Restorative justice in response to intimate deepfakes: addressing moral victimization in the digital environment

Abstract

The growing dissemination of intimate deepfakes, digitally manipulated images or videos containing non-consensual sexual content, marks the emergence of a new form of moral victimization in cyberspace, whose subjective and symbolic consequences surpass the capacities of traditional criminal justice mechanisms. This article presents a critical analysis of the inadequacy of conventional repressive responses when dealing with the ethical and relational harms caused by this type of digital violence, advocating for restorative justice as a complementary tool for subjective reconstruction and symbolic reparation. Based on a qualitative, exploratory methodology, the study conducts a normative, doctrinal and criminological examination of the limitations of the penal system in addressing the complexity of digital victimization. It proposes restorative alternatives that recognize the centrality of the victim’s dignity and the specific nature of moral harm in digital environments. By challenging the foundations of accountability, consent and authorship within the context of technological manipulation, the article contributes to the renewal of victimological paradigms and to the development of more humanized and effective legal responses to emerging forms of symbolic violence.