Iowa Attorney General Warns About Deepfake Bullying As Kids Go Back To School

Unfortunately, going back to school means warnings about bullying.

Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird is warning parents and students about a creepy bullying outlet as the school year starts up.

It's deepfake artificial intelligence (AI) pictures being used to bully and harass kids at school. The pictures or videos look realistic, but of course aren't, and have led to some deepfake nude pictures circulating.

Attorney General Bird said in the release:

Deepfakes used for bullying are not a harmless prank. It’s a criminal act with real consequences. The start of the school year is a critical time for parents to discuss overall online safety with their children, but it’s also important to know what to do if your child is the victim of a deepfake. We are committed to protecting Iowa’s kids and holding offenders accountable.”

In Iowa, deepfakes are actually a crime. Creating and sharing deepfakes of a nude person is a crime. If it's done by an adult, it could lead to the sex offender registry.

Deepfakes are now a federal crime too. Earlier this year, President Trump signed into law the "Take It Down" act, which makes it a federal crime to share (or to threaten to share) non-consensual intimate pictures. That includes AI-generated pictures.

Starting in May, that law will require social media platforms to remove such pictures within 48 hours of being notified by the victim.

For victims under 18, a resource for "Take It Down" is on the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children's website. For adults, a resource is at stopncii.org.