Decades of image-based sexual abuse: How perpetrators evade tech platforms and the authorities
A part-time model in Singapore was blackmailed with AI-generated deepfakes after responding to an audition call, and despite making a police report, the harassment persisted. Studies have found that technology-facilitated sexual violence, including image-based sexual abuse, is a widespread issue, with around two in five university students in Singapore experiencing it.
A 20-year-old part-time model in Singapore was blackmailed with AI-generated deepfakes after responding to an audition call in 2024. A man sent her edited photos and threatened to circulate them unless she paid thousands of dollars. Despite making a police report, the harassment continued until another woman exposed the man as a scammer. Dr Michelle Ho from the National University of Singapore's department of communication and new media has been investigating online sexual harms since 2021. Her studies found that around two in five university students experienced technology-facilitated sexual violence. A 2025 study by Google and RMIT University found that more than one in five adults in 10 countries had experienced image-based sexual abuse.
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