The Ministry of Justice has announced a new law that will see those who create sexually explicit deepfake images face prosecution.

Under the new legislation, which will form part of the Criminal Justice Bill, people that make these kind of hyper-realistic, doctored images could be hit with a criminal record or a fine, even if they have no intent to share it but want to cause "alarm, humiliation or distress" to a victim.

If an image is shared more widely, offenders could be sent to jail.

The term deepfake was first coined in 2017, when a Reddit user with the same name started uploading digitally altered pornographic videos onto the site. Indian journalist Rana Ayyub fell victim to the perpetrator, which was shared over 40,000 times.

The government says the change to the Criminal Justice Bill will strengthen other existing offences, as if a person both creates this kind of image and then shares it, the CPS could charge them with two offences, potentially leading to their sentence being increased.

“The creation of deepfake sexual images is despicable and completely unacceptable irrespective of whether the image is shared,” said minister for victims and safeguarding, Laura Farris. “It is another example of ways in which certain people seek to degrade and dehumanise others - especially women.

"And it has the capacity to cause catastrophic consequences if the material is shared more widely. This government will not tolerate it.”

The move comes as deepfake images have become increasingly prevalent in recent years, with some viewed millions of times a month on a global scale.

European editorial director of Glamour Deborah Joseph welcomed the government's announcement after research from the magazine found that 91 per cent of its readers believe deepfake technology poses a threat to the safety of women.

"While this is an important first step, there is still a long way to go before women will truly feel safe from this horrendous activity," she said.

As part of the Criminal Justice Bill, which continues its passage through Parliament, the government is also creating a range of new criminal offences to punish those who take or record intimate images without consent - or install equipment to enable someone to do so.

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