Untan Student Deepfake Case: Experts Highlight Digital Ethics Crisis
The alleged use of deepfake technology by a student from the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences at Tanjungpura University (Untan) to edit photos of female peers into vulgar content has triggered profound concern. Experts view this action as a serious alarm regarding the crisis of digital ethics and the influence of patriarchal culture within higher education environments.
Saifuddin, a Sociology expert from the University of Bangka Belitung, emphasised that the development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology, if not accompanied by human values, carries a high risk of fostering exploitation, particularly against women. He identified the root of the problem in imbalanced gender perspectives.
“This social problem occurs because, historically, women have often been positioned as a second class to male superiority. However, in the Islamic approach, men and women are not placed in first or second-class terminology; rather, the best position is determined by piety,” Saifuddin told Media Indonesia on Monday.
Data indicates that the vulnerability of women in digital spaces is extremely high. Saifuddin revealed that approximately 38% of women have experienced violence in digital spaces, including becoming victims of deepfake technology. He asserted that the case in West Kalimantan should not be dismissed as mere mischief.
“What happened with the student in West Kalimantan, editing photos of classmates into vulgar conditions, is a form of moral knowledge crisis, especially since it was perpetrated by the educated class. This is very regrettable and must be a priority for universities as members of the scientific community,” he stated.
As an anticipatory measure, Saifuddin encouraged a “social moral resolution” within educational institutions. He emphasised that science and knowledge must not be value-free and must always be grounded in humanitarian principles.
“There must be a collective awareness that science and knowledge are not always value-free without morality. It is our shared duty to bring science and knowledge into the midst of human civilisation based on humanitarian principles,” he added.
The case surfaced after the suspect, identified by the initials RY, a student at Untan’s FMIPA, was found to be storing several AI-edited vulgar photos in his phone gallery. The discovery was made accidentally when a peer borrowed the phone to document practical results for a Microbial Systematics course.