18/07/2025

FRIDAY | JULY 18, 2025

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AI ‘nudify’ apps fuel deadly wave of blackmail

Hinchliff said: “I remain proud to have been elected as a Labour MP and I hope in time to return to the Labour benches. “In the meantime, I will continue to fight every day for the needs of my constituents, and nothing will change in how I engage with and represent those I was elected to serve.” Hinchliff led a rebellion against the ministers’ planning Bill over environmental concerns. A Labour backbencher described the suspensions as “devastating” and said they did not signal a willingness from the government to reset relations with the parliamentary party. – Bernama-dpa US citizen imprisoned after immigration raid CAMARILLO: A US citizen and army veteran who works as a security guard at a California cannabis farm said on Wednesday US officials arrested him during an immigration raid last week and held him for three days without explanation. George Retes, 25, told reporters that he was manhandled by federal agents who broke his car window, damaged his vehicle and sprayed him with tear gas during the raid last Thursday, when immigration officers were confronted by throngs of angry protesters in Camarillo, about 80km northwest of Los Angeles. He said he was released on Sunday afternoon. “I told them everything, that I was a citizen, I worked there, and they did not care. They never told me my charges and they sent me away. They sent me to a place in downtown Los Angeles without even telling me what I was arrested for. “They took two officers to kneel on my back and then one on my neck to arrest me, although my hands were already behind my back and I was covered in (pepper) spray.“ The raid was part of an intensified immigration crackdown launched by the administration of President Donald Trump in June. Protesters regularly appear at immigration raids in the Los Angeles area, demonstrating their opposition to the government’s display of force. Immigrant rights groups have said the raids have periodically ensnared US citizens and legal permanent residents. Homeland Security Department spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin confirmed in a statement that Retes was arrested, released and has not been charged. “The US Attorney’s Office is reviewing his case, along with dozens of others, for potential federal charges related to the execution of the federal search warrant in Camarillo.“ Retes, who said he works for a security company contracted by the Glass House cannabis farm, said he missed his daughter’s third birthday while in jail and is planning to sue the federal government. “It does not matter if you are an immigrant, it does not matter the colour of your skin. No one deserves to be treated this way. I hope this never happens to anyone ever again.” – Reuters

o Thousands of minors targeted by such extortion method, spurring calls for more action from tech platforms and regulators

WASHINGTON: After a Kentucky teenager died by suicide this year, his parents discovered that he had received threatening texts demanding US$3,000 (RM12,736) to suppress an artificial intelligence (AI)-generated nude image of him. The tragedy underscores how so-called sextortion scams targeting children are growing around the world, particularly with the rapid proliferation of “nudify” apps, AI tools that digitally strip off clothing or generate sexualised imagery. Elijah Heacock, 16, was just one of thousands of American minors targeted by such digital blackmail, which has spurred calls for more action from tech platforms and regulators. His parents told US media that the text messages ordered him to pay up or an apparently AI-generated nude photo would be sent to his family and friends. US investigators were looking into the case, which comes as nudify apps are being increasingly weaponised against children. The FBI has reported a “horrific increase” in sextortion cases targeting US minors, with victims typically males between the ages of 14 and 17.

in Spain have been victims of deepfake nudes, with those images shared online without their consent. This year, Spanish prosecutors said they were investigating three minors in the town of Puertollano for allegedly targeting their classmates and teachers with AI-generated pornographic content and distributing it in their school. In the United Kingdom, the government this year made creating sexually explicit deepfakes a criminal offence, with perpetrators facing up to two years’ jail. In May, US President Donald Trump signed the bipartisan “Take It Down Act”, which criminalises the non-consensual publication of intimate images while also mandating their removal from online platforms. Meta recently announced it is filing a lawsuit against a Hong Kong company behind a nudify app called Crush AI, which it said repeatedly circumvented the tech giant’s rules to post ads on its platforms. However, researchers say AI nudifying sites remain resilient. “The fight against AI nudifiers has been a game of whack-a-mole,” said Indicator, calling the apps and sites “malicious adversaries”. – AFP

claimed to have successfully blackmailed some 13-year-old girls. A new analysis of 85 websites selling nudify services found that they may be collectively worth up to US$36 million a year. An analysis from Indicator, a US publication investigating digital deception, estimated that 18 of the sites made between US$2.6 million and US$18.4 million over six months. Most of the sites rely on tech infrastructure from Google, Amazon, and Cloudflare to operate, and remain profitable despite crackdowns by platforms and regulators, it said. The proliferation of AI tools has led to new forms of abuse impacting children, including pornography scandals at universities and schools worldwide, in which teenagers created sexualised images of their classmates. A recent Save the Children survey found that one in five young people

The threat has led to an “alarming number of suicides”, it warned. In a recent survey, Thorn, a non-profit focused on preventing online child exploitation, found that 6% of American teens have been a direct victim of deepfake nudes. “Reports of fakes and deepfakes, many of which are generated using these ‘nudifying’ services, seem to be closely linked with reports of financial sextortion or blackmail with sexually explicit images,” said British watchdog Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) last year. “Perpetrators no longer need to source intimate images from children because images that are convincing enough to be harmful can be produced using AI.” The IWF identified one “paedophile guide” developed by predators that explicitly encouraged perpetrators to use nudifying tools to generate material to blackmail children. The author of the guide

RISING MAGMA ... Lava emerging through a fissure following a volcanic eruption near Grindavik, Reykjanes in Iceland on Wednesday. – REUTERSPIC

British prime minister suspends rebellious MPs LONDON: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has carried out a purge of troublesome backbenchers as he suspended several MPs, reported PA Media/dpa. and all aside from Maskell were first elected in last year’s election. remains “as committed as ever” to Labour values but accepted that voting against the welfare plans “could come at a cost”.

The office of the MP for Alloa and Grangemouth confirmed that he had had the whip “temporarily suspended”. “I wish to remain a Labour MP and deliver the positive change many voters are craving,” said Leishman in a statement. “I have voted against the government on issues because I want to effectively represent and be the voice for communities across Alloa and Grangemouth. “I firmly believe that it is not my duty as an MP to make people poorer, especially those who have suffered because of austerity and its dire consequences.”

Maskell said she has been suspended for “standing up for my constituents” over the benefits plans. The York Central MP added that she had a “positive conversation” with the chief whip and said: “He knows my heart and why I did what I did. “I explained that there are lines I cannot cross because of where I come from in politics with my faith.” She said she is “not angry” but “upset that we are in this place because I believe we are better than that as a party. I believe that strength comes from the backbenches”. Duncan-Jordan has said he

The Poole MP said: “Since being elected, I have consistently spoken up for my constituents on a range of issues, including most recently on cuts to disability benefits. “I understood this could come at a cost but I could not support making disabled people poorer.” Meanwhile, Leishman has been a critic of the government’s response to the Grangemouth closure. He said he is a “proud Labour member” and remains “committed to the party”.

It is understood that those who have been suspended have had the whip removed due to repeated infringements when it comes to party discipline. Rachael Maskell, who spearheaded plans to halt the government’s welfare reforms, has lost the whip, alongside Neil Duncan-Jordan, Brian Leishman and Chris Hinchliff. They voted against the government’s benefits reforms as part of a wider rebellion earlier this month,