4chan's Misogynist 'Wizards' Are Nudifying Women by Request

A request for a “wizard” to create nudified deepfake imagery was posted on a forum focused on adult explicit requests. The request specified a particular body type and included a preference to keep clothing on while altering the image to expose nudity. Another user provided an edited image matching the original pose and location, with the woman’s shirt removed and breasts exposed while retaining the jacket. Publicly available likenesses can be targeted for invasive sexual exploitation, and most victims are women. New research indicates that synthetic nonconsensual intimate imagery can be created through collaborative processes that reinforce online male communities grounded in shared misogyny.

"“Summoning a wizard who can nudify her,” wrote an anonymous 4chan user last week, posting on the site's /r/ board, a hub for “adult requests” of specific explicit imagery. Attached to the post was an image of a blonde woman in glasses, an open black jacket, white tank top, and ripped jeans, posing on a low wall with a sweeping view of an old-world city and a river behind her. It's the kind of picture you'd see on a friend's Instagram account during their vacation in Europe. On the left edge of the image, you can see that someone else has been cropped out of the photo.”"

"The 4chan anon explained what they wanted from a “wizard,” a site term for anyone skilled at manipulating pictures of women to render deepfakes in which they appear to be undressed, committing sexual acts, or fulfilling a given fetish: “big juggs and thick body,” the user specified. “Bonus praise if you can leave her jacket on.” A few hours later, someone else replied with the altered image, which depicted the same woman, in the same pose and locale, but without a shirt, breasts exposed. (Yes, she still had the jacket on.)"

"Anyone whose likeness is public may be subjected to this same invasive exploitation, but the overwhelming majority of victims of these nudifying acts are women. And new research confirms that such synthetic nonconsensual intimate imagery (NCII) can be created in a collaborative process that strengthens the bonds of an online male community built on shared misogyny."

Read at WIRED