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The deepfake image threat: Schools urged to audit their websites and social media use

Safeguarding Artificial intelligence Pastoral issues
Schools are being reminded about their duties to protect students and staff from the deepfake manipulation of images and videos used on school websites or social media feeds.
Emerging threat: The Internet Watch Foundation has documented the horrifying ways that AI is being used to create deepfake images and videos of child sexual abuse using real images trawled from the web - Adobe Stock

The rapid development of artificial intelligence technologies has given rise to the creation of deepfake images and videos, often made using real images found online.

In 2023 and 2024, reports from the Internet Watch Foundation documented horrifying ways that AI is being used to create deepfake images – and now videos – of child sexual abuse using real images trawled from the web. The research uncovered thousands of images of abuse on just one single dark web forum.

Given that many schools use images of pupils on both school websites and social media feeds, new guidance published by the UK Safer Internet Centre is seeking to help schools to manage this emerging and increasing threat and to ensure the proper management of image and video use online.

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