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Vassallo also highlighted a lesser-known legal reality: it is a crime for minors to take explicit photos of themselves, even if they are not shared and are kept privately. The situation becomes even more serious if such images are later circulated on social media—whether intentionally or as an act of retaliation.“Some think it’s safe because they’re sending it on Snapchat, where the photo disappears in five seconds,” Vassallo explained. “That gives a false sense of security. They don’t always realise that someone can take a screenshot or even use another phone to capture the image. A photo on top of a photo.”The issue is not unique to Malta. Last summer, a Spanish court sentenced 15 young men to one year of probation after they were found guilty of creating and sharing nude images of their female friends on social media. The case sparked a national debate in Spain about the dangers of deepfake technology and its misuse.
