Something Was Wrong - Data Points: AI-Facilitated Crime & Abuse (featuring Dr. Aiden Hirshfield)

Starting point is 00:00:00 Wondery Plus subscribers can listen to Something Was Wrong early and ad free right now. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app or on Apple Podcasts. Hi friends, it's Dr. Aiden Hirschfield, media psychologist and researcher from the Media Psyched podcast. I'm guest hosting this episode of Broken Cycle Media's new series of educational episodes called Data Points. These special episodes will include educational information, statistics, and support on different topics that are important to our community. Thank you so much for listening. Digital violence is an umbrella term to describe an array of harmful, digitally-based behaviors

Starting point is 00:00:41 that can lead to other forms of digital abuse or harassment. This includes, but is not limited to, the non-consensual distribution of intimate images such as revenge porn, publishing of private information about someone online with malicious intent, also known as doxxing, cyber-stalking or cyber-bullying, impersonation such as deep fakes, and even extortion, commonly known as blackmail. Other forms of digital abuse include grooming, a term used broadly to describe the tactics abusers deploy through the internet to sexually exploit minors. As the non-profit organization Thorne puts it, grooming can happen quickly or over time,

Starting point is 00:01:21 but at its core it's a process of exploiting trust to shift expectations of what safe behavior is and leveraging fear and shame to keep a child silent. It is difficult but important reality to face so that we can take steps to stop it. So although these forms of violence may differ in the ways they are inflicted, they often share common themes. Rates of cyber and digital abuse are substantial. Many of our listeners have likely been victims of digital violence in their lifetime or know someone currently affected by it. A study conducted by the Pew Research Center in 2021 found that two-thirds of adults under age 30 have been harassed online, with 18-29 year

Starting point is 00:02:01 olds experiencing the more severe forms of abuse. Pew Research has also found that nearly half of U.S. teens aged 13-17 report experiencing at least one of six cyberbullying behaviors, including offensive name-calling, spreading of false rumors about them, receiving explicit images they don't ask for, online stalking, physical threats of violence, and having explicit photos of them shared without their consent. Studies have established that digital abuse in a relationship rarely happens in isolation. For instance, research funded by the US Department of Justice

Starting point is 00:02:36 found that 84% of cyber dating abuse victims also reported psychological dating abuse. 52% reported physical dating violence, and 33% reported sexual coercion. Digital violence has grown since the pandemic and now impacts most people who exist online. A 2021 research study conducted by Thorne found that nearly half of all kids online have been approached by someone who they thought was attempting to quote, befriend and manipulate them. In 2023, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received more than 30 million reports of child pornography,

Starting point is 00:03:12 including possession, manufacture and distribution, and over 180,000 reports of online enticement of children for sexual acts. This violence is also frequently gender and race-based and disproportionately affects marginalized groups. People who identify or present as women and LGBTQ plus are particularly vulnerable to digital abuse. This includes LGBTQ plus adults who at a rate of roughly seven in 10

Starting point is 00:03:40 have encountered some form of online harassment. Meanwhile, more than 50% of LGBTQ plus adults have been targeted as victims of more severe forms of digital abuse. When you add AI into the mix, things get even trickier. While the term AI does come from science fiction, its current real world implications are far from fiction. In the tech industry, AI is typically referred to as Generative

Starting point is 00:04:06 AI. Think of Generative AI as a highly skilled parent. It can mimic complex patterns, but does not truly understand the content it creates. Generative AI operates by digesting large data sets and predicting what comes next. It cannot grasp complex human experiences or perform tasks it hasn't been specifically programmed to handle. Generative AI is not independently intelligent and lacks both the ability to think critically as well as be creative. AI is now critically involved in how content spreads online and the information we use to make decisions. Think about social media algorithms

Starting point is 00:04:48 or tools that create fake content or news and use automated online bots to spread disinformation and propaganda rampantly. The same technology can be misused to harass or intimidate people, possibly even perpetuate digital violence and abuse at scale. Deepfake technology has exploded in popularity. Deepfakes can be defined as synthetic media, typically videos or images in which a person's

Starting point is 00:05:14 likeness is digitally altered or entirely generated using artificial intelligence techniques, making it appear as though they are doing or saying something they did not. This technology can convincingly mimic a person's facial expressions, voice, and movements, often leading to realistic but fabricated content. The most comprehensive study was conducted by a company called DeepTrace in 2019, which found that 96% of deepfakes were pornographic. They also found that there are dedicated deepfake pornography websites that garner hundreds of millions of views. Combine this data with that on the pervasiveness of child

Starting point is 00:05:51 pornography and you have a recipe for digital child abuse at a massive scale. Working ahead, the implications of AI on digital violence are significant. As AI gets more advanced, people will likely continue to find new ways to misuse it. For example, generative AI could lead to even more convincing deep fakes, making it harder to tell what's real. It also becomes easier for cyber criminals and abusers to disguise themselves online and cover their tracks.

Starting point is 00:06:19 This begs the question of how we enforce legislation at a micro and a macro level. Plus, with automated harassment becoming more common, like using online bots, this issue will only grow. As AI becomes a more significant part of social media and communication platforms, developers and policymakers must prioritize user safety and ethical considerations. It's important that legislation is enacted

Starting point is 00:06:44 and action is taken to address these evolving issues. Relatedly, most victims in the US are critical of how social media companies address online harassment. However, there is still much debate about what should be done to combat digital violence and abuse online and the policies used to hold individuals accountable very drastically across sites. The US government has taken several measures to address digital abuse, violence, cyber bullying, and harassment through legislation,

Starting point is 00:07:13 law enforcement initiatives, educational programs, and partnerships with various organizations. For instance, the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, or COPPA, enacted in 1998, imposes specific requirements on operators of websites or online services directed to children under 13 years of age. There have been many bills introduced in 2023 that relate to online exploitation and abuse of children or to child safety more broadly.

Starting point is 00:07:42 One of these critical pieces of legislation, the Revising Existing Procedures on Reporting via Technology Act or the REPORT Act, makes statutory changes related to the reporting of crimes involving the online sexual exploitation of children, increases penalties for non-compliant providers, and limits liability for vendors and for self-reporting. On a global scale, the Digital Services Act from the European Union took effect in 2022. Its main goal is to prevent illegal and harmful activities online and the spread of disinformation. The law also ensures user safety and holds online platforms accountable for harmful content. While some of these courts are beginning to discuss AI, the real challenge is creating laws

Starting point is 00:08:27 that are flexible enough to deal with these fast changing technologies and the rate at which abusive content can proliferate. As of now, 28 states have enacted AI related legislation and 18 states adopted AI related resolutions or enacted legislation in 2023, according to the National Conference to State Legislators. Currently, there are many states with pending legislation

Starting point is 00:08:50 designed to protect citizens from the harm of AI. However, there are no comprehensive federal regulations or legislation in place as of now. Still, research funded by the US Department of Justice found that most victims of digital abuse don't seek help or make a report. We also know that survivors face victim blaming and shaming due to societal rape culture, internalized misogyny, racism, transphobia, and homophobia.

Starting point is 00:09:18 This is why few victims of digital violence, abuse, or bullying speak up or seek help. This ultimately means that social media and online platforms are hardly held accountable for allowing this abuse on their sites, and technically, many social media platforms are making a profit off of it happening. What else can we do to help victims of digital violence and abuse? Here are some strategies that could help. First, raising your and your family's education and awareness about digital abuse and the misuse of AI

Starting point is 00:09:50 will empower you to recognize and address these issues. Consider some digital literacy programs that teach everyone, not just children, how to critically navigate digital technologies. Also consider petitioning tech companies to design safer platforms, such as better reporting systems, AI content moderation to catch abuse faster, and increased user-friendly privacy settings. Finally, consider reporting digital violence

Starting point is 00:10:16 and abuse or cyberbullying on social media platforms or websites to the companies that own them, and to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, as well as reporting child sexual abuse material and other cybercrime directly to the FBI using the Internet Crime Complaints Center, or IC3 website. You can also get involved in legislation by contacting your legislator to ask what they are doing.

Starting point is 00:10:44 You can also attend hearings and testify for bills or to local news outlets to cover the issue. I want to mention again that the internet, like AI, is a tool. It can be wielded as a weapon or an incredibly powerful ally in the war against digital abuse. When we use the internet to connect victims, share resources, and hold abusers accountable, we can combat digital violence at scale too. Just as advancements in deepfakes come out, so do new technologies aimed at identifying

Starting point is 00:11:15 and counteracting them. Ultimately, the more we talk about digital violence and abuse, the less able it is to operate in a protected vacuum. If you believe you or a loved one has been a victim of digital violence, or if you're looking for more resources or support regarding digital abuse,

Starting point is 00:11:32 you may find the following organizations helpful. The National Domestic Violence Hotline has resources for victims and their allies, including a free 24-7 hotline, live chat, and texting support. They also have informative research on digital abuse and harassment, as well as guides on internet safety. The nonprofit Right to Be has extensive resources on its website, including educational training and a self-care guide for those who experience online harassment. The nonprofit organization

Starting point is 00:12:03 THORN has resources for parents and a community for young individuals to find the resources necessary to navigate sexual exploration and risky encounters in the digital era. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children's website has many resources for both adults and children, including a service called Take It Down, which helps people remove online nude, partial nude, or sexually explicit photos and videos taken from before they were 18. For more information about the non-profit organizations mentioned prior, please visit the episode notes. For a more comprehensive list of organizations that are working to help eradicate digital

Starting point is 00:12:41 violence or abuse, please visit SomethingWaswaswrong.com forward slash resources. Many of the amazing groups listed on the website are only able to exist because of the community's help and support from people like you. If you would like to find out more information about volunteer opportunities, please feel free to visit the resources page as well and reach out directly to the organization of your choice. My name is Dr. Aiden Hirschfield. My pronouns are he, him, or they, them. And you can find me on Instagram at

Starting point is 00:13:10 dr.aidenhirschfield and my podcast Media Psyched on Spotify or Apple. You can also follow or connect with me on LinkedIn. Thank you so much for listening and learning with us. listening and learning with us.

Something Was Wrong - Data Points: AI-Facilitated Crime & Abuse (featuring Dr. Aiden Hirshfield)

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