The use of artificial intelligence (AI) has become integral to contemporary society, and to some extent, people have come to depend on it in their daily lives. Some use it to optimize their tasks, while others use it for entertainment. However, one product of AI has been causing more harm than good: deepfakes.
Deepfakes are AI-generated or digitally manipulated images, videos, or audio recordings designed to imitate a person’s appearance or voice with a high degree of realism. This became particularly evident in 2024 when sexually explicit, AI-generated images falsely depicting American pop singer Taylor Swift circulated widely online.
In the Philippines, deepfakes are commonly encountered in the form of memes and publication materials circulating online. However, their reach has expanded beyond digital humor and is increasingly serving as a tool for misinformation within Philippine politics.
In fact, the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) has been eyeing a ban on AI and deepfake technology during the campaign period for the polls. Furthermore, studies suggest that Filipinos are particularly vulnerable to believing deepfakes, with reports indicating a sharp rise of up to 4,500% in deepfake-related content in the country. Given the Philippines’ constant digital connectivity, this exposure further increases the risk posed by deepfakes to the general public.
However, the problem isn’t only about the existence of deepfakes; the issue is not merely the existence of deepfakes. At this point, Filipinos are already deeply immersed in a digital environment where completely preventing their use may no longer be feasible. The greater concern lies in how deepfakes are being utilized, and at times, weaponized against individuals and groups.
The Deeper Problem: Identity Theft
In 2025, a doctor reportedly lost P93 million in a deepfake video scam that used the likeness of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. According to the victim, she was persuaded to trust the suspects and invest after they provided her with expensive gifts, which they claimed were from the President.
Aside from misinformation and political propaganda, one of the dangers brought by deepfakes is defrauding people by using someone else’s identity. It could be someone prominent, like a political figure or celebrity; someone in authority, like a bank representative; or even you. This danger is said to be no longer theoretical. According to the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC), between 200 and 300 deepfakes are being detected by authorities daily. Because of this increase in deepfake usage, criminals have shifted from traditional credential theft to “identity-driven attacks”. In this evolved form of scamming, criminals impersonate real individuals to bypass security and infiltrate financial systems.
Laws Against Deepfake Technology
As of writing, no law specifically targets the misuse of AI and deepfakes. However, it has already caught the attention of the authorities and lawmakers.
According to the Philippine National Police (PNP), deepfakes and coordinated online harassment are now “public order concerns”. They added that these are potential threats not only to individuals but also to institutional credibility and national security. Meanwhile, several bills have been filed to regulate deepfake technology, i.e., House Bills (HB) 250, 2312, 3214, 3425, 3823, 5558, HB 6539, 6632, 7584, 7903, and 8773, and Senate Bills 758 and 1714.
Earlier this year, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) also ordered the takedown of AI chatbot Grok in the Philippines due to nonconsensual sexually explicit deepfakes of women and minors.
How Victims Fight Back
Despite the lack of existing laws to combat AI and deepfakes, victims may still rely on existing jurisprudence with the help of competent legal assistance while waiting for more comprehensive legislation:
- Republic Act No. 10175 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 – this law penalizes computer-related identity theft, fraud, and cyberlibel.
- Republic Act No. 10173 or the Data Privacy Act of 2012 – the law penalizes unauthorized use and processing of personal data.
- Republic Act No. 8293 or the Intellectual Property Code – this law penalizes infringement of copyrighted material or misuse of a person’s copyrighted voice, image, and likeness.