The men who digitally transform these women into their graphic sexual fantasies do not think of their humanity at all because, to them, these women are objects to own. This is the dangerous entitlement Gavin Plumb embodied when he set out to fulfil the sick fantasy of his celebrity crush, fuelled by the explicit deepfakes he was able to access on his screen.
Plumb was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum of 16 years, minus the 280 days he had already served for his plot to kidnap, rape and murder Holly Willoughby.
This case should act as a warning to the government that we cannot drop the ball when it comes to online misogyny and the dangerous beliefs it fuels. It highlights the urgent need for legal reform by adopting GLAMOUR’s campaign in partnership with End Violence Against Women Coalition (EVAW), Not Your Porn and Professor Clare McGlynn, which calls for the introduction of a dedicated, comprehensive Image-Based abuse law to protect women and girls.
“Online abuse is often part of a pattern of offending that can include other forms of violence against women, including kidnap, rape and murder”
Speaking to GLAMOUR, Professor Clare McGlynn shared how the findings had left her disturbed but not surprised: “Deepfake sexual abuse has real repercussions. This case gives the lie to the justifications of deepfake creators that this is ‘fantasy’ material and consent does not matter. I hope it means we never again hear the excuse that deepfake abuse of celebrities is ok, as they are ‘just’ celebrities, and this is what comes with the territory.”
She went on to emphasise why legal reform is a key part of combatting online misogyny: “Criminalising creating sexually explicit deepfakes would target the root cause of this abuse. It would send a message to perpetrators and society that this is wrong and harmful. Importantly, it says to women that we recognise this threat and abuse; we hear you.”
Rebecca Hitchen, Head of Policy & Campaigns at the End Violence Against Women Coalition (EVAW), also shared her concerns. “We know that online abuse is often part of a pattern of offending that can include other forms of violence against women, including kidnap, rape and murder,” she says. “However, it is deeply harmful in its own right – impacting survivors’ wellbeing, relationships, health, career prospects and their rights and freedoms to take part in public life online, so must be taken extremely seriously.”
Hitchen told GLAMOUR why it is crucial that Parliament act now to prevent tech companies from profiting off of this abuse and pushing violent content through its algorithms: “The current online safety law does not go far enough to tackle this, and other criminal laws are patchy and inconsistent. That’s why we’re calling on the government to strengthen the criminal laws around this abuse, but it must also go much further and improve civil laws so that survivors can take action against perpetrators and tech companies, including securing orders to take down abusive content.”
“Any new law must also sustainably fund the specialist services that provide survivors with vital, often life-saving, support; and ensure that relationships and sex education in schools across the country addresses this type of abuse, so young people are informed about consent and equality and understand the consequences of using deepfake apps. Finally, we’re calling on the law to introduce an online abuse commission to advocate for victims and hold tech companies accountable for the role they play in enabling and facilitating this abuse.”
Elena Michael, director at Not Your Porn, adds: “Deepfakes are not just part of an abusive toolkit to harm women, they also promote male entitlement to access women’s bodies without consent and to be violent towards women, both online and offline.
“Gavin Plumb is yet another example of this. We desperately need a system that comprehensively tackles image-based abuse, including deepfakes, that understands its links to other forms of male violence and prevents this behaviour.”
Find out more about GLAMOUR’s campaign in partnership with the End Violence Against Women Coalition (EVAW), Not Your Porn and Professor Clare McGlynn, demanding that the government introduces a dedicated, comprehensive Image-Based Abuse law to protect women and girls.
Revenge Porn Helpline provides advice, guidance and support to victims of intimate image-based abuse over the age of 18 who live in the UK. You can call them on 0345 6000 459.
The Cyber Helpline provides free, expert help and advice to people targeted by online crime and harm in the UK and USA.