'Deepfake images made me out to be a sex worker,' according to BBC
Kirsty Pellant's images were deepfaked onto naked bodies and used to portray her as a sex worker online, leading to severe reputational harm, stalking, and harassment, according to the BBC.
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Kirsty Pellant, from Kent, UK, reported that her photographs were taken from her Facebook account, manipulated, and then added to naked bodies of other women to create a fake online identity portraying her as a sex worker. Her name and personal information were also used. The deepfakes were created by a former colleague between 2017 and 2022. Pellant experienced significant reputational damage, receiving "odd messages" on social media, a Valentine's Day card from a stranger, and being hounded and trolled by people who thought she should lose her job at a school. Men reportedly turned up to her home, and a journalist demanded she prove the photographs were not of her. The perpetrator was convicted of several stalking charges and one charge of disclosing/threatening to disclose private sexual photographs and films with the intention of causing distress, receiving a five-year sentence in January 2025. Pellant continues to campaign for reputational abuse to be formally recognized in law, as the digital footprint of her fake identity persists.