“Sunshine State Middle Schoolers In Hot Water for Alleged High-Tech Prank Involving Classmates”
“Florida Middle Schoolers Arrested for Allegedly Creating Deepfake Nudes of Classmates”
“Two Florida teenagers were arrested this week for allegedly hacking into a classmate’s account to share fabricated explicit images. The act was accomplished using so-called “deepfake” technology, an artificial intelligence tool that superimposes facial images onto other bodies,” writes WIRED. This isn’t exactly the ‘future of tech’ we were hoping for, is it?
The narrative seems like something plucked from a dystopian science fiction novel rather than a headline in our early 21st century. Unfortunately, as it turns out, the ‘dark tech underbelly’ isn’t some term coined by overzealous fans of noir cyberpunk genre. It’s real, and it’s creating waves, and not the good kind.
As the story unfolds, two otherwise ‘default setting’ Florida youngsters decided their time in high-school would be best spent creating digitally morphed explicit images of their classmates. Using the power of “deepfake” technology, a term that’s disturbingly becoming part of our vernacular, these juveniles hacked into a classmate’s personal belongings in a quest for… humiliation? Scandalization? A meme-worthy moment? Who knows what fuels these deranged tech endeavors?
The age-old concept of bullying has found its new best friend, technology. And what a sordid friendship it’s turning out to be! It isn’t enough anymore to snatch lunch money or toss in a swirlie; now even personal integrity is under attack with digital imagery’s worst soldier, Deepfakes.
While the story is appalling, it should come as no surprise that this happened. For years now, experts have been sounding the alarms about the potential misuse of deepfake technology. However, it seems as if their cries have been falling on tone-deaf ears. The rate at which this technology is evolving starkly contrasts with the snail’s pace of legal evolution attempting to regulate it.
What makes the situation even worse is not just the blatant abuse of technology, but also the infringement of human dignity. Misuse of deepfakes raises critical concerns of privacy invasion, not to mention the mental and emotional trauma inflicted on the victims.
Yes, technology is a power-tool that’s made life infinitely easier. But stories like this question whether all advancements give humanity unfettered benefits, or, like an all-you-can-eat movie candy bar, does it have a limit before it becomes sickening? It’s high time for a deeper exploration regarding how tech can be fool-proofed against nefarious exploits so that the domain of personal space and dignity remains inviolate.
In essence, tech developments aren’t all rainbows and unicorns. Sometimes, they come in the ominous shape of deepfakes that make personal privacy a thing of past. And that, dear reader, is the chilling reality of our ‘technologically advanced’ future.