Sexual Deepfakes Target Women in Politics and Media

Severity: High (Score: 66.5)

Sources: Rfi.Fr, Modernghana

Published: 2026-05-29 · Updated: 2026-05-29

Keywords: deepfakes, women, sexual, used, politics, silence, voices

Severity indicators: ics

Summary

Sexual deepfakes are increasingly used to intimidate women in politics, journalism, and activism, with European Union lawmakers moving to ban AI services that create non-consensual explicit images. Slovenian activist Nika Kovac faced attacks during her abortion rights campaign, with AI-generated sexual videos appearing on social media. French journalist Salomé Saqué and Argentine journalist Julia Mengolini have also been victims, highlighting a trend of using deepfakes to silence women. The attacks aim to humiliate and push women out of public discourse. Recent incidents in Italy involved altered images of political figures, including Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. The growing threat has prompted warnings from press freedom organizations about the risks to journalists, particularly women. As digital platforms expand in Africa, the region is becoming a prime target for such cyber abuse. Key Points: • Sexual deepfakes are being weaponized against women in public life to silence their voices. • The EU is moving to ban AI services that create non-consensual explicit images. • High-profile victims include activists and journalists facing intimidation through deepfake technology.

Detailed Analysis

**Impact** Women in politics, journalism, and activism across Europe and Latin America are targeted by AI-generated sexual deepfakes intended to intimidate and silence them. Notable victims include Slovenian activist Nika Kovac, French journalist Salomé Saqué, Argentine journalist Julia Mengolini, Italian political figures Giorgia Meloni and Elly Schlein, and German actress Collien Fernandes. The attacks cause reputational damage, emotional distress, and attempts to remove these women from public discourse. Research indicates 98% of deepfakes online are pornographic, with 99% of targets being women, including minors, affecting sectors such as media, politics, and activism primarily in Europe and Latin America. **Technical Details** The attacks use AI tools to create fabricated explicit images and videos without consent, disseminated primarily via social media platforms. No specific malware, CVEs, or infrastructure details are provided. The tactic involves impersonation and content fabrication at the delivery stage of the kill chain, leveraging deepfake generation technology to produce sexualized media designed to humiliate and intimidate. No IOCs are mentioned in the articles. **Recommended Response** Organizations should monitor social media and digital platforms for unauthorized use of likenesses and implement rapid takedown procedures for deepfake content. Legal and policy measures, such as the EU ban on AI services that "undress" individuals without consent, should be supported and enforced. Awareness campaigns and support mechanisms for victims should be prioritized. Technical detection of deepfake media remains a developing area; defenders should track emerging AI-generated content detection tools and monitor for related abuse patterns.

Source articles (2)

• Sexual deepfakes used to silence voices of women in politics and media — Rfi.Fr · 2026-05-28
  Sexual deepfakes are being used to intimidate women in politics, journalism and activism, as artificial intelligence tools turn fabricated explicit images into a cheap and easy weapon of online abuse.…
• Sexual deepfakes used to silence voices of women in politics and media — Modernghana · 2026-05-29
  While victims include anonymous women and girls, those with a public profile are particularly exposed to the danger of deepfakes. Campaigners and experts say the images are designed not only to humili…

Timeline

• 2026-05-28 — EU lawmakers agree to ban non-consensual AI services: In response to rising cases of sexual deepfakes, EU lawmakers have decided to prohibit AI services that can undress individuals without consent.
• 2026-05-29 — Nika Kovac targeted with deepfake attacks: Slovenian activist Nika Kovac reported AI-generated sexual videos appearing on social media during her abortion rights campaign, aimed at intimidating her.
• Recent — Increasing incidents of deepfake abuse reported: Reports of sexual deepfakes targeting women in politics and media are on the rise, with notable cases in Argentina and Italy.

Related entities

• Data Breach (Attack Type)
• My Voice, My Choice (Campaign)
• Argentina (Country)
• France (Country)
• Germany (Country)
• Italy (Country)
• CWE-200 - Exposure of Sensitive Information (Cwe)
• sren.it (Domain)
• Futurock FM (Platform)
• Phica (Platform)
• Twitter (Company)
• X (Company)