Do you share family photos on Facebook? Your child can be hijacked by artificial intelligence

Parents should use careful judgment in what they share about their children on social media. Illustration picture. MostPhotos

A child can be digitally captured using artificial intelligence. This is the message of the German IT company Deutsche Telekom adwhich warns parents about the risks of sharing their child’s photos and videos.

In the ad, the AI-created “Ella” tells her parents how her identity can be stolen. His face and voice can be captured in scam messages and he can, for example, lose his credit information in the wrong hands.

In the darkest case, with the help of artificial intelligence, a child’s face can end up on criminal websites based on child sexual abuse. BBC has reported that pedophiles are using artificial intelligence to create and sell realistic child sexual abuse material on the internet.

Criminal activity

Although the ad’s message is harsh, it’s not entirely wrong. It is possible that AI in the wrong hands can use the images and sound of children for criminal purposes.

– Artificial intelligence is used in criminal activities in different ways. In cybercrime, in addition to traditional methods, new forms of crime are typically used, he says Aku Limnell Iltalehti by e-mail.

Limnell is the Chief Inspector of the Central Criminal Police (KRP) cyber crime prevention centre. In Finland, the cases brought to the attention of the police are mostly crimes committed with the intention of bullying, where the victim is created, for example, with a fake account.

– Based on the photos or videos provided by the victim himself, he may be blackmailed in different ways, says Limnell.

According to Limnell, the current cyber operating environment has, for example, enabled the crime-as-a-service model for cybercrime.

– Various services can be purchased on the market platforms in question, which people with no IT skills can use when committing crimes. Artificial deep counterfeiting applications and programs are also available, says Limnell.

Pictures and videos of the child can be shared on different platforms. Pictures can be used, for example, by attaching or replacing a face to another picture or to a body in the picture. Attaching a face image to artificial deepfake videos ie deep fake -videos is also possible.

Has this kind of activity been seen in Finland yet?

– Low-level image manipulations have been encountered in Finland, but the police are not aware of any indications of the actual use of artificial intelligence in the misuse of images or videos, says Limnell.

– Within the framework of their powers, the police is present in various channels and is able to fight and intervene in criminal activities. The Central Criminal Police continuously monitors the development of technology and cybercrime phenomena.

A significant change in the digital environment

So is it possible that if you share your child’s pictures on social media, they could end up in criminal activity?

Limnell reminds that, in general, there are risks associated with sharing pictures on social media.

– Being aware of the risks is important because criminals can use shared images in different ways in their own activities. The risk can be reduced, for example, by paying attention to privacy, in other words, private settings, which it would be good to familiarize yourself with carefully.

Mannerheim Children’s Protection Association (MLL) is an expert in media education Rauna Rahja is on the same lines.

Rahja also confirms that artificial intelligence creates new types of risks in the digital environment. According to Rahja, there has also been a change in the digital environment.

– Unfortunately, artificial intelligence provides opportunities for the misuse of a child’s information. The situation has also changed in such a way that in the past efforts have been made to remind parents not to publish pictures of their children without consideration, says Rahja.

– Today, the situation is that when sharing even small and harmless content, there is a risk that the image ends up in the wrong hands. It can be edited into something that is harmful or dangerous to the child.

Child privacy protection

Every child also has the right to privacy.

– It is related to the child’s basic rights. It means that the child’s private and identifiable personal information, such as home address, is not shared in the digital environment. Parents must take care that the child maintains privacy.

A child has privacy right from birth, Rahja reminds.

– Parents do not own the child’s privacy. You have to use careful judgment about what you share about your child on social media. There are sensitive things that cannot be shared at all, for example health information or sensitive pictures, says Rahja.

– There is never any certainty that the child’s images and information would only be preserved on a certain platform and in the context where it was shared. The smaller the child, the bigger the role of the parent’s consideration and smart action.

Rahja also reminds that one’s own child must also be taught to consider the privacy of others. The child may not share pictures and information about others without permission.

Digital environments are constantly evolving. Rahja emphasizes that it is important for parents to stay on top of the changes.

– Parents must be involved in the child’s use of media. Let’s develop a safe digital environment for the child together. Everyday life and life are becoming more and more digitalized, so the importance of security is growing all the time, Rahja sums up.