leading to the appearance of nudity or intimate apparel. Sixteen undressing websites received 200 million visitors in the first half of 2024 alone. Undressing applications are a new digital threat that nonprofits, private firms, and government officials are collaborating to address.
Undressing Applications are Deepfake Generators
Advances in artificial intelligence and deepfake generators have led to the technology being used in the worst way possible. Deepfake generators can fabricate nudity or sexually explicit content. It’s a concerning new tool in relation to the growing crime of non-consensual intimate image (NCII) abuse.
In 2024, a fifteen-year-old girl fell victim to NCII abuse the morning after Homecoming. A classmate ran one of Elliston’s Instagram pictures through an undressing application and then sent it around the school for nine months. Eventually, the teenage girl saw the image and told her mother about the incident. Elliston shared her story to spread awareness, and her courage helped pave the way for the passage of the TAKE IT DOWN Act.
The Newest Tool for Sextortionists
The implications of undressing applications are dangerous to everyone online, especially women. Most undressing AI platforms are only trained to work on images of females, which puts young women at an increased risk of abuse.
Offenders will often target people they know via social media or dating platforms. They discover online images of their target and run them through undressing applications. Once they render a convincing image, they can go down several routes.
Perpetrators may use the images for online blackmail in which they threaten to expose the images publicly if the victim doesn’t pay them a certain amount of money. This is known as sextortion. They may also demand sexual favors or content, a form of online blackmail known as sexploitation.
In many cases, the culprit will spread the images publicly without the victim’s consent. In legal terms, this is known as non-consensual intimate image abuse or revenge porn. Whether it is sextortion, sexploitation, or revenge porn, image-based sexual abuse can cause severe reputational damage and emotional distress.
The Illusion of Reality and its Impact
Sexual deepfakes being used for online blackmail tend to be given less weight. However, the sophisticated nature of these apps makes it difficult to distinguish between what’s real and fake. In many instances, victims experienced similar repercussions and emotional distress as if the images were real.
The Legal and Ethical Minefield of Undressing Applications
Legal frameworks have lagged behind the development of the internet, and now, artificial intelligence. States have only recently begun tackling NCII abuse, but many of them still have no laws against sexual deepfakes.
Only 36 states have enacted laws against sexual deepfakes. However, there are differences in the language that can completely change the path of justice against perpetrators. Texas, for example, criminalizes creating and distributing sexual deepfakes of others without consent while other states only criminalize the distribution.
NCII abuse may be prosecuted under other statutes related to harassment, extortion, or child sexual abuse material (CSAM) if minors are involved. The fragmented patchwork of state laws creates an uncertain legal pathway for victims, and a federal law can help bridge those legal gaps.
Fortunately, the TAKE IT DOWN Act passed the House of Representatives and was signed into law this past May. The bill federally criminalizes the distribution of NCII, including sexual deepfakes. It also forces online platforms to remove NCII abuse within forty-eight hours of being reported.
While laws are catching up to the online landscape, any legal action requires an identifiable perpetrator, and many cases of NCII abuse are committed anonymously. It can be difficult to track down perpetrators that distributed content digitally, and victims need the help of law enforcement or private security firms to identify the criminal responsible.
The Role of Platform Regulation
Outside of legal avenues, online platforms can regulate the availability of undressing applications and any revenge porn being distributed. Google and Apple have both cracked down on apps using generative AI for inappropriate purposes in their app stores. However, many undress applications can also be accessed on their websites.
Social media networks are another platform with an important role. The platforms can prevent the distribution of revenge porn and create more effective reporting systems for identification. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat have taken steps to combat non-consensual intimate image sharing, but significant progress is still needed.
The Critical Role of Digital Forensics in Cases Involving Undressing Apps
Forensic analysts are a valuable resource for victims of NCII abuse and sexual deepfakes. These experts can use AI image forensics to identify inconsistencies in lighting, skin tone, texture, or anatomical features that confirm an image’s synthetic origin. Digital investigators can also analyze IP addresses and use metadata analysis to trace the origin of the non-consensual distribution, pinpointing the identity of the perpetrator.
Steps To Protect Your Innocent Images from These Apps
Protecting yourself from non-consensual distribution of sexual deepfakes is difficult. Cybercriminals can take an innocent image and turn it into something malicious. However, there are ways you can lower the likelihood of becoming a victim. Here are a few tips on how to protect yourself from undressing apps.
- Lock down social media accounts. Make sure your profile and posts are set to private. While making your social accounts private doesn’t protect you from people you already know, it can prevent strangers from accessing your content.
- Be cautious of what you post. AI deepfakes work best with high-quality images, simple poses, and form-fitting clothing. You can make the deepfake process challenging for cybercriminals by posting images that contradict this criterion.
- Audit your friends list. Even someone familiar to you can commit NCII abuse. It’s best to remove any friend or follower that you don’t know well to minimize any risk.
Get Help Today.
At Digital Forensic Corp., we specialize in protecting victims of sextortion. Not only do we take over the communications with the perpetrator, but our team of experts can also follow their digital trail to unmask their identity. Contact the Sextortion Helpline today if you want a team of professionals fighting alongside you.
