MANILA, Philippines --- It was just a few day when actress Angel Aquino learned from a friend that there was a deepfake video using her face.
At first, she said, she felt ill, nauseated, confused and stunned.
"Then, it was disgust and anger for being violated as a person in a revolting and humiliating way," Aquino on Thursday told the Senate committee on women looking into the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology to proliferate deepfake pornography.
"I mean, I think any one of us---if we saw our own face in a porn video---I don't know how you'd feel, but it's really disrespectful and violating. You don't even know what to feel. You don't know who to talk to about it," she said.
But thanks to the staff of Sen. Risa Hontiveros, head of the women panel, who reached out to her.
To be a victim of this deepfake video was "dehumanizing," according to the actress.
"It was digital assault -- one that leaves no bruises on the skin, but strips away one's dignity in the most obscene manner imaginable," she said.
"We all know how it is to build a name, to gain credibility and earn respect from our family, our colleagues, our community. But this vile manipulation is still a non-consensual act of a sexual nature using my face, my identity, my integrity," Aquino said.
And she is not the only one violated here, she stressed.
Citing information from the office of the senator, Aquino noted that there are also other "personalities in the limelight who have become victims of this grave assault" but they don't know about it yet.
"The thought of our images being abused, subject of a despicable act that is nothing to the perpetrator but a mere carnal entertainment is horrifying," she said.
"So how about other innocent, unsuspecting women and girls who may not have the voice, influence or platform to fight back? How are we all protected?" she asked.
The actress then urged authorities to act fast and punish the perpetrators, including those who share and repost these deepfake materials, as well as the websites that host them and the platforms that "turn a blind eye while it spreads."
"Those who make money out of this, accountability must be total because the damage multiplies with every click, every share, every view," Aquino said.
"Let this not just be a discussion. Let this result to strong, enforceable law," she said, "I came forward today because this has to stop. I want to help protect our women and children, and effectively put an end to this. The effects of these deepfakes can be catastrophic to the rights of women and girls and our own integrity, our autonomy, and our choice."
Queen Hera, a content creator and businesswoman, also recounted in the hearing how her daughter fell victim to deepfake pornography.
As a content creator, she said she usually posts photos and videos of herself and her daughter.
"And one day, someone sent me a DM on Instagram saying that my daughter had been seen on the dark web. When I checked, I saw the image myself. It was edited, yes---but her face had been superimposed onto a man's private part," she said.
"So as a mother, that was incredibly heartbreaking for me. I felt helpless at that time, knowing that nothing seemed safe anymore---not even online. Even if your posts are completely innocent, they're not safe from people who might see them," the content creator added. /apl
NOTE: The English translations in the article were AI-generated.