Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya told Parliament on Thursday that deepfake images are being used to target women political leaders in Sri Lanka, calling it a threat to democracy and to how democracy functions.
She said she had received a letter setting out how the images were being used, the Daily Mirror reported.
“I received a letter detailing how deepfake images are being used to target women political leaders in this country. As women political leaders, when we come into these positions, we are aware of the kind of backlash to expect.”
The Prime Minister described the problem as global, affecting women in public office regardless of their political background or ideological affiliation, and said it could not be tackled by an individual or by a single country.
“The platforms that facilitate this technological violence should take up this issue more seriously. It is important that social media platforms and technology experts take this more seriously and come up with safeguards.”
The demand is aimed at platforms, not legislation
The remarks put the obligation on the companies hosting the material rather than on Sri Lankan law. No bill, regulation, gazette or police measure was announced, and the Prime Minister did not say whether the government intends to legislate.
That framing has a practical basis: synthetic images are generated and distributed largely on services headquartered outside Sri Lanka, and domestic takedown powers reach the local user rather than the platform. It also leaves the immediate question — what a targeted person here can do now — unaddressed.
A recurring problem for this office
This is not the first such warning from the Prime Minister’s office. In May, it issued a public alert over AI-generated deepfake content involving Amarasuriya.
Synthetic media has been used in Sri Lanka mainly for financial fraud so far — including a fabricated investment scam using Kumar Sangakkara’s likeness and an impersonation scam warning issued in August. Thursday’s statement describes a different application: sexualised or defamatory imagery used against women in public life as a form of political pressure.
Not reported
The Daily Mirror does not say who sent the letter, how many women were affected, which platforms carried the images, or whether the material was sexual in nature. It does not record whether any complaint has been made to police or the CID, whether takedown requests were issued, or whether any prosecution has followed. The report does not name any affected politician besides the Prime Minister’s general reference to herself and other women leaders, and gives no government response beyond her own remarks.
Note: the Daily Mirror’s published text carries a stray editorial line at its foot, apparently left in error, which does not form part of the Prime Minister’s statement.
No other verified newsroom had filed on the remarks at the time of publication. Ada Derana’s site has returned a CloudFront block on every attempt across recent cycles and could not be checked.
