Deepfake and digitally altered nude and sexual imagery is a serious and harmful emerging form of image-based sexual abuse (IBSA). This article reports on a multi-methods and cross-country study of IBSA across the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia, with a specific focus on the creation, distribution and threat to distribute deepfake and digitally altered imagery. Our findings suggest this abuse involves poly-victimization and poly-perpetration, and is disproportionately experienced and engaged in by those with mobility and/or communication assistance needs, members of the LGB+ community, males, young people and racial minorities (perpetration only). In this article, we discuss the pervasiveness and harms of deepfake and digitally altered imagery abuse, as well as challenges in legal responses, policing and prevention.

This study examined image-based sexual abuse (IBSA) victimisation in the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand (n = 6,109). Findings showed that 37.7% (n = 2,306) of respondents had at least one IBSA victimisation experience since 16 years of age. Logistic regression analyses further identified that demographic characteristics (age, sexuality, disability/assistance), attitudes towards IBSA, and experiential variables (online dating and sexual self-image behaviours, IBSA perpetration) were each predictors of IBSA victimisation. Though gender did not predict the overall extent of IBSA victimisation, the relational contexts and impacts of IBSA remained gendered in particular ways. Implications of the study are discussed with respect to conceptualising gendered violence and future research.

Purpose: Drawing on gender-role stereotypes and defensive attribution theory, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of perpetrator-victim sex, observer sex and observer sexting experience on perceptions of seriousness and responsibility in the context of revenge pornography. Design/methodology/approach: In total, 239 university students read one of two versions of a hypothetical scenario, responded to items concerning their perceptions of the situation described, and responded to items concerning their sexting experience. Findings: Men were more likely to believe the situation was serious when it involved a male perpetrator and a female victim rather than vice versa. However, perpetrator-victim sex did not influence women’s perceptions. Participants without sexting experience were more likely than participants with sexting experience to believe the situation was serious, and to hold the victim responsible. Originality/value: Whilst there is a growing body of literature regarding revenge pornography from a legal perspective, there is little research on perceptions of revenge pornography situations. As the use of intimate images in relationships continues to rise, it is important to understand people’s attitudes and the extra-legal factors that shape them.

Advances in digital technologies provide new opportunities for harm, including sexualized deepfake abuse—the non-consensual creation, distribution, or threat to create/distribute an image or video of another person that had been altered in a nude or sexual way. Since 2017, there has been a proliferation of shared open-source technologies to facilitate deepfake creation and dissemination, and a corresponding increase in cases of sexualized deepfake abuse. There is a substantive risk that the increased accessibility of easy-to-use tools, the normalization of non-consensually sexualizing others, and the minimization of harms experienced by those who have their images created and/or shared may impact prevention and response efforts. This article reports on findings from 25 qualitative interviews conducted with perpetrators ( n = 10) and victims ( n = 15) of sexualized deepfake abuse in Australia. It provides insights into sexualized deepfake abuse, patterns in perpetration and motivations, and explores theoretical explanations that may shed light on how perpetrators justify and minimize their behavior. Ultimately, the study finds some similarities with other forms of technology-facilitated sexual violence, but identifies a need for responses that recognize the accessibility and ease with which deepfakes can be created, and which capture the diversity of experiences, motivations, and consequences. The article argues that responses should expand beyond criminalization to include cross-national collaborations to regulate deepfake tool availability, searches, and advertisements.

The present study examines young women's (N = 1,734) perceptions of the unacceptability of 47 intrusive activities enacted by men. Female undergraduate psychology students from 12 countries (Armenia, Australia, England, Egypt, Finland, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Portugal, Scotland, Trinidad) indicated which of 47 intrusive activities they considered to be unacceptable. Responses were compared with parasite‐stress values, a measure of global gender equality and Hofstede's dimensions of national cultures. There was no unanimous agreement on any of the items, even for those relating to forced sexual violence. Cluster analysis yielded four clusters: “Aggression and surveillance” (most agreement that the constituent items were unacceptable), “Unwanted attention,” “Persistent courtship and impositions,” and “Courtship and information seeking” (least agreement that the constituent items were unacceptable). There were no significant relationships between the “Aggression and surveillance” or “Courtship and information seeking” clusters and the measure of gender equality, Hofstede's dimensions of national cultures or the measure of parasite stress. For the “Unwanted attention” and “Persistent courtship and impositions” clusters, women residing in countries with higher gender inequality and higher parasite‐stress were less accepting of behavior associated with uncommitted sexual relations, and women in more individualistic societies with higher levels of gender equality were less accepting of monitoring activities. Culture may take precedence over personal interpretations of the unacceptability of intrusive behavior that is not obviously harmful or benign in nature.

The role of rapport facilitating cooperation and information disclosure has been widely acknowledged by both researchers and practitioners across professional information‐gathering contexts. However, the definition and assessment of rapport are still debated, resulting in a lack of reliable and commonly used tools to effectively measure rapport. This review explored how rapport has been measured in professional information‐gathering contexts and illustrates key characteristics of published measures in a searchable systematic map. A total of 111 research articles and 126 measures of rapport were evaluated based on standards in scale development and validation. The measures' conceptualisation of rapport was also examined with their individual items being coded for the following theorised components of rapport: (i) paying attention, (ii) personalising the interview/interaction, (iii) being approachable and (iv) establishing a mutual connection. Findings are synthesised and discussed in relation to the overarching patterns found, including limited consistency and validity in current measures of rapport.