Deepfakes

Signs it might be this

• You can show where you were at the time, and the media claims otherwise.
• The content has no original source and first appeared on a new or anonymous account.
• It arrived with a demand, a deadline, or a threat to send it to people you know.
• A sexual image uses your face, but the body, room or marks on it do not match your own.
• People who know you well say it does not look or sound like you, but cannot say why.

Signs it is probably something else

• You remember being filmed or photographed and can recall the occasion.
• The original file can be traced to a device that you or a friend used.
• The person who shared it names a real source and takes it down when asked.
• The media is clearly labeled as software-made and nobody presents it as real.
• Your only reason for doubt is that the content is upsetting to see.
• It is labeled as altered and nobody is presenting it as a record.
• The person shown agreed to it and knows where it will appear.
• It has stayed within a small group, and its maker removed it when asked.

Questions to ask yourself

• Can I show, from my own records, where I was and what I was doing at the time the media claims?
• Is there an original upload, or only copies of copies?
• Who first posted it, and what did that account post before?
• Is anyone using it to demand something from me?
• Am I judging it by how real it looks, which is no longer a safe test?

What it is

A deepfake is media made or changed with software so that it shows a real person in a situation that never happened. It might be a face placed on another body, a mouth made to speak new words, or a staged scene that looks recorded.

It is used to humiliate, extort, defraud or damage a reputation. A polished look proves nothing either way.

What matters is whether the person shown, and independent records, say it happened.

Why it matters

You are left disproving something that never happened, to people who have already seen it. A denial can sound like what anyone caught would say.

Shame and speed of sharing do much of the damage.

How it shows up

• A fabricated image, clip or recording of a real person, made so it passes as a genuine record.
• Often sexual when aimed at private individuals. That makes it a form of intimate-image abuse, even though no such photo was ever taken.
• Also used in fraud, such as a fake video of a trusted figure, and in smear campaigns against public figures.
• Harmful through belief and spread, not quality: a rough fake can still travel far among people ready to believe it.
• Set apart from ordinary editing by presenting invented events as unaltered reality.

What you can do

Read the safety note at the top first. If speaking up could make things worse, skip the wording below and talk to someone you trust or a local support service.

Words you could use

“This is fabricated media of me. I have saved the links, the dates and every message about it. I am asking you to remove it and to tell me what happens next.” Send this to a platform, school or employer, never to the person who made or shared it.

Ask about it gently

If someone you trust has seen it, tell them plainly that it is fabricated and that you can show where you were. Then ask them not to forward it.

Set a clear limit

Do not bargain with anyone demanding something in exchange for keeping it private. Keep the demand as it was sent and hand it to the people handling your report.

Step back

Stop replying to the sender. Before blocking anyone, save the messages, links and dates so there is a record.

Get support

StopNCII.org and Take It Down are hash-matching services. They match a digital fingerprint of an image, which helps block known intimate images on participating platforms. They need the image on your device, so ask whether they accept AI-generated images. Contact a victim advocate or legal aid about options where you live.

At work, school or with services

If it reaches work or school, give HR or an administrator a short factual note with links and dates. Ask for a named contact. You do not have to describe the content in detail.

Using this label fairly

• Calling a real but unflattering recording a deepfake is a way of discrediting real evidence, including a real victim’s.
• Declaring a clip fake from how it looks alone can wrongly accuse an innocent poster. It also leaves the real question untested.

How it differs from look-alikes

AI Voice Cloning fakes sound only, and often arrives as a live call or voice note asking for money. A deepfake fabricates sight, with or without sound.

Doxxing publishes things that are true and private, such as an address, while a deepfake invents something false. Sock Puppets invent people who do not exist, not an invented version of a real one.