The Deepfake Dilemma: New challenges protecting students, confidentiality

It’s happening all over the country, this time impacting 44 girls at a high school in Iowa when generative artificial intelligence (GAI) was used to create nude deepfake images of them from photos they posted on social media. Four of their male classmates were recently charged as juveniles.

The girls learned about it when an official from Cascade High School in Cascade, Iowa notified their parents along with a warning not to talk about it, according to the victims. Angry at being silenced, they issued a joint public statement signed “Voices of the Strong 44,” calling for new policies and better support. The girls said when they returned to school the next day, no one checked on their wellbeing or offered them counseling.

“To say we were confused, shocked and uncomfortable is an understatement,” the victims, from all grade levels, said in their statement. “We all assumed actions would have taken place by the next day at school. We couldn’t have been more wrong. Many of us walked into school, forced to sit next to the boys who sexually violated and harassed us.”

What happened in Iowa is not an isolated incident and highlights the mounting challenges facing schools, law enforcement and courts trying to protect children’s safety and confidentiality as technology advances at break-neck speed. 

Mother of one of the victims made special T-shirts to empower the 44 girls. Requests for the T-shirts have come from other states, along with donations, and the girls can donate the proceeds to a charity of their choice.

Many states are scrambling to enact new laws. Iowa state law was updated in 2024, making the creation of AI-generated sexual content of minors a crime. The “Take it Down Act,” a federal law signed into law in May, now makes it a federal crime to publish nude or explicit images — whether real or fake — of a child. The law also requires online platforms to remove nonconsensual images within 48 hours of a victim’s report.

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) has testified to Congress about the unique impact of GAI on child sexual exploitation. Our CyberTipline, the centralized mechanism in the U.S. for reporting these online crimes, has seen reports skyrocket.

In 2023, NCMEC received 4,700 reports, then 67,000 last year, including from parents of the Iowa students. But in just the first six months of this year, that number has soared to 440,000 reports, including deepfakes.

“What happened to these students is a stark reminder that emerging technologies are being weaponized against children faster than systems can respond,” said John Shehan, who oversees our Exploited Children Division and global efforts. “At NCMEC, our priority is making sure families know they are not alone — and that real help and real reporting mechanisms exist when harm occurs.”

The Western Dubuque Community School District said it’s been cooperating with law enforcement’s investigation since the incident occurred in March.

Superintendent Dan Butler called what happened a “scary new era for technology” and said the school district is working to establish new policies and educate parents about the dangers facing students on the internet.

“It’s an incredibly challenging situation,” said Butler, noting the incident itself did not happen at the school. “The laws are behind. We’re in a very connected world.”

Students all over the country are concerned about the impact deepfakes could have on their reputations and futures. The Iowa school district said the images appeared to have been confined to peers online, but an effort is under way to remove any images shared elsewhere.

“We are teenage girls who should have been enjoying our last few months of school,” the 44 girls said in their statement. “Instead, we’ve been forced to take matters into our own hands and put ourselves out there to fight for the most basic protections and support from our school. We decided to write this statement so our voices can be heard and changes can be made, not just for us, but for all the girls coming after us.”