Hodder signs investigative audio original by Grothaus on deepfake pornography

Hodder & Stoughton has signed a three-hour audio original project by journalist and author Michael Grothaus which hopes to “pull the curtain back" on deepfake pornography.

In Faking It, Grothaus and Philippa Geering—a director and audio producer at Sonderbug, producing work for the BBC, Audible and others—team up to get to the heart of the “mysterious but pervasive” technology. Audio rights were acquired by Dominic Gribbens, audio editor, directly from the author. 

The publisher’s synopsis reads: “You might not have seen it, but it’s out there, and it’s changing entertainment, law and the lives of women. A few years ago, former Disney actress and rising star Bella Thorne uploaded an emotional video of herself talking about her father’s death.

“It was touching, personal and emotive. Soon enough, someone used deepfake technology to put it on the body of a porn actress. That video has been viewed hundreds of thousands of times. It didn’t just happen to Bella. It’s happening to women everywhere. Whether you’re a celebrity, a porn actor, an ex-girlfriend or just a next-door neighbour, it might just happen to you.

“Deepfake technology allows creators to build original images out of existing ones, transforming a photograph or video. They can make someone say something they didn’t, put people in a frame they weren’t in, or splice two images together. What’s more, 90% of deepfakes are pornographic, and the number of videos is doubling every six months.

“Journalist and author Michael Grothaus, author of Trust No One: Inside the World of Deep Fakes [Hodder Studio], has spent years researching and writing about the dark side of the internet, from online trolls and pornography to sex-trafficking. This is his quest to pull back the curtain on deepfake pornography.”

Grothaus said: “The increasing prevalence of deepfakes will soon require us to ask if everything we see on our screens is real. The technology is both fascinating and frightening, and exploring the lives of those creating it and those already impacted by it has been an eye-opening experience.”

Gribbens commented: “Mike is a brilliant guide to this murky spot on the tech landscape and Philippa has done an incredible job crafting the investigation into a really dynamic and entertaining piece of audio. It’s very exciting to have this kind of project on the Hodder audio list."