A victim of deep fake porn is calling for global action after her “horrifying, shocking, violating” experience. 

Deepfake porn is when an individual has their image doctored onto pornography - usually without their consent; it is often done for sexual gratification but also to humiliate, control and intimidate people. 

In Noelle Martin’s case it “changed completely the trajectory of my entire life” and she is still grappling with the consequences.  

The original images were taken from the Australian woman's social media and the discovery they had been doctored into pornography left her feeling hugely upset. 

“It is completely horrifying, shocking, violating - there’s just every kind of emotion going through your mind,” Ms Martin told Moncrieff. 

Long-term impact

Some deep fake porn is easily recognisable, while others are realistic enough to trick people into thinking they are real. 

Deep fake porn can impact a victim’s reputation, their employability, their personal relationships and love life. 

Getting them wiped from the internet can be extremely difficult and Ms Martin said it has changed her life “forever”. 

“It is something I might have to explain to my future children - this is something that will hang with me without my consent in perpetuity,” she said.  

Thousands of deepfake porn images and videos of Irish women have been found on the internet and Ms Martin is calling for Governments across the world to take action together. 

“Countries can only do so much to tackle this issue,” she said. 

“We have laws here in Australia but they are limited because Australia is limited. 

“So, we need to have some sort of global collaborative response where Governments and law enforcement work together to actually hold people accountable regardless of where they live.” 

Any victim of deepfake porn should contact Gardaí and hotline.ie - which specialises in intimate images abuse.