This week on All Points North, we delve into a deeply troubling trend: the alarming rise of explicit deepfake images, impacting a wide range of victims—from prominent women to young girls.
In our studio discussion, Yle journalist Johanna Vehkoo joins Ronan Browne to shed light on this concerning issue.
The phenomenon of sexualized deepfakes is becoming increasingly prevalent in Finland. Over the past year, Yle has uncovered several distressing cases, including the distribution of explicit deepfakes involving women serving as volunteers in the defense forces, a quiet colleague who manipulated photos of female coworkers, and even a recent incident where an underage boy shared nude images of numerous young girls.
Deepfakes are digitally altered images or videos, often crafted using artificial intelligence, that can portray individuals in sexually explicit scenarios among other manipulations.
Vehkoo, who has extensively investigated the emergence of such imagery, describes what she calls an “epidemic” taking root in Finland.
“This issue permeates our entire society,” she states. “It presents itself in schools, workplaces, and affects both well-known public figures and everyday citizens alike. It impacts children and even service members in the army.”
The ripple effects on victims are profound and far-reaching.
“They lose their sense of security,” Vehkoo explains. “As they walk down the street, they wonder if someone is taking their picture or if others have seen a manipulated image and mistaken it for a real one. We’re hearing alarming accounts of sleep disturbances, depression, and severe psychological trauma.”
To gain further insight, you can watch the full episode in the video above or on our YouTube channel.
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This episode of All Points North was produced and presented by Ronan Browne, with sound and video engineering by Tuomas Vauhkonen and production assistance from Hannah Anderson.
We invite you to share your thoughts or ask any questions by contacting us via WhatsApp at +358 44 421 0909, or by emailing yle.news@yle.fi and allpointsnorth@yle.fi.
