Apps crossing boundaries: Concerns escalate over rising popularity of photo alteration

Delhi : In recent months, there has been a sharp rise in the popularity of artificial intelligence-powered apps and services that display photographs of women undressed. About 24 million individuals used these applications in September alone, indicating a substantial global market for changing ordinary photos into explicit ones.

Numerous of these services are openly and unrestrictedly promoting on well-known platforms, according to Graphika's analysis. Links endorsing these applications have increased by almost 2,400% on social media sites like Reddit and X.

The impending danger is evident and unavoidable. The simple fabrication of pornographic pictures with a few clicks is made possible by the growth of these applications and services without government control, which poses a severe concern. To tackle this issue, education and awareness campaigns are essential, as is government intervention to control these technologies and shield people from such intrusive activities.

Given that several of these services specifically target women, this development is especially concerning for them. These applications' sexual material adds to the rise in online harassment, assault, and defamation directed towards women—who are already targets of these kinds of attacks—on digital platforms. There's a serious chance that these applications may be used by someone with ill intentions to produce and share offensive information without the victim's awareness.

The problem goes beyond deepfake nude films, which have turned into a nightmare for female users. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is among many in India who have shown great worry and attention over the proliferation of these kinds of movies. Following the global success of a deepfake video portraying South Indian actress Rashmika Mandanna, IT Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar reminded social media companies to quickly take down offensive content.