What is old is new again. When Cyberslammed came out in 2012, we already knew about facial technology and how that was going to contribute to cyberbullying in the future.

And now with the emergence of the seemingly harmless Deepfake apps such as Reface, which allow you to "swap" out your face into realistic videos and memes, more trouble is on the horizon.

A Cheerleader Mom, 50, used these deepfake apps to make her daughter's rivals appear "naked, drinking and smoking" in order to get them kicked off the team.

You just KNEW somebody with nefarious intent would misuse these apps, right?

In this case, the woman used the deepfake video as Videojacking tactic. In Cyberslammed, we categorize the Videojacking cyberbulling tactic as: "When someone videotapes a target without his knowledge/approval and uploads the video to a popular video-sharing websites.

In this case, she didn't even have to videotape anyone. Deepfake technology did all of the work for her. All she needed was a selfie of the students who were her daughters' rivals. And how hard is it to unearth a selfie of a teen these days?

According to The Daily Mail article: "The mom is then accused of anonymously sending the graphic pictures and videos to the coaches of the cheerleading team. She also purportedly sent the doctored images directly to the teenage girls, along with message to one of them urging her to 'kill herself'."

Hmm, where have we seen the "Go Kill Yourself" bullying tactic before? See  past blogs on how we've covered this loathsome and cowardly phrase. 

What this woman didn't know, (and it's astounding how many cyberbullies don't) is that she left a digital trail of her deeds and it didn't take long for a detective to uncover her IP address.

Parents and teachers, be very aware if your kids are using deepfake apps for "fun." Here's a list of most of the common ones out there.

Talk to your kids about how they can be dangerously misused. And if you have a kid who is the victim of such tactics, read more blogs on Videojacking or buy our book to know how to Understand, Prevent, Combat, and Transform this tactic.

The word Melcher-Dallas high school is searching for is ... Videojacking.

An Iowa high school ruled that  several videos students took of another student, Levi Null, 13, who has Asperger's Syndrome and ADHD--doesn't "meet the criteria" for bullying and the school board President, Bob Lepley, says he stands by the principal's decision (via Gawker).

The students videotaped Null's involuntary movements without his knowledge or permission and posted them online with school computers. Further, they videotaped other kids hitting, smacking and teasing Null.

Cyberbullying is the use of cell phones, instant messaging, e-mail, chat rooms or social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter and YouTube to harass, threaten or intimidate someone.

Though I personally did not view these videos (Melcher-Dallas high school claims they've all been taken offline and destroyed), the very existence of them is a cyberbullying tactic known as Videojacking: When someone videotapes a target without his knowledge/approval and uploads the video to a popular video-sharing websites.

Here is the news story on WHOTV. It is quite obvious to anyone that Null felt harassed, threatened and intimidated.

This school has set a dangerous precedent to refuse to categorize these students' behavior as cyberbullying. Moreover, they had an opportunity to re-evaluate their school policy to further define a tactic they clearly had no previous experiences with and update the policy to protect this student from mob-like behavior.  But they didn't. That alone is hard to believe, but when, according to WHOTV, the students used school computers to upload these videos--there were still no consequences, I have to ask:  is it any surprise that kids  constantly report they feel unsafe at schools when so many adults on the other side of the Digital Divide are operating with an inadequate understanding of what they're up against?

Get all of the tactics in one book and prepare your child to recognize and defuse certain types of cyberbullying. Summer Sale: $12.50 Buy The Book


"Internet Famous"--a new term that has sinister undertones, as well it should.

A story in Rappler shows how quickly one can be a target of a videojacking and how it can devastate the unsuspecting target.  This young man shows resilience and strength of character for having gone through it and how he chooses to use his story to help others.

MANILA, Philippines - If there's one person who could preach about using social media for social good, it's Chris Lao.

In 2011, Lao became Internet-famous for driving right into a flooded street in Quezon City. The incident was caught on camera, and the video quickly became viral: netizens were quick to brand him a rich kid with no common sense for driving into an obviously impassable street. His now-famous exclamation -- "I was not informed!" -- became the meme of the season.

But the reactions didn't stop, and soon they became more vicious and hateful: Lao became a victim of cyberbullying.

The cyberbully victim-turned-lawyer now speaks out to encourage netizens to think about the consequences of their social media footprints -- and to use them for social good.

Watch as Lao tells his story:

http://www.rappler.com/video/13475-the-consequence-of-cyberbullying-by-chris-lao

Get all of the tactics in one book and prepare your child to recognize and defuse certain types of cyberbullying. Sale: $12.50 Buy The Book

Here's kind of a light-hearted example of a Videojacking and you can see why it's funny. A woman does a sleep walk dance; her son records it, puts it up on YouTube without her knowledge and then shows it to her.

The question is: if it were you, would you want the entire world to be watching this? It's gone viral on CNN. The mother looks amused about it and the son doesn't look as though he's doing this out of any malice--it's just funny to him. If she didn't want it up there, she could ask him to take it down. But once it goes viral, there is no "taking it down." It's endlessly shared online.

This is the problem with our technology trigger-finger culture. Putting up video without someone's knowledge or approval has become the common course of action, rather than the considerate choice, which would be to think first about how exposing someone so publicly might hurt his/her reputation - or provide fodder for more online ridicule. 

Ask your kids/students how they would feel if someone did this to them. Ask them if video like this could be used against them in any way? By their enemies? Ex-friends? Ex-relationships?

Any time you contribute anything to the Internet about someone else, it adds to their digital footprint. And some people do not wish to be so exposed at the expense of a joke.

Get all of the tactics in one book and prepare your child to recognize and defuse certain types of cyberbullying. Sale: $12.50 Buy The Book