The rise of deepfake pornography has surged in recent years, particularly with the skyrocketing social media usage. A survey conducted by Twicsy, a provider of various social media services, reveals that an alarming 84% of social media influencers have fallen victim to deepfake pornography. Surprisingly, approximately 89% of these victims are female, magnifying concerns surrounding consent, digital safety, and online harassment in the digital world.
The magnitude of the problem is further emphasized by the substantial viewership of influencer-based deepfake pornography, which has garnered approximately 400 million views. This widespread consumption reflects not only a disturbing level of interest in exploitative content but also highlights the pervasive nature of the issue within online communities.
It is important to note that the risk of becoming a victim of deepfake pornography increases with an influencer’s follower count. For instance, individuals with over 100 million followers exhibit the highest susceptibility rate of 79%. This is followed by individuals in the 50-100 million followers range, facing a susceptibility rate of 64%, while those in the 10M – 50M range face a rate of 52%.
Social media influencers with 1M – 10M have a susceptibility rate of 33%, and those with less than 1 million followers stand at just 9%. These data underscore the unsettling reality that the more visible you are on social media platforms, the more vulnerable you become to deepfake pornography.
“The risk rises by 15.7% for every 10,000 followers an influencer gains,” Twicsy report reveals.
Female Influencers Are Most Targeted for Deepfake Porn
The prevalence of deepfake pornography on social media platforms poses a significant threat to female influencers, who are found to be 99 times more susceptible to such exploitation compared to their male counterparts. This disturbing trend reflects a broader societal issue where women’s images are frequently manipulated and exploited without their consent for pornographic purposes, exposing them to significant risks.
The susceptibility of female influencers to deepfake pornography varies across different industries. Out of the 46 industries investigated, female influencers are found to be more vulnerable in 44 of them compared to male influencers.
Notably, sectors such as Fashion, Entertainment, Fitness and Health, and Beauty witness an alarming rate of over 80% of their female influencers falling victim to deepfake porn. In contrast, male influencers in these sectors are targeted at a significantly lower rate, less than 20%.
Overall, the Beauty industry emerges as the most heavily impacted sector, with a staggering 90% of beauty influencers, including both male and female, falling victim to deepfake pornography. Following closely behind are the Fitness & Health and Fashion industries, with susceptibility rates of 58% and 44%, respectively.
Instagram: A Hub for Deepfake Porn Vulnerability
The prevalence of deepfake pornography varies significantly across different social media platforms. Instagram emerged as the most vulnerable platform for female influencers, with a striking 94% likelihood of being targeted. This heightened susceptibility can be attributed to Instagram’s visual-centric environment and the amplification algorithms at play. Following closely behind is YouTube, where female influencers face a 56% likelihood of encountering deefake porn content.
In a noteworthy contrast, Elon Musk’s X platform appears to offer a safer haven for female influencers, with a significantly lower pornography susceptibility rate of 12%.
The issue of deepfake pornography is most prevalent in the United States, as American influencers are particularly vulnerable to it, with a 10% risk. This concentration of victims in the US could result from its prominent role in global digital culture and its large number of social media influencers.
In comparison, Indian-origin influencers face a 6% risk of being targeted by deepfake pornography, while Brazil and Indonesia follow closely with rates of 5% and 3%, respectively. These findings emphasize the need for comprehensive strategies to combat deepfake exploitation, considering the varying risks across platforms and regions.
The Twicsy study is based on an analysis of 22,847 influencers and celebrities from the top five most popular platforms: Twitch, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and X. These individuals all had more than 10,000 followers when the data was collected and examined in March 2024. Additionally, the study analyzed content on popular porn websites, collecting and examining statistics from 3,519,060 videos that contained deepfake pornography.
In a Nutshell
Cybercriminals and hackers who create deepfake pornography especially target social media influencers due to several factors tied to their online presence and the nature of the content they share. Social media influencers thrive on engagement, often posting content multiple times per week to stay relevant and connected with their audience. This consistent output typically includes a stream of personal or close-up images and videos, which makes influencers particularly susceptible to exploitation. It takes only one close-up photo to create a deepfake, making influencers an easy target.
The advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) have made it easier to create a 60-second deepfake pornographic video in less than 25 minutes at virtually no cost. This ease of creation opens the floodgates for widespread abuse, allowing anyone with minimal technical skills to generate convincing deepfake content.
Therefore, governmental authorities, law enforcement agencies, and social media companies must collaborate to develop robust strategies for the prevention, detection, and punishment of deepfake pornography to protect social media users’ privacy and dignity.
How many followers do you have on social media, particularly on Instagram? Have you ever encountered deepfake pornography on social media? Let us know in the comment section below!
