{"meta":{"exportedAt":"2026-10-23T09:23:12.851Z","formatVersion":2,"selection":{"q":"china","system":"","harm":"","context":"","country":"","role":"","relation":"core","evidence":"","year":"2025","response":"","severity":"","verification":"","view":"incidents","sort":"added"},"totalIncidents":4,"coverage":{"cases":4,"countries":2,"languages":2,"unknownLocation":1,"locationPending":0,"unknownLanguage":0,"unknownDate":0,"lawsuits":1,"regulatory":2,"minors":0,"coreRelations":4,"contextualRelations":0,"mixedRelations":0,"unknownRelations":0,"relationPending":0,"relationUnknown":0},"countingNote":"Distinct public cases in this selection. People counts apply within individual cases only; cross-case person overlap has not been resolved. No population incidence estimate.","affectedCountNote":"Interpret person counts with affectedCountStatus and the reported effects. Unquantified zeros are placeholders, not a measured zero.","source":"AI incidents","publisher":"NOPE","url":"https://nope.net/incidents","license":"CC BY 4.0"},"incidents":[{"id":"2025-shanghai-voice-actor-ai-synthesised-voice-company-promotion-appeal-ruling","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'2026年9月29日，上海市第一中级人民法院依法审结上海首例人工智能合成语音引发的自然人声音权益保护纠纷案件，判决平台运营方构成声音侵权，赔偿权利人经济损失5万元'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'上海市第一中级人民法院依法判决：驳回上诉，维持原判'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'驳回上诉，维持原判'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'经上海市第一中级人民法院二审，于2026年9月29日驳回上诉，维持原判'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"On 29 September 2026 the Shanghai No. 1 Intermediate People's Court concluded a voice-rights case arising from AI-synthesised speech, described as the first in Shanghai, holding that the platform operator infringed and must pay 50,000 yuan for economic loss; the appeals were dismissed and the first-instance judgment upheld.","causal_attribution":"Court outcome as relayed by outlets citing the court; the judgment was not inspected."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'2025年1月'; '从好友处了解到'; 'A公司在其互联网推广拉新活动中疑似使用了'; '该活动使用的自己声音疑似AI合成，于是对相关音频进行了公证以固定证据'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"In January 2025 the voice actor learned from a friend that Company A appeared to be using the voice actor's voice in an online user-acquisition promotion, judged the audio to be AI-synthesised and had it notarised before suing.","causal_attribution":"The claimant's case as summarised in the court account."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'其从未与A公司进行过合作和任何授权，A公司擅自使用其声音构成侵权，遂要求A公司停止侵权并赔偿经济损失30万元'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The voice actor said there had been no cooperation with or authorisation of Company A and asked the court to stop the use and award 300,000 yuan.","causal_attribution":"The claimant's position as summarised in the court account."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'A公司辩称，案涉音频确为该公司开发的AI生成，但具体的来源和投喂的素材因前员工离职无法确认'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Company A said the audio was generated by AI the company had developed, but that its source and the material fed to the system could not be confirmed because a former employee had left.","causal_attribution":"The company's defence as summarised in the court account; the company denied using the voice actor's voice."},{"id":"c5","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'在28个共振峰声学指标中'; '有24个偏离度小于10%，其中16个小于5.36%，两者较为相似及高度相似的部分达到90%'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"A forensic comparison found that 24 of 28 formant indicators deviated by less than 10 percent and that the parts rated fairly or highly similar reached 90 percent.","causal_attribution":"Forensic opinion as summarised in the court account."},{"id":"c6","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'A公司的行为构成人工智能生成声音侵权'; '赔偿5万元'; '双方均不服一审判决，提起上诉'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'并向长宁区人民法院提出起诉'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"The first-instance court awarded 50,000 yuan and both sides appealed; the Legal Daily report carried on Sina Finance says the claim was filed in the Changning District People's Court.","causal_attribution":"Procedural history as relayed from the court account."},{"id":"c7","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'未经自然人同意，使用自然人的声音作为训练语料，模仿该自然人的音色、语调和发音风格等生成能够识别该自然人的合成人声，应当认定侵害自然人声音权益'; '应承担举证不能的不利后果'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The appeal court held that using a person's voice as training material without consent to generate an identifiable synthetic voice infringes that person's voice rights, and that Company A bore the consequence of failing to prove the lawful source of its material.","causal_attribution":"The appeal court's reasoning as relayed; it rests on a presumption from similarity and access, because the company did not produce its training records."},{"id":"c8","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'涉案语音上架持续时间较短，属流程播报提示音效'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The appeal court noted that the audio was online for a short time and was a process prompt sound in the promotion.","causal_attribution":"The appeal court's reasoning on the amount, as relayed."}],"effects":[{"label":"courts reported to have found a voice actor's voice identifiable in AI-synthesised audio used without consent in a company promotion","claim_id":"c1","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://news.ifeng.com/c/8woTv1MjTRx","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"zh","translation_note":"The Paper's article as carried on ifeng, read in the original Chinese on 2026-10-05 (HTTP 200). English renderings in this record are the research agent's (an AI's) own translations; no human translator reviewed them. Relays the Shanghai High People's Court WeChat account; the judgment itself was not inspected.","independence_group":"shanghai-no1-intermediate-court-release"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://news.qq.com/rain/a/20260929A0C6NK00","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"zh","translation_note":"Southern Metropolis Daily N Video on Tencent News, read in Chinese on 2026-10-05 (HTTP 200). English renderings in this record are the research agent's (an AI's) own translations; no human translator reviewed them. The reporter cites the Shanghai No. 1 Intermediate People's Court; same court account as s1.","independence_group":"shanghai-no1-intermediate-court-release"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://finance.sina.com.cn/jjxw/2026-09-29/doc-initpatz6144930.shtml","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"zh","translation_note":"Legal Daily article carried on Sina Finance, read in the original Chinese on 2026-10-05 (HTTP 200). English renderings in this record are the research agent's (an AI's) own translations; no human translator reviewed them. Same court account with the first-instance court named and a judge's commentary.","independence_group":"shanghai-no1-intermediate-court-release"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["work","privacy","justice"],"unknowns":["Which company and which speech-synthesis product were involved; the court account anonymises both.","When the promotion began and how long the audio was in use.","Whether the company used the voice actor's recordings as training material; the court presumed it because the company did not prove otherwise.","The dates of the filing and of the first-instance judgment.","Where the voice actor lives."],"geography":{"basis":"The case was decided by the Changning District People's Court and the Shanghai No. 1 Intermediate People's Court in China. The reports anonymise the company and the app and do not say where the company is based, where its online promotion ran or where the voice actor lives, so no event or affected-person country is recorded.","court_countries":["CN"],"event_countries":[],"affected_person_countries":[]},"publication":{"basis":"Published as a core case (depicted_or_impersonated): the Shanghai courts found that a company imitated a voice actor's voice with AI-synthesised audio in a promotion without consent and awarded 50,000 yuan. One reporting chain (the court's release, read in three Chinese outlets); the parties are anonymised by the court.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-05"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"In the court account, the company said the audio was generated by AI it had developed, and both courts found AI-generated voice infringement. The audio imitated the voice actor's voice (depicted_or_impersonated). The company denied using the voice actor's recordings; the appeal court relied on a forensic similarity report and on the company's failure to prove the source of its training material.","status":"supported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"Shanghai: an appeal court upheld a 50,000 yuan award to a voice actor after finding that AI-synthesised audio in a company's online promotion was identifiable as the voice actor's voice","summary":"Chinese outlets reported on 29 September 2026, citing the Shanghai courts, that the Shanghai No. 1 Intermediate People's Court had concluded what it called Shanghai's first voice-rights case arising from AI-synthesised speech. According to the court's account, a voice actor who publishes work on an app learned from a friend in January 2025 that a company appeared to be using the voice actor's voice in an online user-acquisition promotion, judged the audio to be AI-synthesised, had it notarised and sued for 300,000 yuan. The company said the audio was generated by AI it had developed but that the training material could not be confirmed, and denied using the voice actor's voice. A forensic comparison rated about 90 percent of the measured features as fairly or highly similar. The first-instance court awarded 50,000 yuan and both sides appealed. The appeal court held that the company had put an identifiable synthetic voice to commercial use without consent, dismissed the appeals and upheld the award.","incidentDate":"2025-01-01","incidentKind":"single_event","incidentDatePrecision":"month","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2026-09-29","aiSystem":"AI speech synthesis developed by the defendant company (anonymised as Company A in the court account), which the courts found had generated audio imitating the voice actor's voice for an online promotion","aiProduct":"Unidentified voice-cloning tool","severity":"low","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["financial_loss"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"According to the court's account as relayed by Chinese outlets, the Shanghai courts found that AI-synthesised audio used in a company's online promotion was identifiable as a voice actor's voice and had been used without consent, causing economic loss, and awarded 50,000 yuan.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"supported","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":1,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"One person, the voice actor who brought the claim (court account relayed by The Paper, Southern Metropolis Daily and Legal Daily). Exact 1.","victimAgeRange":"adult","jurisdiction":"CN","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"lawsuit_filed","outcomeStatus":"resolved","primarySourceUrl":"https://news.ifeng.com/c/8woTv1MjTRx","primarySourceLabel":"The Paper via ifeng, 29 September 2026: AI took a voice actor's voice, company ordered to pay 50,000 yuan","firstPublishedAt":"2026-10-05T03:16:35.611187+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-05T03:16:35.611187+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["voice-cloning","voice-rights","voice-actor","court-ruling","shanghai","china","depicted-or-impersonated"]},{"id":"2025-china-bytedance-doubao-phone-assistant-app-lockouts","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"users continuously reported that after performing daily operations such as sending WeChat messages and red envelopes using the Doubao Phone Assistant, WeChat would unexpectedly quit and could not be logged in again.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"multiple netizens expressed on social media that users operating tasks with Doubao Phone Assistant on the Nubia M153 encountered issues where WeChat would crash or even fail to log in.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"Several users of Doubao Phone confirmed the authenticity of this news to reporters.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"\"There are no special actions; it may have triggered existing security risk control measures.\"","relation":"context","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"On 3 December 2025 users of the Nubia M153 reported that WeChat quit unexpectedly and could not be logged in again after they used the Doubao Phone Assistant for operations such as sending messages and red envelopes.","causal_attribution":"User reports; WeChat said existing security risk controls may have been triggered and took no special action."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"The ability to operate WeChat in the phone - operating/phone - operating pro mode of the Doubao Phone Assistant has been taken offline","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"the WeChat accounts that were blocked from logging in on the Nubia M153 will be unblocked one by one.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"the Doubao Phone Assistant issued a statement, only stating that there was no hacking behavior during its autonomous operation of WeChat.","relation":"context","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"the phone operation function of Doubao Assistant no longer supports operating WeChat","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"ByteDance took the assistant's WeChat operation offline on 3 December and told the user group that blocked WeChat accounts would be unblocked one by one.","causal_attribution":"Statement to the Nubia M153 user group as quoted by 36Kr; not confirmed by a second source."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"not only WeChat, but also users reported that other apps such as Alipay showed a prompt of \"abnormal login environment\" and they were unable to log in or complete payment.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"when some people used the Doubao Phone Assistant to open a shopping platform and complete a purchase, when it came to manually entering the payment password, Alipay judged that there was a security risk in the payment environment and stopped the task midway","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"On the evening of 3 December users reported an 'abnormal login environment' prompt on Alipay and inability to log in or pay, and some users reported Alipay stopping a purchase task midway at the payment step.","causal_attribution":"User reports relayed by 36Kr; Alipay's own explanation is not quoted in the inspected sources."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"the user was judged to have used cheats and was banned from the game for 10 minutes.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"which led to their Pinduoduo accounts being unable to log in on the Nubia M153.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Users reported that after having the assistant play a mobile game for them one was judged to have used cheats and banned for 10 minutes, and that using the assistant to browse Pinduoduo videos for coins left some accounts unable to log in on the phone.","causal_attribution":"User reports relayed by 36Kr; the game and Pinduoduo operators are not quoted."},{"id":"c5","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"Soon after launch, users reported that Doubao was blocked by several major apps, including banking platforms, Tencent’s WeChat, Alibaba’s Taobao and Ant Group’s Alipay. These companies said the restrictions stemmed from standard security protocols.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"},{"locator":"ByteDance announced on Doubao’s official WeChat account that it would temporarily suspend several AI functions, including gaming, banking and online payment features.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"Banking apps, WeChat, Taobao and Alipay were reported to have blocked the assistant, the apps described the restrictions as standard security protocols, and ByteDance announced a temporary suspension of gaming, banking and online payment functions.","causal_attribution":"Nikkei Asia as relayed by Business Standard."},{"id":"c6","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"On December 1st, the technical preview version of the Doubao Phone Assistant was officially launched.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"Last week, ByteDance launched its first AI-enabled smartphone, the Nubia M153, in partnership with device maker ZTE.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"The Doubao Phone Assistant technical preview was released on 1 December 2025 on the Nubia M153 made with ZTE.","causal_attribution":"Not applicable (release date context)."}],"effects":[{"label":"users report WeChat quitting and refusing login after the assistant operated the app for them","claim_id":"c1","direction":"negative"},{"label":"users report an 'abnormal login environment' prompt on Alipay and purchase tasks stopped midway","claim_id":"c3","direction":"negative"},{"label":"a user was banned from a mobile game for 10 minutes and other users could not log in to Pinduoduo on the phone after the assistant acted for them","claim_id":"c4","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://eu.36kr.com/en/p/3580978646121604","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Full body read by curl on 2026-09-29. It is a 36Kr English republication of an article by the WeChat account 'Power Plant' (author named in the source). The underlying user statements are not independently inspected.","independence_group":"power-plant"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://longbridge.com/en/news/268451125","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Longbridge copy of a Wallstreetcn item (3 December 2025) that relays The Paper's reporting; read by curl on 2026-09-29. The item begins with an automatic AI summary, which is not cited. The Longbridge page shows a login notice ('unlock 6,954 characters') after the visible text; the visible text was read and is what is cited.","independence_group":"the-paper"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://www.business-standard.com/world-news/bytedance-ai-phone-doubao-nubia-zte-app-blocks-user-control-china-125120800459_1.html","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Full body read by curl on 2026-09-29. It reports Nikkei Asia's article; the Nikkei page itself was not readable.","independence_group":"nikkei"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["own_use"],"contexts":["everyday_life","finance"],"unknowns":["How many users had accounts blocked or payments stopped.","Whether all blocked WeChat accounts were restored and how long each lockout lasted.","Whether the platforms' risk controls acted on the assistant's automated operation specifically. WeChat and the other apps attribute the blocks to existing security controls without confirming this.","The Nikkei Asia, SCMP, Tech in Asia and Gizmochina articles were not readable and were not cited.","The Longbridge copy of The Paper item shows a login notice for additional characters after the visible text; only the visible text was read."],"geography":{"basis":"Business Standard (relaying Nikkei) places the dispute among 'China's biggest technology companies' and 36Kr prices the phone in yuan. Countries of residence of the affected users are not stated.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":["CN"],"affected_person_countries":[]},"publication":{"basis":"Published as a concrete bounded series in which users of an agentic phone assistant report app login lockouts, stopped Alipay purchase tasks and a game ban after the assistant operated apps for them. The account rests on user statements relayed by media, the number of affected users is unknown, and the platforms attribute the blocks to routine risk controls.","reviewed_on":"2026-09-29"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"36Kr and The Paper describe the failures as following the users' use of the Doubao Phone Assistant to operate apps, and ByteDance took the assistant's WeChat operation offline in response. The platforms attribute the blocks to existing risk controls, and no platform confirmed a decision aimed at the assistant specifically.","status":"supported"},"person_relations":["acted_on_behalf"]},"name":"China: buyers of the ByteDance/ZTE Nubia M153 report WeChat, Alipay and Pinduoduo login lockouts, stopped Alipay payments and a 10-minute game ban after using the Doubao phone assistant to operate apps for them","summary":"ByteDance released the technical preview of its Doubao Phone Assistant on 1 December 2025 on the ZTE Nubia M153, an assistant that operates other apps on the user's behalf. On 3 December, 36Kr reports that users in the Nubia M153 user group said WeChat quit unexpectedly and could not be logged in again after they used the assistant to send messages and red envelopes, and The Paper (via Wallstreetcn) reports that users confirmed WeChat crashes and login failures. 36Kr also reports users seeing an 'abnormal login environment' prompt on Alipay, Alipay purchase tasks stopped midway, a 10-minute ban from a mobile game after the assistant played for a user, and Pinduoduo accounts that could not log in on the phone after the assistant was used to browse videos for coins. WeChat told The Paper it took no special action and that existing risk controls may have been triggered. ByteDance took the assistant's WeChat operation offline, said blocked WeChat accounts would be unblocked one by one, and, according to Nikkei Asia as relayed by Business Standard on 8 December, announced a temporary suspension of gaming, banking and online payment functions. The reports rest on user statements relayed by media, and the number of affected users is not stated.","incidentDate":"2025-12-03","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"day","exposurePattern":"repeated_interactions","reportedDate":"2025-12-03","aiSystem":"Doubao Phone Assistant (ByteDance), an agentic assistant with system-level permissions that operates other apps on the Nubia M153 phone by simulating touches","aiProduct":"Doubao Phone Assistant","aiCompany":"ByteDance","severity":"low","verificationStatus":"unverified","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["functional_impairment"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"Users say WeChat, Alipay and Pinduoduo logins failed on their phones after the Doubao Phone Assistant operated the apps for them, Alipay stopped some purchase tasks midway and one user was banned from a game for 10 minutes; ByteDance told the user group blocked WeChat accounts would be unblocked one by one (36Kr, The Paper; user statements, number not stated).","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":0,"affectedCountStatus":"unquantified","affectedCountEvidence":"The inspected sources say 'users' or 'several users' reported problems and describe individual users (one game ban, some Pinduoduo and Alipay cases) without a count. Numeric zeros are placeholders. The 30,000 units sold (Nikkei via Business Standard) are not a harmed count.","victimAgeRange":"unknown","jurisdiction":"CN","platformType":"agent","outcomeType":"media_coverage","outcomeStatus":"ongoing","primarySourceUrl":"https://eu.36kr.com/en/p/3580978646121604","primarySourceLabel":"36Kr: Doubao Mobile Hits Snags in First Battle: AI Fails to Penetrate Internet Ecosystem Barriers","firstPublishedAt":"2026-09-29T12:41:53.180552+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-09-30T01:16:59.331721+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["historical-2025","doubao","bytedance","agentic-phone","account-lockout","acted-on-behalf","china"]},{"id":"2026-shanghai-ai-generated-persona-online-romance-fraud-170k-yuan","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"«对方自称1992年出生，是知名三甲医院医生，手握医院物业工程项目资源» (she claimed to be born in 1992, a doctor at a well-known tertiary hospital, holding hospital property-engineering project resources); «陆续向对方转账共计17万元» (transferred a total of 170,000 yuan in instalments); «就连想要打一通视频电话，对方也会以母亲在一旁看管作为理由拒绝» (even a video call was refused on the ground that her mother was watching); «反复回想交往细节，…越想越不对劲，才到派出所报案» (thinking back over the details he felt something was wrong and went to the police station).","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"«在短短5个月时间里，…陆续向对方转账共计17万元» (in just five months he transferred 170,000 yuan in total); «去年开始与其频繁聊天» (frequent chatting began last year, i.e. 2025).","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Over five months the man transferred a total of 170,000 yuan to a woman he had met on a social platform in 2021 who claimed to be a 1992-born doctor at a well-known top-tier hospital with property-engineering projects to award; she refused meetings and video calls citing her mother; he reported to the police when the promised projects never materialised.","causal_attribution":"police account via the programme 案件聚焦, relayed by Jiupai News and Guangming Net; single official chain."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"«实际出生于1961年，现年65岁，她并无医生资质，仅曾在医院从事后勤保洁工作» (actually born in 1961, now 65, no medical qualification, had only done hospital logistics cleaning); «注意到部分视频角落有一行小字提示：本作品含AI生成内容» (noticed a small corner label on some videos: this work contains AI-generated content); «累计近七千条日常视频、上万粉丝，全都是AI磨皮、场景合成制作而成» (nearly 7,000 videos and 10,000-plus followers, all made with AI skin-smoothing and scene compositing); «一人分饰两角，利用多个账号，分别扮演自己和早已离世的母亲» (played two roles through multiple accounts, herself and her long-dead mother).","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"«…社交账号发布的累计近7000条日常视频、上万粉丝，全都是AI磨皮、场景合成制作而成» (the account's nearly 7,000 videos were all AI-processed).","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Police found the woman was born in 1961, aged 65, had no medical qualification and had worked as a hospital cleaner; her close to 7,000 videos were made with AI skin-smoothing and scene compositing, some carrying a small 'contains AI-generated content' label the victim had never noticed; she used multiple accounts to play herself and her deceased mother.","causal_attribution":"Police findings as presented in the programme; no independent chain."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"«全部被她用于医美护肤、购置衣物等个人挥霍。2009年，她还曾因诈骗罪被判处有期徒刑四年六个月» (all spent on cosmetic treatments and clothing; in 2009 she was sentenced to four years six months for fraud); «因涉嫌诈骗罪，已被公安机关依法采取刑事强制措施» (criminal coercive measures taken for suspected fraud).","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"«…曾于2009年因诈骗罪被判监4年半。目前，…因涉嫌诈骗罪已被公安机关采取刑事强制措施» (2009 fraud sentence of four and a half years; now under criminal coercive measures).","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"The 170,000 yuan was spent on cosmetic skin treatments and clothing; the woman had been sentenced to four years and six months for fraud in 2009; she is under criminal coercive measures for suspected fraud.","causal_attribution":"Police statement relayed by press."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"«同时与十余人保持暧昧关系» (simultaneously kept ambiguous relationships with more than ten people). (police-attributed sentence in the Epoch Times)","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"},{"locator":"headline: '65岁阿姨AI换脸装“90后”美女，谈10多个暧昧对象' (the s1 body text does not repeat it)","relation":"context","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Police said the woman simultaneously kept ambiguous relationships with more than ten people; no loss by anyone else is reported.","causal_attribution":"Police statement relayed by the Epoch Times; context only, no further victims quantified."}],"effects":[{"label":"a man transferred 170,000 yuan over five months to a fabricated AI-processed persona and the money is reported spent","claim_id":"c1","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://m.gmw.cn/2026-09/16/content_1304564495.htm","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"zh","translation_note":"Read in Chinese on 2026-09-19 (Guangming Net, 16 September 2026, sourced to 贵阳晚报). Marks the victim's name as a pseudonym (化名). Same police-programme chain as the other sources. Model-read original; English glosses unreviewed by a bilingual human. Chain line '综合：法治日报、案件聚焦、深圳新闻网'.","independence_group":"shanghai-police-case-focus-programme"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://news.qq.com/rain/a/20260915A0CNH000","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"zh","translation_note":"Read in Chinese on 2026-09-19 (Jiupai News on Tencent News, 15 September 2026; body recovered from the page's script payload). Carries the attribution line 来源：案件聚焦、看看新闻. Same chain as s1. Its lede reads '五年网恋' where its body and s1 say five months; the Jiaohuidian copy of the same text reads '关注对方账号五年、五个月网恋', so the lede is a truncation. Jiupai does not mark the names as pseudonyms; s1, s3 and s4 do.","independence_group":"shanghai-police-case-focus-programme"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://www.stheadline.com/zh-hans/realtime-china/3616014/AI%E5%8F%98%E8%84%B8%E9%AA%97%E5%B1%8065%E5%B2%81%E6%B8%85%E6%B4%81%E9%98%BF%E5%A7%A8%E4%BC%AA%E8%A3%8590%E5%90%8E%E7%BE%8E%E5%A5%B3%E5%8C%BB%E7%94%9F-%E4%B8%8A%E6%B5%B7%E7%94%B7%E7%BD%91%E6%81%8B5%E4%B8%AA%E6%9C%88%E8%A2%AB%E9%AA%9717%E4%B8%87","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"zh","translation_note":"Read in Chinese on 2026-09-19 (Sing Tao Headline, Hong Kong; '综合内媒报道', a digest of mainland reports). Marks both names as pseudonyms. Same chain.","independence_group":"shanghai-police-case-focus-programme"},{"id":"s4","url":"https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/26/9/17/n14851558.htm","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"zh","translation_note":"Read in Chinese on 2026-09-19 (Epoch Times, 17 September 2026; '据大陆媒体报导'). Adds the police statement that the suspect kept ambiguous relationships with more than ten people. Same chain.","independence_group":"shanghai-police-case-focus-programme"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["relationships","finance"],"unknowns":["The months of the five-month relationship and of the police report are not stated; frequent chatting began in 2025 per Guangming Net, so the first known event year is recorded as 2025 at year precision.","The AI tools used to make the videos are not identified.","Whether prosecutors have charged the suspect, and whether any money was recovered, is not reported.","Whether any of the more than ten other contacts lost money is not reported.","The Kankan News 案件聚焦 broadcast page was not readable (script shell); the programme's account is known through press relays."],"geography":{"basis":"The victim is described as a Shanghai man (上海男子), the two were in the same city (同在一个城市) and the demanded flat was in Shanghai (在上海购置房产); no court proceeding is reported.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":["CN"],"affected_person_countries":["CN"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published under the 2026-09-15 charter as an impersonation case with a documented 170,000 yuan loss to one person, where police examined the AI-processed videos and their AI-content label. One official chain relayed by several outlets, so claims are recorded as reported. Both parties are pseudonymised in the reporting and the pseudonyms have been elided from the quoted passages here.","reviewed_on":"2026-09-19"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"police, via the Kankan News programme 案件聚焦, said officers found an AI-generated-content label on some of the suspect's videos and established that her roughly 7,000 videos were produced with AI skin-smoothing and scene compositing. The AI content depicted a fabricated young persona shown to the victim, which is why depicted_or_impersonated is recorded; the chat itself was conducted by the suspect, so communicated_with is not recorded. Single official chain relayed by several outlets.","status":"supported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"Shanghai: a man transferred 170,000 yuan over a five-month online romance with a '1992-born hospital doctor' whose roughly 7,000 videos were AI-processed fabrications by a 65-year-old woman; police took criminal coercive measures","summary":"police, as presented by the Kankan News programme 案件聚焦 (Case Focus), reported in September 2026 that a Shanghai property-engineering contractor had transferred 170,000 yuan in total during a five-month online relationship with a woman he had met on a social platform in 2021. She presented herself as born in 1992, a doctor at a well-known top-tier hospital with hospital property-engineering projects to award, and ran an account with more than 10,000 followers and close to 7,000 short videos of daily life. She refused to meet or take a video call, saying her mother opposed the relationship and demanded a 300,000 yuan bride price and a Shanghai flat; the man reported to a police station when the promised projects never materialised and his savings ran down. Police found she was born in 1961, aged 65, had no medical qualification and had worked as a hospital cleaner; the receiving bank account was registered to another man; the videos were all made with AI skin-smoothing and scene compositing, some carrying a small 'this work contains AI-generated content' label he had never noticed; and she used multiple accounts to play both herself and her long-dead mother. The money had gone on cosmetic treatments and clothing; she had a 2009 fraud conviction with a sentence of four and a half years and is now under criminal coercive measures for suspected fraud. Police also said she kept ambiguous relationships with more than ten people; no other losses are reported.","incidentDate":"2025-01-01","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"year","exposurePattern":"cumulative_relationship","reportedDate":"2026-09-15","aiSystem":"AI video processing ('AI磨皮、场景合成': AI skin-smoothing and scene compositing) used to produce close to 7,000 short videos of a fabricated young 'doctor' persona; tools not identified","aiProduct":"Unidentified AI video-editing tool","severity":"medium","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["financial_loss"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"A Shanghai man transferred 170,000 yuan over five months to a fabricated 'doctor' persona whose videos police found were AI-processed; the money is reported spent and no recovery is reported.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"supported","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":1,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"One man with a documented loss of 170,000 yuan. Police said the suspect kept ambiguous relationships with more than ten other people, but no loss by anyone else is reported, so they are not counted.","victimAgeRange":"adult","jurisdiction":"CN","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"investigation_opened","outcomeStatus":"ongoing","primarySourceUrl":"https://m.gmw.cn/2026-09/16/content_1304564495.htm","primarySourceLabel":"Guangming Net (光明网), 16 September 2026: 65岁阿姨AI换脸装“90后”美女，谈10多个暧昧对象 (Shanghai police programme 案件聚焦 via 贵阳晚报)","firstPublishedAt":"2026-09-20T03:12:46.86943+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-09-30T01:17:53.218943+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["ai-generated-video","synthetic-persona","romance-fraud","shanghai","china","financial-loss","police-reported","ai-content-label"]},{"id":"2025-hku-deepfake-scandal","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"corroborated","evidence":[{"locator":"'a University of Hong Kong (HKU) law student fabricated pornographic deepfakes of at least 20 women'; 'no allegation so far that the student spread the deepfake images'; 'a friend discovered the images on the student's laptop'.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'Around 20 to 30 women... were affected'; 'in February, the student had admitted to using screenshots of the social media accounts... to generate pornographic images using free online artificial intelligence software'; 'there were 700 images involved - including deepfakes as well as unedited images'.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"},{"locator":"'The images were organized into folders named after the victims, totaling 700+ images'; 'discovered on his laptop reported to the university in February'; 'not known to have been widely distributed'.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"In February 2025 an HKU law student was found to have used free online AI software to make indecent/deepfake images of some 20 to 30 women (about 700 image files including deepfakes and unedited saved photos), taken from their social-media accounts; there was no allegation he distributed them.","causal_attribution":"The victims' Instagram account (carried by HKFP and NBC) and AFP reporting (CBS); the 700 figure is images, and outlets vary between 'at least 20' and '20 to 30' women."},{"id":"c2","status":"corroborated","evidence":[{"locator":"'The University has already issued him a warning letter and demanded him a formal apology'; the 60-word apology letter; 'class adjustments'.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'HKU proposed a verbal reprimand and warning letter'; the ~60-word apology 'most victims found... insincere'.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"},{"locator":"'The university said it had issued a warning letter to the student and told him to apologise'; lawmakers/advocates' criticism.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"HKU initially issued a warning letter and demanded an apology (about 60 words, shown to victims in April 2025), and made class adjustments; the response drew wide criticism after victims went public on 12 July 2025.","causal_attribution":"HKU statements and the victims' account, carried by three outlets."},{"id":"c3","status":"corroborated","evidence":[{"locator":"'Hong Kong's Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data said Tuesday... has begun a criminal investigation into the incident'.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'The probe, announced Tuesday by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data'.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"Hong Kong's Privacy Commissioner opened a criminal investigation on 15 July 2025.","causal_attribution":"PCPD announcement, 15 July 2025."},{"id":"c4","status":"documented","evidence":[{"locator":"'私隱專員公署今日（17 日）宣布，因證據不足未能進一步跟進... 由於未有受害人願意提供進一步資料，目前未有足夠證據提出起訴'; 'AI 深度偽造技術（Deepfake）投訴... 5 宗'; new school/parent guidance.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s5"}],"assertion":"On 17 December 2025 the PCPD announced it was ending the investigation for insufficient evidence, as no victim was willing to provide further information, and released anti-deepfake guidance for schools and parents.","causal_attribution":"unwire.hk report of the PCPD press conference (Privacy Commissioner Ada Chung), 17 December 2025."},{"id":"c5","status":"corroborated","evidence":[{"locator":"'under section 159AAE of the Crimes Ordinance, it is unlawful to disseminate deepfake intimate images... without their consent'; creation not covered.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"},{"locator":"'the city's regulations covered acts of voyeurism and the publication or distribution of images - rather than their creation'.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"},{"locator":"'Hong Kong law only criminalises the distribution of intimate images... but not the generation of them'.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Hong Kong law criminalises publication or distribution of non-consensual intimate images (including AI-generated ones) but not their mere creation, leaving victims without a clear route to prosecution.","causal_attribution":"Legal analysis carried by three outlets and the victims' statement."}],"effects":[{"label":"some 20 to 30 women had indecent and deepfake images generated from their social-media photos; distress, shared classes with the accused, and no redress after the probe closed","claim_id":"c1","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ai-generated-porn-scandal-university-of-hong-kong/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-09-17 via the Internet Archive capture 20251105074941 (CBS live returns HTTP 406); datePublished 2025-07-15. CBS/AFP: at least 20 women, PCPD criminal probe, legal gap.","independence_group":"afp"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.nbcnews.com/world/asia/hong-kong-opens-criminal-probe-ai-generated-porn-scandal-citys-oldest-rcna219046","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-09-17 (live, datePublished 2025-07-17). NBC News: 700+ images in victim-named folders, warning letter and 60-word apology, class adjustments, John Lee comment.","independence_group":"nbc"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://hongkongfp.com/2025/07/14/hku-student-who-allegedly-made-700-ai-generated-indecent-images-inc-of-classmates-gets-warning-letter/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-09-17 (live, datePublished 2025-07-13, correction 2025-07-14). HKFP: 20-30 women, February discovery, 700 images (deepfakes plus unedited), March disciplinary request, ragging analysis.","independence_group":"hkfp"},{"id":"s4","url":"https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3318047/hong-kong-should-ban-ai-generated-porn-protect-victims-ngo-and-lawmakers","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-09-17 (live, datePublished 2025-07-13). SCMP: advocates and lawmakers on the creation-vs-distribution legal gap; Education Bureau comment.","independence_group":"scmp"},{"id":"s5","url":"https://unwire.hk/2025/12/17/hku-ai-deepfake-case-privacy-investigation-insufficient-evidence/fun-tech/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"zh","translation_note":"Read in Chinese on 2026-09-17 (datePublished 2025-12-17). unwire.hk on the PCPD press conference: probe ended for insufficient evidence, no victim willing to provide further information, 20-30 victims, five deepfake complaints that year, new school/parent guidance. Model reading; no human bilingual review.","independence_group":"unwire"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["education","privacy","justice"],"unknowns":["The student is not identified beyond 'a male law student' and faced no prosecution; whether HKU took any further disciplinary action is not established.","The exact number of women is reported as 20 to 30 (NBC: 'more than a dozen'); the precise count is unresolved.","The creation start date is reported by The Standard as about May 2024 but is not firmly established in the sources read here.","Whether any victim later came forward with evidence after the December 2025 closure is not established."],"geography":{"basis":"Event: the University of Hong Kong; victims are HKU-connected women in Hong Kong (CBS, NBC, HKFP, SCMP). The PCPD is a regulator, not a court, and no prosecution followed, so court_countries is empty.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":["HK"],"affected_person_countries":["HK"]},"publication":{"basis":"Restored from the deletion of historical artifact rows and converted to facts-v3 under the 2026-09-15 charter, which brings non-consensual AI imagery and harmful artifacts into scope. Some 20 to 30 women had indecent AI images generated from their photos; the harm and the closed investigation are documented across CBS/AFP, NBC, HKFP, SCMP and unwire.hk. First-publication timestamp preserved.","reviewed_on":"2026-09-17"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"Multiple outlets and the victims' own account report the student used free online AI software to generate indecent/deepfake images from the women's social-media photos; the student admitted using the software (per the victims' account carried by HKFP and NBC). The specific tools are not named.","status":"supported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"University of Hong Kong: a law student made about 700 indecent AI-generated images of some 20 to 30 classmates and teachers; the privacy watchdog opened then closed a criminal probe","summary":"In February 2025 a University of Hong Kong (HKU) law student was found, by friends who saw the files on his laptop, to have used free online AI software to make about 700 indecent and deepfake images of some 20 to 30 women, including university and former schoolmates and secondary-school teachers, using photos taken from their social media. Victims went public in July 2025, and HKU's initial response, a warning letter and a demand that he apologise, drew wide criticism. Hong Kong's Privacy Commissioner opened a criminal investigation on 15 July 2025 but announced on 17 December 2025 that it was ending the probe for insufficient evidence, as no victim was willing to provide further information. Hong Kong law criminalised distribution, not creation, of such images.","incidentDate":"2025-02-01","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"month","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2025-07-12","aiSystem":"AI deepfake / image-generation software (free online tools, not named)","aiProduct":"Unidentified image tool","severity":"high","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["psychological_distress","reputational_harm","exploitation_or_abuse"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"Some 20 to 30 women had indecent and deepfake images of themselves generated with AI from their social-media photos; victims reported distress and had to share classes with the accused, and the criminal investigation was closed for insufficient evidence, leaving them without redress.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"supported","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":20,"affectedCountStatus":"documented_minimum","affectedCountEvidence":"CBS and Hong Kong Free Press report 20 to 30 women affected; NBC reports 'more than a dozen'; the PCPD (December 2025) referred to 20 to 30 victims. Documented minimum of 20; the ~700 figure counts images (deepfakes plus unedited saved photos), not people, and is not used as a person count.","victimAgeRange":"adult","jurisdiction":"HK","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"investigation_opened","outcomeStatus":"resolved","primarySourceUrl":"https://hongkongfp.com/2025/07/14/hku-student-who-allegedly-made-700-ai-generated-indecent-images-inc-of-classmates-gets-warning-letter/","primarySourceLabel":"Hong Kong Free Press, 13-14 July 2025: HKU student who allegedly made 700 AI-generated indecent images, inc. of classmates, gets warning letter","firstPublishedAt":"2026-01-29T09:52:32.902523+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-09-30T01:17:04.827976+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["deepfakes","hong-kong","university","ncii","sexual-images","legal-gap","investigation","east-asia","depicted-or-impersonated"]}]}