Technological advances have made so many things possible today; things that we couldn’t even envisage some years back. While on the one hand, technology simplifies and enhances life; on the other, it can be and is misused in disturbing and scary ways. The DeepNude app is one example of technology being used or rather misused for some truly horrifying purposes.
The terms ‘deep learning’ and ‘fake’ come together as ‘Deepfake’. This technology uses human image synthesis and AI (artificial intelligence) to superimpose images and videos with other images and videos to create fakes. Deepfakes are used to create fake news, malicious hoaxes, fake celebrity porn, revenge porn and for other sinister purposes. It is possible to make Barack Obama ‘say’ things that he never did (as in this video), replace the face of Angela Merkel’s face with Donald Trump’s, portray celebs in porn videos and so on.
In Jan 2018 we had FakeApp; a programme that used artificial neural networks and graphics processors. This made it easy for practically to create photos and videos with the original faces swapped with others. Then there was a fake dancing app that could transform anyone into a Michael Jackson or a Prabhu Deva. DeepFaceLab, FaceSwap and myFakeApp are some of the apps that offer to help people create these fake images and videos. Obviously, the chance of malicious misuse is high here; people were never going to restrict themselves to legitimate uses.
Using more or less the same technology, the DeepNude app was announced. For 50 dollars, the app offers people the ability to undress women to produce realistic nude images. Using artificial neural networks, the app ‘removes’ the clothing of women and exchanges it for realistic looking breasts and vulva. And just to be clear, this works only on female images; images of scantily clad women – such as in swimsuits or lingerie – apparently give the ‘best’ results.
And this is supposed to be only for ‘entertainment’. In other words, there is no use for the application for anyone other than pervs and voyeurs who think it is OK to literally undress and violate women without their consent, volition or knowledge. The anonymous creator of DeepNude, who goes by the name of Alberto, reportedly is (or was) hoping to create a male version of this app as well.
The app creator was inundated with interest in this app and there were a lot of crash alerts as a result of this. At first, the app creators promised to be back with a stable, working app. However, later, on the same day, this tweet said that the chances of misuse were too high and that they did not want to ‘make money this way’. This seems odd in light of the fact is that the intended use of the DeepNude app was predatory, invasive and abusive. The app creators always knew that it could only be used for manipulation and abuse of the female form, so this belated attack of conscience seems very odd indeed.
In any case, this is just one app-maker having what appears to be a belated attack of conscience. However, the technology is very much out there. In fact, the already purchased/downloaded versions of the app are being used right now. It is horrifying that this could happen to anyone. And, like a hydra-headed monster, there are going to be others who will offer more such apps; more advanced and refined apps. It is, as Scarlett Johansen said, a "vast wormhole of darkness that eats itself," following many instances of people creating her fake porn videos and images. Sexual objectification and fake manipulation continue with or without DeepNude. Think about it: this tech places a dangerous power in the hand of impressionable little boys. It endangers little girls. It endangers you and me. Right now. And there is little or nothing we can do about it.
The internet is a toxic place and it is particularly toxic for women. Will the discontinuation of DeepNude make it any less toxic? Will it make any difference to the misogyny that is inside the minds of people; which makes so many think it is OK to undress women without their knowledge or consent? Will it even help for us to erase our online presence? The answer is a rather hopeless ‘no’.
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