Artificial Intelligence

UK Study: 25% Find Nonconsensual Deepfakes Acceptable

Is this apathy in the face of a coming tech horrors, or will practical guardrails mitigate the worst fears?

Published NOV 25 2025

UK Study: 25% Find Nonconsensual Deepfakes Acceptable

Story

Above: Facebook is displayed on a laptop screen in London, England on March 29, 2009. Image credit: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

The Facts

According to a new U.K. police-commissioned survey of people in England and Wales, 25% of respondents agreed with or felt neutral about the acceptability of sexual deepfakes, even without consent from the depicted person.
Crest Advisory
National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC)
The study revealed that roughly two-thirds of survey participants had or might have encountered deepfakes, with 21% viewing sexual content and 14% seeing sexual deepfakes of people they knew, while only 14% were aware of current legislation.
Police Professional
CARE
Research indicates that sexual deepfake content increased by 1,780% between 2019 and 2024, with the vast majority of deepfake videos being pornographic and disproportionately targeting women and girls.
guardian
The Telegraph
About 5% of respondents had previously created some sort of deepfake (political, humorous, sexual/intimate), of which 34% created a sexual deepfake of someone they knew, and 14% created one of someone they didn't know. More than 10% suggested they would create one in the future, including one-third of people aged 25-34.
National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC)
Crest Advisory
The research found that 7% of participants had been victims of sexual deepfakes, but only 21% of these victims reported the incidents to police, citing embarrassment and doubts about being taken seriously.
Police Professional
Crest Advisory
Creating non-consensual sexually explicit deepfakes became a criminal offense under the Data Act, carrying penalties of up to two years in prison, as police work with technology companies to develop detection solutions.
CARE
guardian

Sources Split

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The Spin

Techno-skeptic narrative

Sexual deepfakes are a serious threat, inflicting real psychological harm and overwhelmingly targeting women and girls. As the tech becomes easier to use, apathy enables abuse to spread. Treating these violations as trivial normalizes misogyny and erodes consent itself. Society cannot afford to look away.

guardian

CARE

Aperture on Youtube

Techno-optimist narrative

While deepfakes pose real risks, solutions are already emerging — from detection tools to authenticity standards — that can curb abuse without stifling creativity. Regulation should target harm, not hinder harmless AI artistry. With smart guardrails and improving safety tech, governments can fight manipulation while preserving the innovation that makes generative art valuable.

Brennan Center for Justice

World Economic Forum