With summer break about to start and children expected to spend more time online, ALERT’s Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) unit is warning parents about the growing online trend of deepfakes involving artificial intelligence (AI).
“AI and deepfakes are a new trend we’re starting to see online and in some of our investigations. It’s an area that continues to grow and evolve rapidly. It’s important for us to be responsive in not only sharing our concerns, but also educating parents,” said Const. Stephanie Bosch of ALERT ICE.
The Canadian Centre for Child Protection defines a deepfake as “video, images or audio recordings that look or sound completely realistic but have been altered using AI.
Faces can be superimposed, expressions can be manipulated, and separate elements can be combined to produce something entirely new and commonly used to show someone doing or saying something they didn’t do or say.”
“Our team is hearing more stories about the negative effects of AI, especially when it’s used by someone with ill intent. It is imperative that parents are aware this technology exists, especially with kids home this summer,” said Cpl. Heather Bangle of ALERT ICE.
The ICE unit’s community engagement team encourages parents and caregivers to:
- Talk to children about their online activities
- Build trust so they feel safe coming to you if something happens online
- Take an interest in their interactions on the platforms they use
- Show vulnerability to create a safe space
- Ask questions about their apps, games and online friends
Cpl. Bangle and Const. Bosch are members of ALERT ICE’s community engagement team, which has delivered 64 online safety presentations this year to parents and caregivers across Alberta.
The team was established in 2024 to help educate families and prevent online exploitation.
Anyone with information about child exploitation is asked to contact their local police or report anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.
ALERT (Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams) was established and is funded by the Government of Alberta. It brings together the province’s most sophisticated law enforcement resources to target serious and organized crime.
** With information from ALERT
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