When the Internet Loses Its Moral Compass

The internet thrives on novelty. But when novelty mutates into dehumanisation, silence becomes complicity. Vulgar, fabricated AI images portraying Pooja Hegde as a sexual assault victim have once again flooded social media—triggering shock, anger, and a familiar, chilling question: How many warnings does it take before abuse stops being tolerated?

This is not gossip.
This is not “dark humour.”
This is digital violence—manufactured, circulated, and consumed.

🧨 What Makes This episode Especially Disturbing

1. AI as a Weapon, Not a Tool
Artificial intelligence was built to assist, enhance, and innovate. Here, it’s being used to simulate sexual violence, turning a real woman into a prop for cruelty.

2. Consent Was Never Given—and Never Will Be
No individual consents to being depicted as a victim of rape, real or fabricated. The absence of consent alone should end the debate.

3. Warnings Have Failed
Despite repeated notices, public outrage, and platform advisories, the misuse continues. That’s not ignorance—it’s impunity.

4. Virality Over Humanity
Algorithms reward shock. The more grotesque the content, the faster it spreads. Platforms profit while victims relive the trauma—again and again.

5. The Gendered Targeting Is Obvious
Women—especially public figures—are disproportionately targeted. Sexualised humiliation remains the easiest way to silence, shame, and control.

⚖️ Why This Is More Than “Just Images.”

6. Psychological Harm Is Real
Fabricated sexual violence inflicts real trauma—on the person depicted and on survivors forced to encounter it.

7. Reputation Is Collateral Damage
Once circulated, such content never fully disappears. Careers, mental health, and personal safety are all put at risk.

8. The Law Is Lagging
Current frameworks struggle to keep pace with AI-enabled abuse. By the time takedowns happen, the damage is already done.

🧠 The Accountability Gap

9. Platforms Hide Behind Process
“Report, review, remove” is not protection—it’s aftercare. Prevention is missing.

10. Creators Face Little Consequence
Anonymity and weak enforcement embolden repeat offenders. Without real penalties, abuse becomes a sport.

🧩 What Must Change—Now

11. Criminalise Non-Consensual AI Sexual Content
Explicitly. Unambiguously. With prison terms and fines that deter.

12. Platform Liability
If it spreads on your platform, you share responsibility—period.

13. Fast-Track Takedowns
Hours, not days. Automated detection must be mandatory for known abuse patterns.

14. Victim-Centric Remedies
Legal aid, psychological support, and rapid redressal must be guaranteed—not optional.

🧨 Closing Punch

This isn’t a scandal.
It’s a failure of platforms, policy, and public conscience.

If AI can create images that simulate rape, then society must respond with laws that treat it as the violence it is. Anything less tells abusers they’re free to continue.

Enough warnings.
Enough outrage cycles.

It’s time to draw a line—and enforce it.