Sexually Explicit Deepfake Sites Target 100-Plus Politicians in Europe
A study of 160 deepfake-hosting domains found that 138 female members of parliament across 22 EU countries have been targeted by nonconsensual sexual content. The research highlights a significant gender disparity, with women politicians being 33 times more likely to be targeted than their male counterparts.
Why it matters
This reveals the growing scale of digital abuse and intimidation tactics used to silence women in political leadership roles.
Analysis of around 160 domains that host deepfake abuse and other nonconsensual sexual content, by researcher Benjamin Shultz, has found that at least 138 women members of parliament (MPs) from 22 European Union countries have appeared or been mentioned on the sites. In contrast, only nine male MPs were referenced in any way. By Shultz’s calculations, it is 33 times more likely for women MPs to be targeted by deepfake ecosystems.
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