NONCONSENSUAL DEEPFAKE PORNOGRAPHY AND THE CHALLENGES IT POSES

This thesis examines nonconsensual deepfake pornography and the ethical, psychological, technological, and legal implications that come with it. Victims suffer severe trauma along with reputational damage. Detection tools cannot yet keep up with rapidly evolving deepfake creation methods. Existing laws and regulations fail to address the global, cross-border nature of online abuse, leaving perpetrators unaccountable. By reviewing case studies, scholarly research, and legal documentation, this study highlights critical shortfalls in AI detection, legal frameworks, and platform responsibility. The findings of this thesis highlight the urgent need for advanced multimodal detection techniques, more precise legislative definitions of deepfakes, and improved moderation efforts by social media platforms. Ultimately, the thesis calls for a coordinated strategy—combining ethical AI guidelines, robust legal protections, and public education—to protect individuals’ digital privacy, consent, and mental well-being in an ever-growing digital world.