Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming an integral part of our daily lives, from social media recommendations to government services. While these technologies can bring great efficiency and progress, they also create serious risks, especially in the form of deepfakes and manipulated media. This is a critical challenge for Sri Lanka, and the Right to Life Human Rights Centre (R2L), in partnership with its Journalists for Rights network, is taking a proactive stance to address it.
Beyond Fake News: A Tangible Threat to Our Society
Deepfakes are hyper-realistic videos, images, and audio created using AI to make individuals appear to say or do things they never did. In Sri Lanka, this is not a distant threat but a present danger.
We have already seen this technology used for both political and financial manipulation. A deepfake video falsely portraying prominent businessman Dhammika Perera was circulated to promote a fraudulent investment scam, deceiving unsuspecting citizens. Similarly, politically motivated deepfakes have appeared, attempting to link a public figure to a regional conflict to sow public distrust.
These incidents demonstrate how manipulated content can easily exploit pre-existing vulnerabilities, damage reputations, and erode public trust in both individuals and institutions.
The Deeper Crisis: Deepfakes as a Weapon Against Women
While political and financial fakes grab headlines, the most pervasive and dangerous application of deepfake technology is a profound human rights issue: online gender-based violence (OGBV).
According to a key report, a staggering 96% of all deepfakes are used to create non-consensual sexual content, with women being the targets in 99% of these cases. Our own monitoring efforts in Sri Lanka confirms this disturbing trend. AI-generated manipulated images and videos are a rising threat to local actresses, singers, content creators, and ordinary women.
The creation and dissemination of this content is a gross violation of a person’s sexual autonomy and dignity. Furthermore, the threat of being targeted with manipulated content can intimidate female politicians, activists, and journalists into silence, ultimately hindering their participation in public discourse and undermining our democracy.
The Online Safety Act: A Flawed Response
In response to similar threats, the Sri Lankan government introduced the Online Safety Act (OSA), citing the need to combat misinformation and protect women and children. However, a critical review of the law’s application reveals a concerning disconnect between its stated intent and its impact.
Despite the government’s claims, since its enactment, the law has not been used a single time to protect women or children from online harm. Instead, legal cases filed under the OSA have primarily been initiated by public figures and businesses for defamation.
Human rights organizations and legal experts have raised serious concerns that the law’s vague definitions and lack of independent oversight pose a significant threat to freedom of expression, potentially allowing for the censorship of legitimate dissent and the stifling of investigative journalism.
A Call to Action: The Need for Public and Civil Society Engagement
A purely legislative approach is not enough. The key to combating this issue is a collective effort from all of society. A resilient society, one equipped with the tools to identify and counter manipulated content is the ultimate defense.
This is why R2L and Journalists for Rights are leading empowerment of the public, civil society, and journalists to navigate this new digital reality.
By fostering public awareness and building the capacity of journalists to investigate and report on AI’s impact, we can ensure that a national framework for ethical AI is built from the ground up, not imposed from the top down. This is not just a technical issue; it is a fight for human rights, trust, and the future of our democracy.
Resources
Hashtag Generation: Gendered Implications of Generative AI: https://hashtaggeneration.org/gendered-implications-of-generative-ai/
Oxford Human Rights Hub: The US Take It Down Act – The Fight Against Deepfake-Enabled TFGV and Human Rights: https://ohrh.law.ox.ac.uk/the-us-take-it-down-act-the-fight-against-deepfake-enabled-tfgbv-and-human-rights/
LankaLaw: Cases Filed Under the Online Safety Act: https://lankalaw.net/2025/01/19/cases-filed-under-online-safety-act/
ResearchGate: Sri Lanka’s New Online Safety Bill: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/386875284_Sri_Lanka’s_New_Online_Safety_Bill
Fact Crescendo: AI-Generated Deepfake Video Falsely Portrays Dhammika Perera Promoting Investment Scam: https://srilanka.factcrescendo.com/english/ai-generated-deepfake-video-falsely-portrays-dhammika-perera-promoting-investment-scam/
Hashtag Generation: The Indo-Pak War After Pahalgam – AI Propaganda and the Sri Lankan Algorithm: https://hashtaggeneration.org/the-indo-pak-war-after-pahalgam-ai-propaganda-and-the-sri-lankan-algorithm/
By: Dinithi Pelithanthrige