Earlier this year, doctored pornographic images of singer Taylor Swift that were widely circulated online drew attention to the growing phenomenon of deepfakes. While some see these as a technological innovation for artistic purposes, others consider them a worrying development in how digital technologies are being used to perpetuate gender-based violence.

This observation raises an essential question: Is there a notable difference in terms of violence between the content of online pornographic videos versus those on sites dedicated to fake pornography?

Read more: Deepfake porn: why we need to make it a crime to create it, not just share it

As a criminologist and associate professor at the Université de Montréal, my research focuses mainly on cybercrime, where I strive to bridge the gap between the academic world and cybersecurity. By combining my expertise in criminology and cybercrime, my work helps improve the understanding of online threats.

Deepfake is a portmanteau combining “deep learning” and “fake.” This technology makes it possible to simulate the identity of a person or character using visual and auditory information collected by artificial intelligence. The technique makes it possible to impersonate someone and, if the person’s consent is not obtained beforehand, steal their identity. Deepfakes can be very realistic.

This is a worrying phenomenon — fake videos can go viral and contribute to public misinformation. For example, some........

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