Almendralejo AI Deepfake School Girls (Spain)
In September 2023, over 20 girls aged 11-17 in the Spanish town of Almendralejo (Extremadura) were victimized when male classmates aged 12-14 used the AI app 'Clothoff' to generate nude deepfakes from their Instagram photos and shared them via WhatsApp groups. Fifteen perpetrators were sentenced to one year of probation.
AI System
Clothoff (AI undressing app)
Clothoff
Occurred
September 1, 2023
Reported
September 18, 2023
Jurisdiction
ES
Platform
other
What Happened
In September 2023, families in the small Spanish town of Almendralejo (population ~34,000) in the Extremadura region discovered that a group of boys aged 12-14 had been using an AI application called Clothoff to create nude deepfake images of their female classmates, aged 11 to 17.
The boys obtained photos from the girls' public Instagram accounts, processed them through the AI app which "undressed" the subjects, and distributed the resulting images through WhatsApp group chats. Over 20 girls were identified as victims.
The case was first publicly raised by Dr. Miriam Al Adib, a doctor and mother of one of the affected girls, who used her social media platform to draw attention to the issue. The incident sparked national outrage in Spain and became one of the first widely reported cases of AI-generated CSAM involving school-age perpetrators and victims in Europe.
A subsequent Save the Children Spain survey found that 1 in 5 young people in Spain reported being victims of AI deepfakes, with nearly all involving sexual content. Fifteen perpetrators were sentenced to one year of probation by a juvenile court in summer 2024.
AI Behaviors Exhibited
Clothoff AI app processed ordinary clothed photos and generated realistic nude images without any age verification, consent checking, or content safety mechanisms. The app was freely accessible to children as young as 12.
How Harm Occurred
AI tool enabled minors to create non-consensual sexual imagery of other minors from publicly available social media photos. Distribution via WhatsApp groups within the school community meant victims were confronted by perpetrators daily. Small-town context amplified stigma and psychological impact.
Outcome
Resolved- Spanish police investigated the case involving approximately 15 boys aged 12-14 as perpetrators
- Summer 2024: Juvenile court sentenced all 15 to one year of probation
- Case became a catalyst for national debate in Spain about AI-generated CSAM and minors' access to AI tools
- Save the Children Spain subsequently reported that 1 in 5 young people in Spain have been victims of AI deepfakes, with almost all reporting sexual content
Harm Categories
Contributing Factors
Victim
Over 20 girls aged 11-17 in Almendralejo, Extremadura, Spain. Images sourced from victims' Instagram accounts without consent.
Cite This Incident
APA
NOPE. (2023). Almendralejo AI Deepfake School Girls (Spain). AI Harm Tracker. https://nope.net/incidents/2023-spain-almendralejo-deepfake-minors
BibTeX
@misc{2023_spain_almendralejo_deepfake_minors,
title = {Almendralejo AI Deepfake School Girls (Spain)},
author = {NOPE},
year = {2023},
howpublished = {AI Harm Tracker},
url = {https://nope.net/incidents/2023-spain-almendralejo-deepfake-minors}
}