- By Ajeet Kumar
- Thu, 05 Jun 2025 01:06 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
A politician in New Zealand, Laura McClure, held up a fake nude image of herself in parliament to show how dangerous AI-generated deepfake pornography can be. Speaking firmly in Parliament on May 14, Laura said it was "terrifying" even though she knew the image wasn't real. It took her just five minutes to create the image online after a quick Google search. "Today in Parliament, I showed an AI-generated nude deepfake of myself to show how real — and easy-- these are to create. The problem isn’t the tech itself, but how it's being misused to abuse people. Our laws need to catch up," she said.
Later she posted the video on her Instagram account and said, "I felt like it needed to be done, it needed to be shown how important this is and how easy it is to do, and also how much it can look like yourself." "I believe they are just as harmful, if not more, than the real thing because people can put you into all kinds of depraved videos, for example," the MP noted.
View this post on Instagram
Laura urges government to bring strict laws related to deepfake
During an interview with Sky News, McClure said she wants to change laws to make sharing deepfake nudes illegal, as they can be just as harmful as real ones. She says the problem isn’t the technology but how people misuse it. Blocking websites won’t work since new ones keep popping up.
Deepfakes are a big issue, especially for young people. In New Zealand, a 13-year-old tried to take her life after being deepfaked. In Australia, fake nude images of female students at two schools were shared online. One case involved up to 60 students, and another involved at least 50. Police investigated, but no one was charged in one case, and a boy was only cautioned in the other.
View this post on Instagram
"Here in New Zealand a 13-year-old, a young 13-year-old, just a baby, attempted suicide on school grounds after she was deepfaked, so it’s not just a bit of fun. It’s not a joke. It’s actually really harmful," News.Com.Au quoted Ms McClure as saying.
Don't blame technology: Laura
Quoting Cyber safety expert Susan McLean, News.Com.Au reported, creating these images is easy, just upload a photo, and an app can turn it into something explicit. She says there is no way to fully protect yourself from becoming a victim. Instead of banning the technology, she believes the focus should be on teaching young men to act respectfully and lawfully. Schools, parents, and even sports clubs need to help change attitudes and behaviours. McLean stresses that victims need ongoing support and should never be blamed. The harm from these fake images can last a long time, and society needs to do more to stop this kind of disrespect toward women and girls.