Latest news with #StephanieBosch
Calgary Herald
9 hours ago
- Calgary Herald
Police warn Alberta parents of rise in AI-generated deepfakes: ALERT
With schools soon being dismissed for the summer, ALERT's Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) unit is warning parents about an emerging online trend of AI images, videos and audio recordings in child sexual abuse investigations. Article content Defined as 'deepfakes,' these videos, images and recordings look or sound completely realistic but have been altered using AI, according to the Canadian Centre for Child Protection. Article content Article content Article content Faces can be super-imposed, expressions can be manipulated, and other elements can be combined to produce something new and to show someone doing or saying something that didn't occur, or wasn't said. Article content Article content As a member of the ICE's community engagement team, Const. Stephanie Bosch said a lot of the discussions held around AI deep fakes are being generated in schools and being used as a form of cyber bullying and harassment. Article content 'We're seeing situations where someone in the school has created a nude image of said child and now they're using that against the kid as a form of bullying or circulating it around the school,' Bosch said. Article content Bosch said these deepfakes are being used to victimize children and youth, and while it hasn't reached a level yet where the ICE unit has seen cases where the children and youth are being extorted, it could just be a matter of time. Article content Article content 'I can say the way that it's trending in the schools that at some point for sure I wouldn't be surprised if we do see one of these investigations reach (that level),' said Bosch. Article content Article content According to roughly 4,000 sexually explicit deepfake images and videos of children and youth were generated last year. Article content According to Thorn a non-profit group that builds technology to defend children from sexual abuse, data shows that one in 10 youth say they know of cases where their friends and classmates have created 'deepfake nudes' of other kids using AI-generated tools. Article content 'With kids going on summer break and having a lot more time on their phones and devices, having these discussions now is important. It's a great opportunity to have conversations about nude images, but also AI-generated content,' said Bosch. Article content 'I want to be very clear about this. AI-generated nude images of a child still meet the definition of child pornography in the Criminal Code, so it's considered child abuse sexual material.'
Edmonton Journal
10 hours ago
- Edmonton Journal
Police warn Alberta parents of rise in AI-generated deepfakes: ALERT
"I want to be very clear about this. AI generated nude images of a child still meet the definition of child pornography in the criminal code, so it's considered child abuse sexual material" Const. Stephanie Bosch said a lot of the discussions held around AI deep fakes are being generated in schools and being used as a form of cyber bullying and harassment. Photo by Lincoln Beddoe / Getty Images With schools soon being dismissed for the summer, ALERT's Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) unit is warning parents about an emerging online trend of AI images, videos and audio recordings in child sexual abuse investigations. Defined as 'deepfakes,' these videos, images and recordings look or sound completely realistic but have been altered using AI, according to the Canadian Centre for Child Protection. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. 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Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Faces can be super-imposed, expressions can be manipulated, and other elements can be combined to produce something new and to show someone doing or saying something that didn't occur, or wasn't said. As a member of the ICE's community engagement team, Const. Stephanie Bosch said a lot of the discussions held around AI deep fakes are being generated in schools and being used as a form of cyber bullying and harassment. 'We're seeing situations where someone in the school has created a nude image of said child and now they're using that against the kid as a form of bullying or circulating it around the school,' Bosch said. Bosch said these deepfakes are being used to victimize children and youth, and while it hasn't reached a level yet where the ICE unit has seen cases where the children and youth are being extorted, it could just be a matter of time. Get the latest headlines, breaking news and columns. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'I can say the way that it's trending in the schools that at some point for sure I wouldn't be surprised if we do see one of these investigations reach (that level),' said Bosch. According to roughly 4,000 sexually explicit deepfake images and videos of children and youth were generated last year. According to Thorn a non-profit group that builds technology to defend children from sexual abuse, data shows that one in 10 youth say they know of cases where their friends and classmates have created 'deepfake nudes' of other kids using AI-generated tools. 'With kids going on summer break and having a lot more time on their phones and devices, having these discussions now is important. It's a great opportunity to have conversations about nude images, but also AI-generated content,' said Bosch. 'I want to be very clear about this. AI-generated nude images of a child still meet the definition of child pornography in the Criminal Code, so it's considered child abuse sexual material.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Bosch said it's important for parents and guardians of children and youth to speak with them about their online activities, and build trust between parents and kids to ensure they feel safe coming to their parents or another adult if they're ever subjected to deepfakes. 'It's important for kids to have that support network around them, so a trusted adult and someone in their life, so that if this has happened, whether it's an AI-generated image or an actual new image of themselves, they can go for help,' said Bosch. 'When we talk about AI-generated images, you can't always tell if it's real or not, so the impact on the kid is the same. When we talk about the impact of their mental health, the impacts of how they're perceived by their peers, it's still the same, and it's just as significant as a real photograph.' jhills@ Read More Bookmark our website and support our journalism: Don't miss the news you need to know — add and to your bookmarks and sign up for our newsletters. You can also support our journalism by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribers gain unlimited access to The Edmonton Journal, Edmonton Sun, National Post, and 13 other Canadian news sites. The Edmonton Journal | The Edmonton Sun Cult of Hockey Cult of Hockey Cult of Hockey Politics Local News
