By Chris Baker | Contributor
Former FBI operative and cybersecurity expert Eric O’Neill, author of the upcoming book Spies, Lies, and Cybercrime: Cybersecurity Tactics to Outsmart Hackers and Disarm Scammers.
On the rise of deepfake tech and how parents can protect their kids, Eric explains:
- AI-generated explicit content is widely traded on the Dark Web, but the real threat has moved into the light. These ‘nudify’ apps are being advertised on mainstream platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Reddit—right where kids are. Today’s teens don’t need to navigate the Dark Web; with a few taps on their phone, they can generate and share explicit deepfakes instantly. That makes the threat bigger, faster, and harder to contain.
- It takes seconds. A single photo—say, from a school yearbook or social post—can be fed into one of dozens of freely available apps to produce a hyper-realistic explicit image. The tech, originally developed for artistic enhancement or entertainment, has been hijacked for exploitation. And when the tools are this accessible, the line between a sick prank and real abuse disappears.
- Education leads to agency. Parents must talk openly with kids about how this tech works and how it can be misused. Schools need policies that treat AI-generated sexual abuse like any other form of assault. And tech companies must stop dragging their feet—cut off the ad revenue, shut down the referral traffic, and kill the viral growth of these apps. If you can nuke a meme for copyright, you can take down a deepfake nude of a 13-year-old.”
Tips to Avoid Online Sextortion Scams and What to Do if Victimized (Sneak peek from Chapter 11 of “Spies, Lies, and Cybercrime”)
- Set your social media profiles to private and block or ignore people you do not know.
- Be suspicious of anyone that asks you to switch to video chat or other platforms.
- Don’t trust everything you see. Online identities can be deceptive and the image you see could be a trap.
- Assume that every photograph you send to anyone online could be used by a criminal. Never send a nude or explicit photograph to anyone.
- Report all extortion attempts. You are not alone in what is a massive crime. Parents and law enforcement are here to help.
- Preserve evidence for law enforcement review. Don’t delete information from your phone until law enforcement has an opportunity to review it. This evidence would lead to the arrest of the person extorting you.
- Request removal of your images with each of the major search engines and at http://takeitdown.ncmec.org.
ABOUT ERIC O’NEILL —
Eric O’Neill is a cybersecurity expert, legendary FBI operative, attorney, and founder of The Georgetown Group and NeXasure AI which works with organizations to protect themselves against cybercriminals whose total thefts constitute the world’s third largest economy. He is an honors graduate of Auburn University and the George Washington University School of Law. His latest book is Spies, Lies, and Cybercrime: Cybersecurity Tactics to Outsmart Hackers and Disarm Scammers (HarperCollins, Oct 2025).
