Deepfake Sextortion Targets Schools

Schools are stripping student photos from their websites following a chilling wave of AI-driven sextortion.  
 
Blackmailers are scraping innocent campus images, feeding them into deepfake tools to manufacture explicit material, and demanding payouts. 
 
 
In one case, a UK secondary school was targeted with 150 AI-generated images.
 
 
This threat represents an evolution of traditional sextortion. 
 
Previously, extortionists relied on real, compromised media; now, readily accessible "nudify" apps allow attackers to weaponize ordinary social media and directory photos. 
 
UK reports of AI-generated abuse material doubled by late 2025, with girls comprising 94% of victims.

 
Advisory bodies are urging schools to reconsider publishing identifiable student images entirely. 
 
Recommended safeguards include using blurred, distant, or rear-angle photography, removing full names from captions, and conducting immediate image audits.
 
 
Regulatory landscapes complicate the response. 
 
In the US, student photos often fall under FERPA's "directory information," meaning they remain publicly accessible unless guardians actively opt out.
 
 
To combat this, the UK is amending its legislation to force tech platforms to remove flagged intimate imagery within 48 hours or face massive fines. 
 
 
Experts warn parents to limit their children's digital footprints across schools, sports clubs, and social media.