A few weeks ago, 18-year-old Bryre Thomson was settling into her freshman year of college when she started getting text messages from her friends back home in Pensacola that fake, nude photos of girls and young women from several local high schools had been found on the phone of a young man they knew. An altered photo of Bryre was among them.
It was a picture of the teen and her friend at the beach that Bryre had posted to her social media account when she was 16 years old, but the picture had been altered to remove the girls’ bathing suits and showed them appearing nude. The picture was the same as the one she had posted except for the nudity, and although Bryre knew it had been digitally altered, she was shocked and horrified at how real it looked.
“Once I saw the picture it was just really confusing, how it was so realistic, and I was like, why? Why is there this picture of me? I don’t talk to this guy. Neither does (my friend), It was just overwhelming. I didn’t know what to feel,” Bryre said, “but I wanted to report it.”
The young man is an 18-year-old student at Washington High School, according to Pensacola Police, who are investigating the fake nude pictures. His name is public record, but the News Journal is not reporting it because he has not been charged.
The parents of the young girls depicted in the photos fear he may never be.
What happened to the photos?
According to reports filed by parents and victims with both the Escambia Sheriff’s Office and Pensacola Police, the 18-year-old took pictures the girls had posted on their social media accounts and used an app that taps into AI technology to “undress” them and create very authentic looking nude images of them.
A picture of Julie Harmon’s 17-year-old daughter is among them. An altered image of her daughter at the beach, originally in a bikini, is one of the first to appear on a video of the manipulated pictures. That video of pictures on the 18-year-old man’s phone was sent to “juvenile females” including the girls depicted, which is how they learned the pictures existed.
“That was one of the most heartbreaking, disgusting things,” said Harmon. “Me having to screenshot that video (of the pictures) and compare it to my daughter’s original Instagram photo and show (police) that those are her arms, that’s her chest, but not her breasts, that’s her stomach, and you can even see the short line from her volleyball shorts, and there’s nothing in the front covering her. That’s her legs, and that’s her face. That’s the exact same pose. He basically just, almost like taking an eraser and erased (her bikini), and he put his own version of what she should have. It is creepy. What’s even more creepy is there are over 175 photos.”
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Bryre said not all of the images have been edited to show them “naked” and there are duplicate images of some of the girls, but she believes there are least 30 and possibly as many as 50 different young women depicted in his phone because she knows most, if not all of them.
Police haven’t said how many pictures there are or how many people have filed reports with them over the incident, but parents say a school resource officer was originally handling the case and a detective was recently assigned to it because more people are coming forward with complaints about the images.
Are Florida laws keeping up with technology?
However, police tell parents that investigating the case is a challenge because they’re trying to determine what, if any, laws apply to the altered photos. In 2022, Florida enacted a new “deep fake” law addressing the use of AI in creating altered sexual depictions and political misinformation, but criminal charges related to sexual depictions require that the images be “promoted” or shared and transferred.
According to an Escambia Sheriff’s Office report, the teen who created the images admitted he made them but told the deputy he did not “post the images online.” He said his ex-girlfriend, who had access to his phone and Snapchat account, took videos of the pictures on his phone, and shared them with a “group of individuals.” The girls in the photos say as far as they know the ex-girlfriend shared the photos with them in an effort to make them aware.
Parents and victims would like to verify his account that he did not post the images online or share them with others, but they can’t because they say law enforcement has not taken possession of his phone or devices to determine if what he said is true. In fact, parents say police tell them they could potentially pursue charges against the girl for sharing the photos, but moms who spoke to the News Journal say the girl who shared them alerted victims to the existence of the “disgusting” pictures and it’s the 18-year-old man who created them that they want held accountable.
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According to a Pensacola Police report, officers are investigating a possible charge of possession/control view depiction child pornography, but parents say police tell them they’re trying to determine if the pictures are “sexual” enough to meet statute requirements.
“My daughter texted me pretty upset stating that (police told her) they were not able to file or press charges against this young man because it doesn’t fall under the child pornography statute,” Harmon said, outraged. “Even if that is the problem, there is a giant loophole out there. What you’re saying is you can take any child’s photo, and you can edit it to what you want it to look like in terms of sexual. And you can keep it, possibly share it and sell it, and it’s not considered child pornography? How are these children safe? I’m just so shocked that this is a possible loophole, and he won’t get in trouble for this. That’s my daughter’s body, not her head cut and pasted onto someone else’s body. No girl’s picture is safe because it’s not considered child porn when it totally is. It’s so wrong, and I’m just so angry.”
A fake picture is worth a 1,000 concerns
Parents and victims are disturbed by how realistic the altered nude photos are and worry the images may have been shared online and could surface when the young women are applying for jobs, schools, or sororities.
“I would like to see a full and complete investigation,” said Autumn Beck Blackledge, Bryre’s mom. “Is my daughter’s altered photo out there on the dark web somewhere? We will only know if we see his phone and find out where he sent this. He uploaded her photo to an app and there is also no telling what the app can do with the photo. I believe a crime has been committed but ultimately, I believe that accountability is the only thing that will prevent this man from doing this again or something worse. To think about all the creeps who would feel emboldened to have a nude photo of a child on their phone if nothing happens in this case makes me want to vomit.”
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The News Journal has spoken to nearly a dozen parents and young women depicted in the images, both on and off the record. Some of the young ladies are very upset and struggling with the thought that the images exist, and that others have seen them. Although it’s not their fault, some are embarrassed, ashamed, stressed and traumatized about the exposure no matter if the pictures are fake. Others have been reluctant to even tell their families. Parents are worried about the toll it’s taking on some of them.
The parents also fear the 18-year-old man won’t be investigated fully because he’s from a politically connected family.
Pensacola police tell parents the suspect is not getting special treatment and that they are investigating.
“We are currently reviewing the facts that we have and are continuing to look into this case for more information,” said Pensacola Police Department spokesman Mike Wood. “Due to the nature of this case, we anticipate many questions, and we will be better prepared to answer them as the investigation moves forward.”
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State Attorney Ginger Madden said her office is also offering their resources to police as they continue their investigation to determine what, if any, statutes apply.
“That would be the most horrifying thing about all of it, is wondering if they’re going to pop up somewhere down the line,” said Madden. “That’s why, if it conforms with the law, it has to be prosecuted, whether he’s the grandson or nephew or son (of politically connected family members). If the law addresses these types of things, you know, then the least we can do is send a message.”
Victims and families say that’s why they’re speaking up, to make sure the concerns are heard, and the case is taken seriously. They don’t want to see this happen to others and if changes need to be made to the law to address it, they want to see those changes made.
“Bryre has always been very careful of her reputation and has big aspirations,” her mom, Autumn, said. “Seeing her worry about how this altered nude photo of her could pop back up when she least expects it has been so sad. She has been violated and it’s really hard to see her deal with this. It’s disgusting for me to think that she has been sexualized like this. I am also so proud of her. She has not hesitated to speak out about this and do what is right. It warms my heart to know that she will not be intimidated.”
Bryre said many of the young ladies depicted are worried about the images, including how and why they were made and if they’ll pop up again. She is encouraging others involved to report it and speaking up for those who are afraid to do it themselves.
“If this is more than just something that he thought was funny, if he does have a weird fixation or something creepy about him, I want that to be addressed, maybe get him help before something worse happens to somebody else,” Bryre said. “I think it’s disgusting that these undressing apps are even a thing because I don’t know who in their right mind would make that website in the first place, but just the fact that there’s no clear regulations or anything that could stop it from being a ten-year-old or something, is just crazy to me. There’s no good that could come out of that. It’s very unprovoked and you really can’t do anything about it, because if there’s a photo of you that exists on the Internet this could happen to you.”
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Pensacola teen used AI to create fake nude photos of girls
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