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[FCE] ‘I don’t take no for an answer’: how a small group of women changed the law on deepfake porn

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A determined group of women in the United Kingdom has achieved a significant legislative reform, highlighting how focused citizen-led action can bring about profound legal change. Their successful campaign has resulted in a new law designed to tackle the growing problem of deepfake pornography.

The campaign was initiated by the distressing experience of a survivor named Jodie. For almost two years, she was subjected to severe online abuse after a close friend manipulated her photographs to create sexually explicit deepfake images. When she finally reported the crime, she was confronted with a critical loophole in the existing law. While sharing such material was sometimes considered an offence, the actual creation of it was not a specific crime. The perpetrator consequently received a suspended sentence, a penalty that many viewed as insufficient for the severe emotional harm caused.

Galvanised by this injustice, Jodie decided to take action. She collaborated with fellow survivors, legal professionals, and campaigners to form a small but dedicated group. Communicating via a group named ‘Heroes’, they soon gained a powerful advocate inside parliament, Lady Charlotte Owen, a member of the House of Lords. Their primary objective was clear: to ensure that not only sharing, but also the creation and requesting of intimate deepfake images without consent, became a criminal offence.

Although the campaign was initially fraught with challenges and faced resistance from the government, the group’s remarkable perseverance paid off. They presented compelling evidence and argued their case with passion, successfully proposing amendments to the new Data Use and Access Act.

As a direct result of their efforts, it is now a criminal offence in the UK to create an intimate deepfake image without consent. This new law carries a potential prison sentence of up to six months and an unlimited fine. This legislative change was achieved in just over a year—a remarkably swift development in the world of law-making—and stands as a powerful testament to the influence of ordinary people determined to see justice done.

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1. What is the main purpose of the article?

  • A. To explain the technical process of creating deepfakes.
  • B. To highlight how a citizen campaign led to a specific legal change.
  • C. To criticise the UK government’s slow response to new technology.
  • D. To introduce the work of the politician Lady Charlotte Owen.

2. According to the article, what was the legal problem Jodie discovered?

  • A. There were no laws at all concerning online abuse.
  • B. The police did not have enough evidence to press charges.
  • C. The person who created the images could not be punished for that specific action.
  • D. The penalty for sharing deepfakes was considered too lenient.

3. What does the article suggest about the campaign group called ‘Heroes’?

  • A. It was a large, professionally organised organisation.
  • B. It consisted mainly of legal experts and politicians.
  • C. It was highly motivated and refused to give up easily.
  • D. It primarily used social media to raise public awareness.

4. In the third paragraph, the word ‘advocate’ is closest in meaning to…

  • A. a critic
  • B. a supporter
  • C. an opponent
  • D. a journalist

5. Why was the change in the law considered a ‘remarkably swift development’?

  • A. Because the government had initially been completely against it.
  • B. Because the evidence presented by the group was instantly accepted.
  • C. Because the process of making new laws usually takes a much longer time.
  • D. Because the technology it addressed was very new.