Embedded Files
by
Laila Mohamed Ali,
CyJurII Scholar
23 July 2025
PDF available
Keywords: Deepfakes, Egyptian IT Law, Free Expression, Cybercrime, Digital Protection
1. What Is Deepfake in Law?
In legal terms, Deepfake is synthetic media, photo, video, or audio generated or manipulated by AI so convincingly as to appear real. It can misrepresent someone saying or doing something they never did.
Under Egyptian religious-ethical guidance, Dar Al‑Ifta explicitly prohibited creating deepfake audio or video clips depicting someone doing or saying things they never did, calling it deceit and violating moral and legal norms. They also note that fabrication and dissemination could amount to criminal conduct under Anti-Cyber and Information Technology Crimes Law 175/2018
2. Why Are Deepfakes Harmful?
Deepfakes can inflict serious harm, including:
a) Fraud and Scams
Impersonation via voice or video deepfakes can be used to trick individuals into transferring funds or revealing sensitive data. Globally, deepfake fraud has resulted in multi-million‑dollar losses, such as online fraud campaigns, by making normal people interact with text messages or click on untrusted links or share accounts or bank card numbers, expiration dates, PINs, or national ID numbers with hackers who they think are associates from the bank.
b) Defamation and Reputational Harm
Even if intended satirically, a deepfake portraying someone making harmful statements can damage their reputation. Under Egyptian law, defamation is both a criminal and civil offence, punishable by fines or imprisonment even if the statement is true but maliciously used.
c) Non‑Consensual Pornography and Digital Violence
Deepfake videos disproportionately target everyone, especially women worldwide. In Egypt, women are victimized in most cyber‑extortion and non-consensual image cases. Most recently, cyber blackmail cases surged, with around 82.9% victims being women.
Under Egyptian Law 175/2018 (Art. 25) and Penal Code Art. 26, perpetrators can face imprisonment and heavy fines. Together, these harms strike at trust, dignity, privacy, and safety.
3. How to Protect Ourselves from it
3.1 Legal Protection in Egypt
Anti‑Cyber Crimes Law No. 175 of 2018 criminalizes dissemination of fabricated, harmful content (Art. 25: blackmail/pornography; Art. 26: penalties for extortion even with shared personal photos)
Data Protection Law No. 151 of 2020 mandates consent, fair processing, and lawful collection. AI systems must comply or risk liability
Defamation Laws (Law 180/2018, Art. 308): False statements, even if factually true, but malicious, lead to criminal and civil liability in Egypt
3.2 Practical Steps to Reduce Risk:
Develop digital media literacy: Learn to recognize signs of deepfake content (inconsistencies in facial movement, blinking, audio distortion), which is an easy mission; you can find tons of videos on YouTube and other social media that will help you.
Protect personal data: Don’t overshare images or personal recordings that could be used to train deepfake models, especially on public platforms.
Enable strong account security: Use multi-factor authentication (MFA), privacy settings, and avoid reusing passwords across platforms.
Use authentication protocols in sensitive contexts: In calls or emails, use callback verification or “code of the day” methods to confirm identity before sensitive discussions or financial decisions.
Report deepfake incidents immediately: Contact Egyptian authorities, police cybercrime units, or Interior Ministry’s 108 hotline for cyber blackmail cases.
4. Conclusion
Deepfakes are more than technological novelty. They are legal, social, and ethical hazards. In Egypt, current frameworks (Cybercrime Law 175/2018, Data Protection Law, defamation and privacy provisions) offer foundational defense, but gaps remain.
To protect ourselves, we should:
Understand what qualifies as deepfake harm under law.
Recognize the types of damage deepfakes can cause (fraud, defamation, abuse).
Take practical tech‑law safeguards.
And push for comprehensive regulation via Egypt’s evolving AI governance framework.
References:
· Insights on Defamation Law in Egypt: https://www.lexismiddleeast.com/eJournal/2025-02-21_29?utm
· Anti-Cyber and Information Technology Crimes Law “EGYPT” Law No. 175 of 2018 :
https://cybercrime-fr.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Egyptian-cybercrime-law-.pdf#page=13.49
· عبر مكالمات هاتفية.. السطو على أموال عملاء في مصر والسلطات تحذر : In English: Robberies Via Phone Calls in Egypt, Authorities warn. https://www.alarabiya.net/arab-and-world/egypt/2025/05/24/%D8%B9%D8%A8%D8%B1-%D9%85%D9%83%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D9%87%D8%A7%D8%AA%D9%81%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D8%B7%D9%88-%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%89-%D8%A7%D9%85%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%84-%D8%B9%D9%85%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%A1-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D9%85%D8%B5%D8%B1-%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D9%84%D8%B7%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%AA%D8%AD%D8%B0%D8%B1
· Egypt’s Dar Al-Ifta prohibits deepfake video and audio clips: https://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/454765/Egypt%E2%80%99s-Dar-AlIfta-prohibts-deepfake-video-and-au.aspx?utm_source=chatgpt.com
The Dark Side of AI: Perpetuating Digital Violence Against Women: https://www.womenofegyptnetwork.com/post/the-dark-side-of-ai-perpetuating-digital-violence-against-women?utm_source=chatgpt.com
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