Stormont MLA targeted by deepfake video urges legal clampdown
Cara Hunter said she was targeted just weeks before the 2022 Assembly election.
A Northern Ireland MLA who feared a deepfake video would ruin her political career has urged action to clamp down on online abuse.
Cara Hunter was targeted in April 2022 when a fake video was created to look as if she was taking part in pornographic activity with a man and shared around in thousands of messages.
The SDLP East Londonderry MLA has urged Stormont Justice Minister Naomi Long for a comprehensive review of law around online violence against women and girls.
She also called for Ms Long to press the UK government for a timeline in the promised roll out of legislation to ban the creation of sexually explicit fake content.
It came during a series of four motions put forward at Stormont by members of the SDLP Official Opposition focused on ending discrimination and violence against women.
Ms Hunter, 29, recently spoke out about being targeted by a deepfake just weeks before an Assembly election, and despite knowing it was impossible, she said she was receiving messages from scores of strangers who had seen the video, and felt her political career was crumbling in front of her eyes.
She said at that time she approached police but was told they did not have the cyber crime technology to find out where the video came from, and said she felt like she was “on her own”.
She said the video was shared thousands and thousands of times across WhatsApp along with real pictures of her, which prompted scores of abusive messages, adding it felt like overnight she was wearing a scarlet letter with some starting to avoid her.
Ms Hunter said deepfake abuse disproportionately targets women with studies indicating that over 90% of non-consensual deepfake imagery involves female victims.
“Deepfakes are manipulated digital content that appear as real. They are being used to humiliate, exploit and intimidate, particularly targeting women,” she told MLAs.
“The harm caused by deepfakes goes far behind individual cases, it is a threat to the very sanctity of our democracy. Doctored videos of politicians and public figures spread misinformation, they remove trust in institutions, people within these institutions and of course influencing elections.
“Democracy relies on truth and deepfakes distort truth. The longer we delay the more vulnerable we become to this insidious threat.”
Alliance MLA Connie Egan commended Ms Hunter for her bravery in speaking out on something so personal to her.
She proposed an amendment to the motion, which recognised online communication is a reserved matter, and called for the First and deputy First Minister to work with the UK government over online abuse.
Ms Long was not in the chamber on Monday due to illness, and Executive Office junior minister Pam Cameron responded in her absence.
She said thousands of women, including some in that House, had been impacted by deepfakes, and said it causes “immense harm, stress and can destroy lives”.
“Last week the UK government announced that it planned to bring forward proposals to make it an offence to create sexually explicit deepfake images, the justice minister has already been approached by the minister responsible on a possible extension of the offence to Northern Ireland.
“Subject to the agreement of the Executive, the justice committee and members, the minister intends to take this opportunity to ensure there is similar provision here by extending the offence to Northern Ireland.
“DoJ officials are currently liaising with UK government officials on the detail of the legislative proposals.”
Ms Hunter’s motion was passed by MLAs, and the proposed amendment voted down.
