Italian authorities launch an investigation into deepfake bots in Telegram

Italy's Data Protection Authority has launched an investigation into the widespread use of bots that

generate fake nudes on the Telegram messaging app.The news follows an investigation by security firm Sensity.The company found that as of July 2020, more than 100,000 fake images had been created and posted on public Telegram channels.

Bots can create fake nude bodies(or partially nude) in watermarked images, and users pay to "reveal" it. Users could send a photo of a woman to the bot and get back a version of the photo with the “removed” clothes, without indicating that the image was modified. According to Sensity, minors were among the victims of these bots. Their photographs are often pulled from social media accounts and then processed.

Sensity Found Fake Nudesthe images were created by DeepNude software that went online last year. Its creator closed the site, stating that "the likelihood that people will misuse it is too high." However, according to Sensity, the software has been redesigned and is now widely available in open source repositories and torrent sites.

“The ease of use of this program makesanyone who has a photo on the web is potentially a victim of deepfakes, ”the Italian agency said. The company plans to ask Telegram to provide relevant information to check if it is complying with data protection rules.

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