23-year-old Debra Nashipae shared a harrowing experience of how someone stole her photos, manipulated them, and circulated them as deepfake pornography on Telegram.
In an interview with BBC Africa, Nashipae revealed that she first learned about the images through a friend.
“My friend got a call from someone who told him that some of my images are trending on Telegram. He asked if I had ever done any nude photoshoots. I said no,” she recounted.
Nashipae said she was initially in disbelief.
“There were several images. At first, I laughed because it seemed impossible that my photo could be altered like that. Now I realize someone can take a normal photo of me and make it appear like I am naked,” she said.
Tech and human rights expert Mercy Mutemi criticized law enforcement for being ill-prepared to handle such cases.
She noted that police often react with shock when briefed on deepfake crimes, highlighting a lack of training and awareness.
Asked about the emotional impact, Nashipae said, “Very broken and defeated. Every day, I hope justice will come. That’s why I keep fighting.”
Social media users expressed outrage over the incident.
Instagram user Matse Cooks wrote, “This is heartbreaking. This should be stopped.”
Another user, Langridge, added, “It’s a lot worse than this. I know of a woman wrongly charged with child abuse because deepfake footage was manipulated from her home CCTV.”
According to UN Women, 90–95% of all deepfakes online are non-consensual pornographic images, and around 90% of those depict women.
Their report also highlights that half of the world’s women and girls lack legal protection against this kind of digital violence.