Overview
- A representative survey commissioned by the Deutscher Frauenrat found 67% of women in Germany say they now limit their online activity and 76% of women aged 18–39 reported reducing their online presence.
- The study reports 13% of women overall and 21% of women aged 18–39 have been targeted with AI-generated sexualized images or deepfakes that imitate or sexualize their likeness.
- Respondents described direct harms including threats, blackmail and coercion using intimate photos or deepfakes, and some victims said they filed police reports after being threatened with public distribution of images.
- Actress Collien Fernandes and other survivors told officials that online sexual calls to violence spill into real life and that police intake staff sometimes blame victims, leading to fresh calls for broad training for officers who handle complaints.
- Federal Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig proposed a draft law to criminalize pornographic deepfakes and secret nude recordings, but the bill still needs cabinet approval and parliamentary debate while advocates press platforms and AI firms to remove harmful images quickly.