“The Internet is not a legal vacuum, but the Internet is also not a civil rights vacuum.” With this quote, Jasmin leads the way Gnu
Insert her video about deepfakes. Along with four other opinion bloggers, the Hacktivistin Nella and support of the lawyer Christian Solmecke she talks about how her pictures and those of other streamers on Reddit are being used for sexual purposes – and that she will no longer tolerate it. She primarily takes on the Reddit platform.
What is Reddit?
The community-driven network is best known and loved in gaming circles and works in a similar way to a forum. Users can create sub-forums (so-called subreddits) on all kinds of topics. About games, hobbies or people like streamers. The commun ity decides which postings and comments are displayed at the top using the upvote and downvote system.
You can watch the entire video here. We have written a summary of the content for you below:
link to YouTube content
What is the video about?
The core of the nearly 27-minute video revolves around the misuse of stream clips, social media images and other content by influencers for pornographic purposes.
This starts with simple comments on pictures of those affected, in which users write whether they would like to have sexual intercourse with the streamer pictured, goes through false claims such as sodomy allegations and ends with masturbating to photos together or organizing role-playing games on behalf of those affected become.
But that’s not all: In times of artificial intelligence and ever better image manipulation, deepfakes are now also being created, in which content creators are edited into pornographic videos, for example. These deepfakes are then exchanged in relevant subreddits or even sold to others. Some of those affected are still minors at the time the images are created and distributed.
Was sind Deepfakes? These are videos, images or audio files that have been modified and falsified using artificial intelligence. The technology is now so sophisticated that counterfeits are difficult to spot at first glance. How to recognize deepfakes the ZDF has worked up in a contribution.
Legal measures against deepfakes and co.
Anyone who creates deepfakes of strangers, distributes them or even sells them is liable to prosecution. These acts are now called digital violence
classified. Women are often the victims. Which criminal offense actually applies depends on the individual case.
Among other things, the following are possible: defamation (§ 187 StGB), violation of the most personal sphere of life (§ 201a StGB), criminal provision of the Federal Data Protection Act (§ 42 BDSG) or a violation of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Those affected can also try to sue for damages and compensation for pain and suffering. Offenders face high fines or, in particularly serious cases, imprisonment.
Nobody is anonymous on the internet
On the basis of this legal basis and the subreddits found, in which users are likely to be liable to prosecution by creating, distributing and selling deepfakes and co., the YouTubers dealt with the specific perpetrators in the last part of the video.
Because these can often still be identified despite the lack of a profile picture or real name. So-called OSINT research (Open Source Intelligence) helps here. Freely available sources are analyzed and conclusions are drawn about the persons concerned. In the examples mentioned in the video, for example, age, occupation and career were revealed.
In the meantime, many of the subreddits have been deleted and the people who were uncovered will probably also delete everything as soon as possible. Therefore, in the video, Gnu recommends always backing up the evidence in such cases and then going to the police or a lawyer immediately.
The video was originally intended to include people who could have said more about the background to the current situation. Interview requests were first accepted and later rejected, which is why those affected feel abandoned:
Originally I was promised an interview for my part of the story here. However, the matter became too hot for certain people in charge, who could actually have made a difference.
Just Nero
What each of us can do
Unfortunately, the things shown in the video are not isolated cases, as MeinMMO recently reported. Women in particular are often victims of digital, sexual violence. It is therefore all the more important that perpetrators are held accountable and cases are reported.
Here are some advice and reporting centers on the subject of hate speech and violence on the Internet:
hate reporting (Central Reporting Office for Hate Speech)
Hate Aid (Advice center for digital violence)
GAME:IN (collective against sexism)
This is where you come in: If you notice on any platform that users post criminally relevant content, create or distribute deepfakes or actively participate in sexual violence, report this content to the platform operator, the persons concerned and/or the local police station or a Online registration office.
We can only make a difference if we act together against hatred and violence on the Internet.
Table of Contents