Rishi Sunak has been urged to close the legal loophole for deepfake porn to ensure creators face criminal prosecution.

Labor has warned that the government is being “overtaken” by the internet when it comes to deepfakes – a growing phenomenon that involves explicit images or videos being altered to look like someone without their consent.

According to the Online Safety Act, from January 31, it will be illegal in the UK to share deepfakes without the person’s consent.

But Labor has proposed an amendment to the Criminal Justice Bill, currently before Parliament, that would make deepfakes illegal.

Have you also been affected by this? Email maya.oppenheim@independent.co.uk

talking independentShadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “Creating deepfake intimate images and videos is a serious infringement of someone’s autonomy and privacy and should not be tolerated.

“Technology is increasingly being manipulated to create misogynistic content and empower perpetrators of violence against women and girls.”

Ms Cooper added the government must strengthen laws in this area to send a “clear and unambiguous message that this type of activity is harmful and wrong”.

Earlier this week, a Channel 4 Investigates It has been revealed that the amount of deepfake porn has exploded in recent years.

Although researchers discovered one deepfake porn video online in 2016, some 143,733 new deepfake porn videos were uploaded to the 40 most commonly used deepfake porn sites in the first three quarters of last year, a number higher than in previous years. The total is more.

An analysis of the five most visited deepfake websites found that more than 250 British celebrities have been victims of deepfake pornography, including female actors, YouTubers, TV personalities and musicians.

A woman who found deepfake porn of herself on the internet has previously spoken out independent It was an ordeal of “violation” as she accused her attackers of trying to “overpower” and “intimidate” her.

“Someone is using my identity and personal data in a sexual way without my consent. I appreciate that some people think it’s not a big deal,” she said.

“But we have blurred the line between perception and reality because perception is now reality. I find it offensive that they are using my image to silence me, scare me or gain sexual gratification without my consent. Hateful.”

Many are sounding the alarm about how deepfakes can mislead the public, with previous research by cybersecurity firm Deeptrace showing that about 96% of all deepfake videos are non-consensual pornography, with women being targeted in 96% of cases .

The Home Office has been contacted for comment.