Amid several quarantine trends on social media, the saree challenge seems to be the most popular one, especially on Facebook. However, reports suggest that these pictures of women in their six yards of elegance can end up on porn websites or used for catfishing.
Buzz is that DeepNude, a website that came under scanner in 2019, for creating morphed pictures of clothed people as nude, is back at functioning again, and this challenge might just be their playground. A report by The Hindu suggests that Indian cyber criminals are using DeepNude to make porn, catfish and blackmail people.
The DeepNude website uses Artificial intelligence, which allows a simple clothed picture of a person appear naked. It is said to have “X-Ray feature to see through clothes”.
Superintendent of Police, Maharashtra Cyber department, Balsing Rajput, said to the Hindu that this is a serious crime and they have placed a team to monitor the same in order to take some stringent action.
Civilian cyber expert Shubham Singh also added that they have received information about pictures of women morphed using DeepNude and used with malicious intent on dating apps too.
The saree challenge is a string of endless opportunities for these criminals, as it requires you to tag 25 people and share pictures online. Experts recommend using privacy settings to not risk your profile and of those you’re tagging.
Here’s the message that is being circulated:
Challenge Accepted
With all the negativity going around the world, lets do something positive!! Let’s build each other .
Upload 1 “Saree clad “picture of yourself… ONLY you. Then tag some more gorgeous women to do the same.
Build yourself up instead of tearing yourself down! I know these are difficult times, but with a little prudence and patience we will tide over it:heart:
COPY AND PASTE
If I tagged you, don’t disappoint me, please do it!!!!!
In addition to this, Operation Blackface has been started by Maharashtra Cyber which is said to be a campaign against online sexual exploitation of women and children in India.