Bangladesh is facing a concerning surge in technology misuse, particularly targeting women by superimposing their faces onto explicit content using Artificial Intelligence (AI), a practice known as ‘deepfake’. This trend, as reported by Bangladesh’s ‘Daily Sun’, has severe repercussions for the victims, leading to social stigma, withdrawal from public life, and tragically, in some cases, even death. The victims encompass a wide spectrum of society, including students, activists, professionals, politicians, actresses, and ordinary individuals.
In a tragic incident, a woman in Bangladesh took her own life after a manipulated video of her, created using AI, was shared with her family, exploiting societal norms like family honor and digital shaming. The deliberate misuse of technology in this manner highlights the devastating impact on individuals. Another case mentioned in the report involves a university student, Riya, whose face was digitally inserted into inappropriate images that were then circulated among student circles, leading to immense pressure on her to withdraw from various activities.
Not even prominent figures are spared from this malicious trend, as seen in the case of Syeda Rizwana Hasan, a former advisor to Bangladesh’s Ministry of Environment, who was targeted with a doctored image circulated on social media platforms. The misuse of deepfake technology has become a prevalent issue in Bangladesh, with a significant portion of women social media users experiencing online violence, according to the findings of a report on Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence (TFGBV) and Digital Development.
The perpetrators behind these deepfake attacks in Bangladesh often resort to extortion tactics, threatening victims with the dissemination of explicit content unless demands are met. These abusers, as highlighted in the report, include individuals who download photos from social media, create manipulated content, and then coerce victims into compliance through blackmail. Additionally, a study by the Bangladesh-based human rights group VOICE revealed coordinated digital assaults on women activists and government advisors, aiming not just to shame but to force them out of public life entirely.
