Technological development has come with a cost for many, including women and girls who face Technology-facilitated Gender-based Violence (TFGBV). These injustices manifest themselves in the form of cyber stalking, online harassment, and the sharing of private images without consent. 

Today, Artificial Intelligence has been weaponized to create deepfakes designed to shame and silence women. UN Women reports that out of 90-95% deepfake images circulated on digital media platforms are sexual images of women.  

While AI solutions can be a force in achieving gender equality, their misuse has been found to harm women, through creating new forms of abuse and bias, while amplifying existing ones.

In late 2024, AI-manipulated sexually explicit AI-generated deepfake images of American musician Taylor Swift were spread across online platforms, reaching 47 million views on X. It took mass reporting efforts by Swift’s fans for the image to be taken down.  

The women targeted with TFGBV are not just statistics; they are people we know, people who have families, friends, and exist within our community. Back home, Stella Sanaipei has been on a long quest for justice, as deepfake nude images of them circulate on social media platforms. 

Sanaipei, who once loved to share her dance videos on TikTok, had to step back after AI-manipulated images showing her face began circulating online. She joined TikTok in 2018 and deleted her account after the TFGBV started. 

“The pictures and videos I had posted on social media were taken and manipulated to appear as nude pictures. One was a passport-size photo I took for my modelling portfolio,” says Sanaipei, a 22-year-old living in Kajiado County. 

The AI-manipulated pictures and videos would then be shared on Telegram channels, and further promoted on TikTok and X. Sanaipei points out a TikTok account that was created under her name, right after she deactivated her own account due to the online abuse. She also points to a now-deactivated X account dubbed “City-digest”, which promoted the Telegram channels. 

AI manipulation trend on Telegram 

Citizen Digital established a few Telegram channels that were posting the deepfake images of Sanaipei. Notably, one of the channels promoted an AI chatbot dubbed Swapvideo AI, which features images and short videos of nude models. 

“Introducing the universal automatic clothing removal and face changing robot, featuring the most comprehensive effects available on the market,” reads a notice on the Telegram bot account, further promising “hundreds of interactive models” that allow “one-click operation.”

Other than the promotion on multiple social media platforms, some of the videos and pictures were offered at a fee, where the Telegram channels directed interested persons to pay them to access the videos. 

Sanaipei says her efforts to find the persons behind the ring have also led to a Telegram admin in Kisii. 

She also reports that they have a suspect in mind, who she only identifies as ‘Tony’. 

Pursuit of justice

In March 2024, Sanaipei took a step forward and reported the case to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations. She recalls an officer saying, “most of these cases go unresolved, you just move on.”

The make-up artist made a second attempt to report the case to DCI in Ongata Rongai, who directed her to the DCI headquarters in Kiambu. 

“That is when I got to understand that my friend was also going through the same. She had also reported the case to DCI officers on Ngong Road,” Sanaipei shares. 

At the time, she recalled a trending video on TikTok saying she was “uniting people” on Telegram - a street phrase often used to mean a person’s nude pictures are circulating online. The video, she says, got over 1 million views. 

When this happened, Sanaipei was on an internship and had to explain what was happening to her supervisors, who understood her. One of her friends, who was also going through cyberbullying, was fired from her work.

“How malicious can you be to me? What have I done to you for you to do this to me?” These are the questions Sanaipei has for the abusers.

“Every time it happens, I keep reminding myself that it is not me. But at the end of the day, you are not going to clarify to everyone that this is not me.” 

Sanaipei says the case has affected her mentally and emotionally, since she first saw a deepfake of her image in December 2023. The images and videos were once again circulated in March and September 2024. 

Her parents, she says, have been her source of strength as they have supported her 2-year quest for justice. 

“I am lucky to have parents ready to support me.” 

While it took the mass reporting efforts by fans for X to take down Taylor Swift’s deepfakes, Sanaipei hopes justice will be served through Kenya’s legal system. Also, social media platforms can take accountability in removing such content or discouraging its distribution. 

Ending TFGBV

As the 16 Days of Activism advocates an end to TFGBV, stakeholders are calling for governments to create stronger regulations to prevent the AI-enabled harm to women. Also, technology companies are challenged to ensure platform safety and have mechanisms to prevent the spread of deepfakes. 

TGBV has also been found to result in physical and sexual abuse and has led to socio-economic harm, or other infringements of women’s rights and freedoms. 

“The scale, speed, anonymity and ease of communication in digital spaces create an enabling context for this violence. Perpetrators feel that they can get away with it, and victims often do not know if and how they can get help, and legal systems are playing catch-up with the rapid changes in technology,” says UN Women. By Douglas Mutiso, Citizen Digital