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Newsroom
22-07-2025
- Business
- Newsroom
World will be watching bold deepfake experiment
Comment: Denmark's announcement to create a pioneering copyright law for personal likeness is being watched worldwide, but will it work, or is Denmark repeating the mistakes of past content regulation? Deepfakes are realistic fake videos, images, or voices made by AI, some of which are used for fun, some of which are used for serious crimes. Deepfake technology has caused two major problems: it's making financial scams easier to pull off, and the use of people's faces and voices without their permission can ruin reputations and invade privacy. Denmark's proposed new law and the US's proposed NO FAKES Act are generating a lot of attention for trying to give people more control over the use of their image and voice. But while these proposed laws may help with protecting identity and reputation, they don't actually make financial fraud any less illegal than it already is. The global deepfake dilemma Deepfake-enabled financial fraud, such as impersonating a company executive to authorise a wire transfer, is prosecuted under existing criminal fraud and cybercrime statutes in nearly every country. The dramatic rise in such scams, like one where a Hong Kong company was scammed out of $25 million through the use of deepfakes on a video call, has prompted banks and fintechs to invest in detection and prevention. In 2023, deepfake fraud incidents in the fintech sector alone rose by a staggering 700 percent. The average loss per fintech company reached $637,000 in 2024, with nearly a quarter of firms losing over $1 million. Overall, 92 percent of financial sector organisations reported being targeted by deepfake fraud in 2024, and 10 percent lost over $1 million. The dangers of some deepfakes extends beyond finance. Studies show that 90-95 percent of deepfakes online are pornographic, with 99 percent of victims being women. The psychological and reputational damage can be devastating, as seen with Northern Irish politician Cara Hunter, who was targeted with a deepfake pornographic video during an election campaign. Denmark's copyright approach Denmark's 2025 proposal is the first in Europe designed to grant individuals copyright-like rights over their own face, body, and voice. Its proposed law mainly addresses privacy, reputational, and commercial harms, not financial fraud. It does not create new criminal penalties for scammers, but it allows victims to demand deepfakes of themselves be removed from platforms quickly through notice and take-down procedures. Platforms will face fines for non-compliance, and the law is 'harm-agnostic', covering all realistic deepfakes, not just those causing specific types of harm, such as pornography. The law explicitly protects parody and satire, helping to safeguard free expression and legitimate creative uses. However, the law's reach is limited to Denmark, making cross-border enforcement difficult in a global digital environment. Notice-and-takedown systems can be abused through malicious or fraudulent claims, risking the removal of legitimate content and harming businesses or creators. Malicious and fraudulent claims are common with other notice-and-takedown systems. Denmark's proposed law is a bold experiment, but it is not a panacea. Its success will depend on robust safeguards against abuse, international cooperation, and a careful balance between protection and free expression. For example, a human should carefully review each notice received to ensure the system is not being abused. How does Denmark's approach compare globally? Australia (2024): Criminalises non-consensual deepfake sexual content, with penalties up to 10 years' imprisonment. Victims can seek removal and civil remedies. New Zealand (2025): A private members' bill that has not yet been drawn would criminalise non-consensual deepfake exploitation, especially in intimate contexts, expanding the definition of 'intimate visual recording' to include digitally altered images. United States (2025): The TAKE IT DOWN Act, signed by Trump in May 2025, is the first comprehensive federal law targeting deepfakes in nonconsensual intimate imagery. The proposed NO FAKES Act would create a federal right to control digital likeness and voice. Forty-five states have explicit laws on deepfake sexual content, all 50 states have laws on nonconsensual intimate imagery and at least 25 regulate political deepfakes. Denmark's proposal to use copyright law is surprising, as copyright protects creative works, not the likeness of people. And, the normal rules of copyright should not apply in the sense of being able to sell the copyright – you wouldn't want someone else owning rights over your image and voice. In contrast, the proposed NO FAKES Act in the US allows licences for a maximum of 10 years only for adults, so people do not lose control of their image and voice forever. As deepfake attacks escalate, the need for effective regulation is urgent. No single law, however, can solve the deepfake dilemma. Combating financial fraud needs personal and industry vigilance including technological detection and robust criminal enforcement.
Belfast Telegraph
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Belfast Telegraph
MLA victim of AI-generated fake porn video welcomes plan to outlaw such acts
SDLP's Hunter says criminalisation must lead to serious consequences for perpetrators of such images An MLA who was a victim of online sexual abuse has said a public consultation on criminalising deepfake images 'must lead to serious consequences for anyone involved in their creation and sharing'. The SDLP's Cara Hunter (29) was subject to serious abuse after an AI-generated pornographic video depicting her was shared thousands of times on WhatsApp ahead of the 2022 Stormont election.
The Irish Sun
16-07-2025
- Business
- The Irish Sun
‘Pure greed' – Restaurant forced to make an embarrassing U-turn on its huge price rises for visitors to The Open
FURIOUS golf fans forced a restaurant to make an embarrassing U-turn on its huge price rises for visitors to The Open. The Ramore Win ebar in Portrush had whacked up the price of a chicken and bacon burger from £7.95 to £17.95 — and blamed increased costs associated with the tournament. Advertisement 5 The Ramore Winebar's hiked up prices 5 Ramore Winebar in Portrush Credit: Alamy 5 The price of a chicken sandwich was more than doubled Credit: Getty And a bowl of chilli chicken pasta that cost £14.95 earlier this month was hiked up to a staggering £27.95. The bar is owned by Ramore Restaurant Group which also has two more restaurants in the seaside town. Fans ripped into the prices rise on social media. One fan on X wrote: 'What were they thinking……..?' And another simply exclaimed: 'Appalling.' While a third fan wrote: 'Pure greed.' Advertisement read more on the open The owners claimed increased costs associated with the golf tournament have triggered the price hikes. And they have backtrack on the huge increases. The burger now costs £12.95 at lunch and £13.95 at dinner, while the pasta will set you back £17.95 at lunch and £24.95 at dinner. Advertisement Most read in Golf BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK The Ramore Group said in a statement: "As a family-run business proud to be part of the Portrush community, our goal throughout this week is to deliver the best possible experience and ensure safety for those visiting. "In anticipation of the large influx of guests, we've employed over 30+ agency staff to support our kitchens and front-of-house teams, 30+ security personnel operating around the clock to ensure everyone's safety and more than 20 entertainers performing across our six venues seven days a week. "We have simply been investing more as a business for our customers to ensure enjoyment and safety. Which of course creates additional business bills . Advertisement Emotional Scottie Scheffler reveals reason he could QUIT golf in worrying interview at The Open 5 Royal Portrush is hosting The Open this week Credit: Getty - Contributor 5 Around 275,000 fans are expected to visit The Open Credit: Getty 'We would also like to remind people that there is a family behind this business. 'A family who are involved every day, trying their very best, and reading every single comment. Advertisement 'Everyone can make mistakes, however nobody deserves slander and hatred.' Cara Hunter, the Northern Ireland assembly member, told the BBC: "I think that even if some messaging had been put out to say that prices were increasing, it might have been a little less shocking. I also understand Ramore's perspective on this." Around 275,000 fans are expected to visit the iconic Dunluce links venue across the eight days of both practice and tournament rounds. 156 golf ers are competing at Royal Portrush aiming to walk away with the prestigious on Sunday evening. Advertisement is the defending champion after his stunning performance at Royal Troon last year. Who are golf's most famous Wags? The world's top golfers enjoy an incredible lifestyle - and their Wags lead thrilling lives of their own. Here are some of the most high-profile beauties... This The A Master golfer raced home from his most recent triumph to be by his wife's side as she gave birth to their first child. An athlete who A Playing off a handicap of three, this This A
BBC News
13-07-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Revenge porn: Victim support in NI 'not good enough'
Support for victims of so-called revenge porn in Northern Ireland "isn't good enough", a Stormont assembly member has said. The Social Democratic and Labour Part's Cara Hunter said the absence of help to target and remove intimate content shared without consent showed a "lack of urgency".Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK and Ireland with no publicly funded service to get intimate images taken down or Department of Justice (DoJ) said: "As intimate image abuse becomes a growing issue, the minister is keen to enhance services." Intimate image abuse, commonly referred to as revenge porn, is the sharing of sexual images of someone without their consent, both online and who herself was the victim of a 'deep fake' in which a pornographic video was digitally altered to appear like her, has urged the DoJ to fund a service that proactively finds and removes non-consensual images for services are government funded to operate in England, Scotland and Wales, and in the Republic of Ireland. 'I don't know if those images still exist' A victim whose intimate images were shared without consent told BBC News NI: "All I wanted was to know they'd been deleted."Olivia (not her real name) reported the incident to police after learning that photos she had sent to a man years earlier had been shown to others in her the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) decided not to prosecute, Olivia said she felt "completely dismissed" and there was no way to ensure those images had been deleted. "Although justice would have been great, it wouldn't help me because I don't know if those images still exist," she said. She claimed one officer told her if she had not shared the images, then she would not be in that position. "There was no empathy towards me, and it was as if the two men were the victims," she PPS said it had concluded "that the available evidence in this case was insufficient", and the Police Ombudsman said it was "unable to either prove or refute" Olivia's allegation that officers "had treated her insensitively". "This is such a cruel crime," said Hunter. "It's a way of making people feel exposed, humiliated, ashamed, embarrassed."It's horrifying. I've sat in my constituency office with victims who are absolutely devastated."The Revenge Porn Helpline is funded by the Home Office in England and Wales, and by the Scottish government in manager, Sophie Mortimer said: "Women often come to us and say 'I'm so sorry I'm having to come to you for help, I've been so stupid', and I say, 'no. You haven't done anything wrong, this is someone who has abused your trust'." How is revenge porn removed? The helpline's researchers use "reverse image searches and facial recognition" to identify content on behalf of victims, Ms Mortimer then approach platforms to ask them to remove the images. helps victims in the Republic of Ireland, however no equivalent service receives funding in Northern Ireland. Without support victims must manually search the internet using reverse image tools and scanning social media, forums, and websites themselves. That involves filing separate reports for each image, on each platform often without assurance of swift removal or meaningful the helpline said it wouldn't turn victims in Northern Ireland away, it stressed that resources would have to be prioritised towards cases in England, Scotland and Wales where it is actually funded to a statement, the DoJ said: "Residents of Northern Ireland can avail of the support services of the Revenge Porn Helpline or visit their website."The department is fully engaged with the Revenge Porn Helpline to explore options available to formally extend and promote its service to Northern Ireland."Hunter said the lack of funding for a content removal services was "part of the problem"."A lot of revenge porn is undeniably linked with misogyny and I think it's really important that we speak more about tech-facilitated abuse". Intimate image abuse was criminalised in England and Wales in 2015, by the Northern Ireland assembly in 2016, and by the Scottish government in 2017. Figures obtained by the BBC under Freedom of Information laws reveal that there were 14 convictions in Northern Ireland in 2024, and 12 in 2023. The latest PSNI figures show there were 91 cases investigated in 2024, and 86 in 2023, but charities argue the issue is much more of help and support with any form of sexual abuse are available in the UK at BBC Action Line.
The Independent
30-06-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
MLAs raise concerns over violence against women after Sarah Montgomery murder
The epidemic of violence against women and girls in Northern Ireland is worsening, the Assembly has been told. A number of MLAs raised concerns over gender-based violence as police continue to question a 28-year-old man over the murder of pregnant mother-of-two Sarah Montgomery. The 27-year-old died at a house in Donaghadee in Co Down at the weekend. The Assembly was told she was the 27th adult woman to be killed in Northern Ireland since 2020. SDLP MLA Cara Hunter said the death of Ms Montgomery was an 'unspeakable act of violence which has robbed her children of their mother and shattered a family forever'. She added: 'There is no grief more profound than that of a child torn from the love, safety and care of their mother. 'Their lives undoubtedly changed forever.' Ms Hunter said: 'This is not an isolated incident. It is part of a worsening epidemic of violence against women and girls in Northern Ireland. 'We are failing women, we are failing children and we are failing to meet this crisis with sufficient urgency, co-ordination and political will that it so greatly requires. 'Too many women in our communities live in fear, fear in their homes, fear on the streets and fear in their relationships. 'This fear is not imagined. It is real and it is justified.' DUP North Down MLA Stephen Dunne described the death of Ms Montgomery as 'devastating'. He added:'Sarah is the 27th adult woman to be killed in Northern Ireland since 2020. 'The majority of these woman have been killed in their own homes, which is a truly shocking and devastating figure. 'A home should be a place of refuge and safety, but sadly that is not always the case. 'Again, it highlights the need for tougher sentencing as well, when we see so many lives ended and totally devastated and shattered with this ongoing scourge of our society of violence against women and girls.' He added: 'Donaghadee is a very close-knit and caring community and I know the community there is already rallying around the family of Sarah Montgomery. 'There is a real sense of shock and sadness and alarm around the devastating events at the weekend.' Alliance Party MLA Connie Egan described the death of Ms Montgomery as an 'absolutely tragic loss'. She said: 'My thoughts first and foremost are with Sarah's loved ones, her family and, of course, her two little children who have to grow up without their mummy. 'Sarah was also pregnant at the time she was killed. 'This is an absolutely horrendous and tragic loss and I know the people in Donaghadee are shocked. 'Tributes left outside her home describe Sarah as a beautiful, kind and wonderful mother.' She added: 'Sarah was the 27th woman to have been killed in Northern Ireland since 2020. 'Our rates of violence against women and girls in Northern Ireland are shockingly high and it is completely unacceptable.' A 28-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder and remains in police custody. Detective Chief Inspector Tom Phillips said that police received a report at about 2.15pm on Saturday of an unconscious woman with a serious injury inside a house in the Elmfield Walk area of Donaghadee. 'Officers attended, alongside colleagues from the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service, who provided medical treatment at the scene,' he added. Ms Montgomery was pronounced dead at the scene.
