Collien Fernandes has long been committed to combating sexual violence on the Internet.screenshot instagram
After Collien Fernandes made the allegations against her ex-husband public, the response was enormous. The keyword “deepfake” spread like wildfire – but in their case, that’s not what it’s about.
“Spiegel” was the first to report that actor Christian Ulmen allegedly created fake profiles for his then-wife and used them for sex chats and telephone sex in the name of Collien Fernandes. He is also said to have created pornographic images and videos that looked deceptively similar to her. “Deepfakes” were already mentioned in this article. Ulmen’s lawyer said in a statement that his client had never created deepfakes. In the ARD talk show “Caren Miosga” However, Fernandes defended himself last Sunday: She never said that.
Now the confusion is great, after all the word was in all the headlines.
Ambiguities on Instagram
In fact, in her first statement on Instagram, Fernandes did not write about deepfakes, but about “fake nude photos and sex videos that were intended to appear as if I had photographed myself naked or had myself secretly filmed having sex.” She found out about it in 2023 and tried to take action against it: “Even while I was filming a documentary on this topic in 2024.” The documentary in question is titled “Deepfake Porn: Digital Abuse”.
In another Instagram post she uses the title: “Christian Ulmen and the deepfakes – what he confessed to me.” In it she also addresses the men who believed they had had contact with her: “If men say they saw a gangbang video of me – not of women who looked like me – then there are two possibilities: A) There was a camera on my last gangbang. B) It’s a deepfake, a montage or whatever.”
Fernandes reiterates this with clear words
In the “Caren Miosga” program, Fernandes now made it clear: In her case it is not about classic deepfakes. And not in the investigation either. Loud “Picture” She reported Ulmen in their former shared residence in Spain for impersonation, violation of privacy, threats and coercion. In Germany he is being investigated for stalking.
Are the details between deepfakes and fake profiles perhaps becoming blurred in the reports because the 44-year-old has been campaigning against AI images for years? In response to a request for clarification, “Spiegel” simply said: “We have nothing to add to our reporting.” A request to Collien Fernandes about how she is dealing with the confusion has so far remained unanswered.
A good two weeks ago, “Spiegel” published Fernandes’ allegations against ex-husband Christian Ulmen.Image: AP dapd
The case shows how news can develop a life of its own – among the media and readers. In the “Picture” Fernandes affirms that her ex-husband sent pornographic videos and photos that were intended to appear as real and private as possible: “What technology was used must be clarified in court.”
One thing remains clear: regardless of whether such images and videos are created with AI, Photoshop or even with scissors and glue and posted on the Internet – the crime remains horrific. Similar to “Revenge Porn”, where ex-partners share private pictures after the breakup or distribute secretly taken photos. The person concerned never gave their consent. (aargauerzeitung.ch)