Sharenting

A new campaign from Deutsche Telekom and creative agency adam&eveBERLIN demonstrates the increased risks parents face thanks to the rise of data misuse and artificial intelligence (AI).

In a hero film, AI is dramatically used to draw attention to risks of itself - AI. In addition to the opportunities of digitalization, Telekom wants to point out the urgency of responsible handling of personal data in the digital world.

Pictures of holidays, family celebrations or weekend trips with the whole family - these are emotional moments that friends, and relatives want to share immediately. Often this happens all too carelessly. Once posted on the internet, this personal data is available worldwide and without limits. With the #ShareWithCare campaign, Deutsche Telekom wants to raise awareness for responsible handling of photos and data. The communication kicks off with the oppressive deepfake spot "A Message from Ella". It uses the example of a family to show the consequences of sharing children's photos on the Internet. Telekom draws attention to so-called "sharenting" - a much-criticized practice in which parents share photos, videos, and details of their children's lives online.

"Telekom offers the best and most secure network," says Uli Klenke, Chief Brand Officer at Deutsche Telekom. "But in addition to access to this network, we also need the necessary knowledge and tools for safe and responsible handling of data on the Internet. Because the development of artificial intelligence holds opportunities and risks. In the spot, we let the AI warn us about itself. And thus, underline fascination and awe at the same time. We have to learn to deal with both factors appropriately."

Deepfake spot raises awareness of the issue of sharenting
The film stages and exaggerates a social experiment that could have taken place in the same form - because the technology for it has long been available today. The image of a 9-year-old actress, called "Ella", acts as the film’s protagonist. With the help of the latest AI technology, a deepfake of the girl was created. Deepfakes are videos, images, or even sounds artificially generated by machine learning. In the video, you can see how the "grown-up Ella" turns to her surprised parents. She sends a warning from the future and confronts mother and father with the consequences of sharing pictures of their child on the internet. For the first time, a virtually aged deepfake of a 9-year-old child has been created so that she can act and argue like an adult woman. Ella is representative of an entire generation of children.