{"meta":{"exportedAt":"2026-10-18T07:06:13.091Z","formatVersion":2,"selection":{"q":"deepfake_video","system":"","harm":"","context":"","country":"","role":"","relation":"","evidence":"","year":"2025","response":"","severity":"","verification":"","view":"incidents","sort":"added"},"totalIncidents":3,"coverage":{"cases":3,"countries":2,"languages":1,"unknownLocation":1,"locationPending":0,"unknownLanguage":0,"unknownDate":0,"lawsuits":0,"regulatory":1,"minors":1,"coreRelations":3,"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-delaware-county-pennsylvania-student-charged-after-app-animated-photos-of-freshman-girls-into-videos","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'I am writing to address concerns and rumors regarding an AI-generated video that was reported to depict several of our students in an inappropriate manner,'; 'The principal said families of the students involved have been contacted and provided with support.'; 'The email also stated that the school immediately began an internal investigation and notified'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"In early December 2025 the high school's principal wrote to families about an AI-generated video that was reported to depict several students in an inappropriate manner, saying the families of the students involved had been contacted and the township police notified.","causal_attribution":"The principal's email as quoted by 6abc; it relays a report and does not say the school saw the video."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'five freshman girls first heard they were victims of deepfakes on Dec. 2, according to parents of two of the victims who requested anonymity to protect their daughters’ identities.'; 'They said boys told their daughters that a male classmate had made videos depicting them sexually.'; 'The girls and their parents never saw the videos.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"According to parents of two of the victims, five freshman girls were told in early December by boys that a male classmate had made videos depicting them sexually; the girls and their parents never saw the videos.","causal_attribution":"The mothers' account to the Inquirer."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'The male classmate acknowledged making videos of the girls dancing in thong bikinis, the parents said police told them. But the app he used was deleted from his phone, and the videos were not on it, the police told them.'; 'The police told parents they did not subpoena the app or any social media companies, making it impossible to know what was created.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The parents said the police told them the classmate acknowledged making videos of the girls dancing in thong bikinis, that the app he used had been deleted from his phone and the videos were not on it, and that the police did not subpoena the app or social media companies.","causal_attribution":"The parents' relay of what the police told them; the police declined to comment to the Inquirer."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'had taken “publicly available” photos of other students and “used an app that animates images, making them appear to move and dance.”'; 'the alleged images were never discovered and the district’s message was cowritten by'; '“No evidence shared with law enforcement depicted anything inappropriate or any other related crime,” the message said.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'In a follow-up email on Jan. 16, the district said \"no evidence shared with law enforcement depicted anything inappropriate or any other related crime.\"'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"A district message of 16 January 2026, which a district spokesperson said was co-written by the police, said a student had taken publicly available photos of other students and used an app that animates images to make them appear to move and dance, and that no evidence shared with law enforcement depicted anything inappropriate.","causal_attribution":"The district's message (co-written with the police, per its spokesperson) as quoted by the Inquirer; CBS quotes the same email."},{"id":"c5","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'After being alerted in December of 2025 of the possible use of AI to generate non-consensual sexualized imagery of multiple juveniles'; 'in collaboration with the Delaware County District Attorney’s Office and specifically the Delaware County ICAC Detective Division. As a result of the investigation, a juvenile offender was charged with the crime of harassment for their conduct.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'But just days later, in a Facebook post on Jan. 23,'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"The township police said in a press release that, after being alerted in December 2025 to the possible use of AI to generate non-consensual sexualized imagery of multiple juveniles, they investigated with the Delaware County District Attorney's Office and its ICAC detective division, and a juvenile was charged with harassment; the charge was announced on 23 January 2026.","causal_attribution":"The police press release as quoted by Main Line Media News; CBS gives the date of the police announcement. The police describe the AI use as possible."},{"id":"c6","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'“she said everyone was staring at her,” said her mother, who requested anonymity to protect her daughter’s identity.'; '“She just felt like no one believed her,”'; 'parents said their daughters were offered little support'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"A victim's mother said that when her daughter walked into school the next morning everyone was staring at her, that her daughter felt no one believed her, and parents said their daughters were offered little support.","causal_attribution":"The mothers' own accounts to the Inquirer (anonymous)."},{"id":"c7","status":"disputed","evidence":[{"locator":"'“The district’s and the police department’s investigations have found no evidence that the images remain or were shared, posted, or otherwise circulated,” she said.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"A district spokesperson said the alleged images were never discovered and that the district's and the police department's investigations found no evidence that the images remain or were shared, posted or otherwise circulated.","causal_attribution":"The district's account, which parents contest; recorded as counterevidence about the content and spread of the videos."},{"id":"c8","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'“The non-consensual use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) to create, modify, distribute, or solicit sexualized, indecent, or intimate content involving another person is strictly prohibited and constitutes sexual harassment,” the new language reads.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s5"}],"assertion":"In April 2026 the school board adopted policy language prohibiting the non-consensual use of generative AI to create, modify, distribute or solicit sexualized, indecent or intimate content involving another person.","causal_attribution":"The Inquirer's report of the adopted policy text."}],"effects":[{"label":"girls told a classmate had made sexual videos of them; one stared at in school and felt disbelieved","claim_id":"c6","direction":"negative"},{"label":"videos made from publicly available photos of students with an app that animates images","claim_id":"c4","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.inquirer.com/education/radnor-council-rock-school-district-ai-deepfakes-20260217.html","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"The Philadelphia Inquirer, 17 February 2026, with its own interviews of two victims' mothers (anonymous) and statements from the district spokesperson; read in full (HTTP 200).","independence_group":"inquirer-17-feb-2026"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.mainlinemedianews.com/2026/02/11/radnor-parents-demand-policy-changes-over-student-generated-sexualized-ai-images/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Main Line Media News, 11 February 2026, quoting the township police press release on the charge; read in full (HTTP 200).","independence_group":"police-press-release-jan-2026"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://www.cbsnews.com/philadelphia/news/radnor-school-district-ai-generated-images/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"CBS Philadelphia, 10 February 2026, on the district's emails and the police announcement; live HTTP 406, Internet Archive capture read in full.","independence_group":"cbs-philadelphia-10-feb-2026"},{"id":"s4","url":"https://6abc.com/post/radnor-high-school-pennsylvania-alerts-families-inappropriate-ai-video-depicting-students/18268641/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"6abc Philadelphia, 9 December 2025, quoting the principal's email to families; read in full (HTTP 200).","independence_group":"principal-email-dec-2025"},{"id":"s5","url":"https://www.inquirer.com/education/radnor-school-district-ai-deepfake-policy-20260422.html","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"The Philadelphia Inquirer, 22 April 2026, on the school board's policy change; read in full (HTTP 200).","independence_group":"inquirer-22-apr-2026"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["education","privacy"],"unknowns":["Which app the classmate used and what the videos showed; the police did not subpoena the app and the videos were not recovered.","Whether the videos were sexual, as the girls were told, or showed dancing in bikinis, as the parents say the police described.","Whether the videos were shared beyond the classmates who described them, and the outcome of the juvenile charge."],"geography":{"basis":"The township police in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, investigated with the county District Attorney's Office, and the depicted girls are students at a high school in the township (Inquirer, Main Line Media News, 6abc).","court_countries":[],"event_countries":["US"],"affected_person_countries":["US"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published as a core case (depicted_or_impersonated): a police-co-written district message says a student used an app that animates photos to make videos of classmates, the police describe possible AI generation of sexualized imagery of multiple juveniles and charged a juvenile with harassment, and parents describe their daughters being stared at and disbelieved at school. The AI involvement is suspected, the app is unnamed, and whether the videos were sexual is disputed.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-18"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"A district message that its spokesperson says was co-written by the police states that a student used an app that animates publicly available photos of other students to make them appear to move and dance, and the parents say the police told them the classmate acknowledged making videos of the girls with an app. The township police describe the case as the possible use of AI to generate non-consensual sexualized imagery of multiple juveniles and charged a juvenile with harassment. The app is not named, the videos were not recovered, and whether they were sexual is disputed between the parents and the district.","status":"suspected"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"Pennsylvania police charge a student with harassment after reported AI videos of freshman girls; district says an app animated their photos","summary":"In December 2025 a high school in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, told families about an AI-generated video reported to depict several students inappropriately. Parents told the Philadelphia Inquirer that five freshman girls were told by boys that a male classmate had made sexual videos of them; the girls never saw the videos. The parents say police told them the classmate acknowledged making videos of the girls dancing in thong bikinis with an app later deleted from his phone. A January 2026 district message, which the district says was co-written by the police, said a student used an app that animates publicly available photos to make them appear to move and dance, and that no evidence of anything inappropriate was found. The township police said they had investigated the possible use of AI to generate non-consensual sexualized imagery of multiple juveniles and charged a juvenile with harassment. One mother said everyone stared at her daughter at school and that she felt no one believed her. The app is unnamed and the videos were not recovered.","incidentDate":"2025-12-01","incidentKind":"single_event","incidentDatePrecision":"month","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2025-12-09","aiSystem":"An unnamed app that animates still photos, which a student used on publicly available photos of classmates to make videos of them moving and dancing; the police describe the case as the possible use of AI to generate sexualized imagery","aiProduct":"Unidentified video tool (suspected)","severity":"medium","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["psychological_distress"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"According to parents, five freshman girls were told a classmate had made sexual videos of them from their photos; one mother says everyone stared at her daughter at school and she felt no one believed her. The police describe possible AI-generated sexualized imagery of multiple juveniles; the district says no inappropriate content was found.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":5,"affectedCountStatus":"documented_minimum","affectedCountEvidence":"Five: parents of two victims told the Inquirer that five freshman girls were told they were depicted, and the police describe imagery of multiple juveniles. The count rests on the parents' account; the district disputes that inappropriate content existed.","victimAgeRange":"minor","jurisdiction":"US-PA","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"criminal_charges","outcomeStatus":"unknown","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.inquirer.com/education/radnor-council-rock-school-district-ai-deepfakes-20260217.html","primarySourceLabel":"The Philadelphia Inquirer, 17 February 2026: Students are using AI to create deepfakes of classmates; parents say schools are not doing enough to stop it","firstPublishedAt":"2026-10-18T03:12:31.735982+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-18T03:12:31.735982+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["school","deepfake_video","image_animation_app","minors","harassment_charge"]},{"id":"2025-pune-police-say-man-lost-rs-43-lakh-after-deepfake-video-of-narayana-murthy-and-sudha-murty","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'recently fell prey to a deepfake video of Infosys founder Narayana Murthy and his wife Sudha Murty promoting AI-based share trading tools and lost Rs 43 lakh to a cyber scam, said the police.'; 'He subsequently approached the cybercrime police station of Pune, and after a preliminary inquiry, the police filed the FIR.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'reportedly had fallen prey to a deepfake video of Murty and her husband, Narayana Murthy, and lost Rs 43 lakh.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"Pune police said a man from Pune fell prey to a deepfake video of Infosys founder Narayana Murthy and Sudha Murty promoting AI-based share trading tools and lost Rs 43 lakh to a cyber scam; the police filed an FIR on his complaint after a preliminary inquiry by the cybercrime police station.","causal_attribution":"The police account as reported by The Indian Express; NDTV's later mention adds no independent source."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'The advertisement allegedly promised a return of Rs 17 lakh after 28 days of initial investment of Rs 21,000 in a stock.'; 'The probe later revealed that it was a deepfake video that claimed that the initial investment of Rs 21,000 would grow manifold through a platform that uses AI tools for market analysis and investment strategy.'; 'The video also allegedly included deepfake testimonials of investors who claimed to have profited immensely.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"According to the complaint, the man saw an Instagram advertisement promising a return of Rs 17 lakh after 28 days on an initial Rs 21,000 investment; the link led to a video of Narayana Murthy and Sudha Murty which, The Indian Express reports, the probe later revealed was a deepfake claiming the investment would grow through a platform using AI tools, and which allegedly also included deepfake testimonials of investors.","causal_attribution":"The complainant's account and the probe's finding as reported; the technical basis for calling the video a deepfake is not stated."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Between February and May this year, the complainant allegedly received over 120 calls from international numbers in which the callers gave him various reasons to make more transfers, at times forcing him to do so.'; 'he was advised to borrow money from friends or take personal loans.'; 'the complainant allegedly made a total of 19 transfers worth Rs 43.68 lakh to fraudulent mule accounts.'; 'the callers went incommunicado, and he realised that he had been cheated.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"According to the complaint and the police, after an initial Rs 21,000 transfer the man received more than 120 calls from international numbers between February and May 2025, was pressured and at times coerced into further transfers and advised to borrow from friends or take personal loans, and made 19 transfers totalling Rs 43.68 lakh to mule accounts before the callers stopped responding.","causal_attribution":"The complainant's allegations and the police account as reported; the loss is the complaint's figure."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'He claimed that then he sought to finally make a withdrawal as he had exhausted all his savings'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The man said he sought a withdrawal after exhausting all his savings.","causal_attribution":"The complainant's own statement as reported."}],"effects":[{"label":"loss of Rs 43.68 lakh in transfers to a fake share-trading platform","claim_id":"c3","direction":"negative"},{"label":"savings exhausted","claim_id":"c4","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/pune/deepfake-video-narayana-murthy-sudha-murty-share-trading-cyber-fraud-10173720/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"The Indian Express (Pune), 6 August 2025, reporting the police account and the FIR; the live URL returned HTTP 403 and the Internet Archive capture was read in full.","independence_group":"indian-express-pune-police-aug-2025"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/sudha-murtys-deepfake-video-used-for-investment-scam-she-reacts-9845698","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"NDTV, 19 December 2025, a report on a later deepfake of Sudha Murty that mentions the Pune loss in one sentence marked 'reportedly'; the live URL returned HTTP 403 and the Internet Archive capture was read in full. Grouped with The Indian Express because it adds no independent account of the Pune case.","independence_group":"indian-express-pune-police-aug-2025"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["finance"],"unknowns":["How the police established that the video was a deepfake, and which tool produced it.","Who ran the advertisement and the platform, and whether any money was traced or recovered.","The outcome of the police investigation."],"geography":{"basis":"The Indian Express reports that the Pune police registered the FIR on the complaint of a man from Pune, and the cybercrime police station of Pune conducted the preliminary inquiry. Where the platform's callers and accounts operated is not stated.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":["IN"],"affected_person_countries":["IN"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published as a core case (depicted_or_impersonated): the Pune police say a man was drawn into a share-trading fraud by a deepfake video of Narayana Murthy and Sudha Murty reached through an Instagram advertisement, and lost Rs 43.68 lakh in 19 transfers between February and May 2025 after being pressured by callers. The police attribution's technical basis is undisclosed, and the loss figure is the complaint's.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-18"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The Pune police, who registered the man's complaint after a preliminary inquiry, say he fell prey to a deepfake video of Narayana Murthy and Sudha Murty promoting share-trading tools, and The Indian Express reports that the probe revealed the video he was directed to from an Instagram advertisement was a deepfake, which allegedly also included deepfake investor testimonials. The video impersonated the two public figures toward him and led him to the platform whose callers obtained his transfers. The police do not disclose how they established that the video was AI-generated or name the tool.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"Pune police say a man lost Rs 43 lakh in a share-trading fraud after a deepfake video of Narayana Murthy and Sudha Murty drew him in","summary":"The Indian Express reported in August 2025 that, according to the Pune police, a man from Pune fell prey to a deepfake video of Infosys founder Narayana Murthy and Sudha Murty promoting AI-based share-trading tools and lost Rs 43 lakh. According to the complaint, an Instagram advertisement promised Rs 17 lakh in 28 days on a Rs 21,000 investment and led to the video, which the probe found to be a deepfake; the video also allegedly included deepfake investor testimonials. Between February and May 2025 he received more than 120 calls from international numbers, was pressured and at times coerced into further payments, was advised to borrow from friends or take loans, and made 19 transfers totalling Rs 43.68 lakh to mule accounts before the callers stopped responding and he had exhausted his savings. The police registered an FIR after a preliminary inquiry. They do not say how they established that the video was a deepfake.","incidentDate":"2025-02-01","incidentEndDate":"2025-05-01","incidentKind":"single_event","incidentDatePrecision":"month","exposurePattern":"repeated_interactions","reportedDate":"2025-08-06","aiSystem":"An unidentified tool used to produce a deepfake video of Narayana Murthy and Sudha Murty, with what were allegedly deepfake investor testimonials, promoting a share-trading platform; the police describe it as a deepfake and name no tool","aiProduct":"Unidentified video tool","severity":"medium","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["financial_loss"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"According to the police account and his complaint, the man made 19 transfers totalling Rs 43.68 lakh to mule accounts between February and May 2025 and exhausted his savings.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":1,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"One person: the complainant described in the Pune police case, who lost Rs 43.68 lakh. The two depicted public figures are not counted because no response or consequence for them in this case is reported.","victimAgeRange":"adult","jurisdiction":"IN","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"investigation_opened","outcomeStatus":"unknown","primarySourceUrl":"https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/pune/deepfake-video-narayana-murthy-sudha-murty-share-trading-cyber-fraud-10173720/","primarySourceLabel":"The Indian Express, 6 August 2025: Pune man falls for deepfake video of Narayana Murthy and Sudha Murty, loses Rs 43 lakh","firstPublishedAt":"2026-10-18T03:09:28.864572+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-18T03:09:28.864572+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["investment_fraud","deepfake_video","fake_celebrity_endorsement","share_trading_fraud","india"]},{"id":"2025-uk-full-fact-finds-ai-deepfakes-of-public-health-academics-promoting-supplements-on-tiktok","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'A Full Fact investigation has found that a series of social media accounts have been using AI-generated deepfakes of real doctors and academics—including Professor Taylor-Robinson—to promote health products with bogus endorsements.'; 'Many of the links on the accounts we’ve seen posting deepfakes do go to the Wellness Nest website, where you can buy its products.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'All the deepfakes involve real footage of a health expert taken from the internet. However, the pictures and audio have been reworked so that the speakers are encouraging women going through menopause to buy products such as probiotics and Himalayan shilajit from the company’s website.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"Full Fact reported on 5 December 2025 that its investigation had found a series of social media accounts using AI-generated deepfakes of real doctors and academics, made from real footage of them, to promote health products with bogus endorsements, many linking to the website of the US supplements company Wellness Nest.","causal_attribution":"Full Fact's own investigation; The Guardian relays the same finding (one origin)."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'On 11 August this year Professor David Taylor-Robinson received an email from a colleague at the University of Liverpool, where he works.'; 'what he found was footage of his real appearance at a Public Health England (PHE) conference subtly altered to make him talk not about the north-south health divide, but about “thermometer leg”.'; 'One solution I recommend: probiotic for women in menopause from Wellness Nest.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Professor David Taylor-Robinson, a children's public health doctor at the University of Liverpool who is not on TikTok, learned on 11 August 2025 from a colleague's email that TikTok carried footage of his real appearance at a Public Health England conference, altered so that a fake version of him talked about a supposed menopause symptom and recommended a Wellness Nest probiotic.","causal_attribution":"Full Fact's account of the professor's discovery and its transcript of the video."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'In August, he was shocked to find that TikTok was hosting 14 doctored videos purporting to show him recommending products with unproven benefits.'; 'In one misleading video, he was depicted swearing and making misogynistic comments while discussing menopause.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"The Guardian reported that in August the professor found TikTok hosting 14 doctored videos purporting to show him recommending products with unproven benefits, and that in one he was depicted swearing and making misogynistic comments while discussing menopause.","causal_attribution":"The Guardian's report; Full Fact does not give the number of videos."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Professor Taylor-Robinson notified his manager and the comms team at the university, which reported the content to TikTok, only to be told that no violations were found.'; 'by the time @better_healthy_life was permanently banned, after our email to TikTok on 24 September.'; 'TikTok told us it didn’t take the posts down earlier because of a moderating error.'; 'It told us it eventually removed them for breaching its impersonation and misinformation policies.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'TikTok took down the videos six weeks after Taylor-Robinson complained.'; 'We have removed this content [relating to Taylor-Robinson and Selbie] for breaking our rules against harmful misinformation and behaviours that seek to mislead our community, such as impersonation.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"When the university reported the content, TikTok first said no violations were found; after further reports it restricted the videos' visibility without removing them, and the account was permanently banned after Full Fact emailed TikTok on 24 September 2025. TikTok told Full Fact the delay was a moderating error and that it removed the posts for breaching its impersonation and misinformation policies.","causal_attribution":"Full Fact's account and TikTok's statements to Full Fact and to The Guardian."},{"id":"c5","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'“One of my friends said his wife had seen it and was almost taken in by it, until their daughter said it’s obviously been faked,” he told Full Fact. “So people who know me could have been taken in by it. That is concerning.”'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'“I didn’t feel desperately violated, but I did become more and more irritated at the idea of people selling products off the back of my work and the health misinformation involved.”'; 'It was a faff to get them taken down,” he said.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"The professor said he did not feel desperately violated but became more and more irritated at people selling products off the back of his work and at the health misinformation, that getting the videos taken down was a faff, and that a friend's wife had almost been taken in, so people who know him could have been deceived.","causal_attribution":"The professor's own statements to Full Fact and to The Guardian (one witness)."},{"id":"c6","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Eight videos showed the former chief executive of PHE, Duncan Selbie, also supposedly talking about menopause.'; 'It’s a complete fake from beginning to end.”'; 'he wasn’t at all pleased that they existed. “It wasn’t funny in the sense that people pay attention to these things,” he told us.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Full Fact found eight videos on the same account showing Duncan Selbie, former chief executive of Public Health England, supposedly talking about menopause; Selbie, who does not use social media, called them a complete fake and was not pleased that they existed.","causal_attribution":"Full Fact's finding and Selbie's statement to Full Fact; The Guardian relays it."},{"id":"c7","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'It had accrued more than 365,000 views, 7,691 likes, 459 comments and 2,878 bookmarks by the time @better_healthy_life was permanently banned'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Full Fact reported that the thermometer-leg video had more than 365,000 views by the time the account was banned.","causal_attribution":"An audience figure, not a count of harmed people."},{"id":"c8","status":"disputed","evidence":[{"locator":"'When we contacted Wellness Nest, it told us: “These affiliate accounts are 100% unaffiliated with Wellness Nest.”'; 'Wellness Nest has never used AI-generated content, never paid celebrities'; 'using AI to mimic real voices. Wellness Nest did not reply to this question either.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Wellness Nest told Full Fact that the accounts were unaffiliated with it, and its blog said it had never used AI-generated content and could not control or monitor affiliates; it did not answer Full Fact's question about a blog explaining how people can earn money from the company by generating deepfakes and using AI to mimic real voices.","causal_attribution":"The company's denial of responsibility, recorded as counterevidence; Full Fact does not establish who operated the accounts."}],"effects":[{"label":"depicted professor's irritation and effort to get impersonating videos removed","claim_id":"c5","direction":"negative"},{"label":"former public-health chief depicted in fake videos objects to them","claim_id":"c6","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://fullfact.org/health/academics-deepfaked-tiktok-wellness-nest/","kind":"fact_check","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Full Fact analysis by Leo Benedictus, 5 December 2025, reporting its own investigation and its interviews with the two depicted academics, TikTok, Google, Meta and Wellness Nest; read in full (HTTP 200).","independence_group":"full-fact-investigation-5-dec-2025"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/dec/05/ai-deepfakes-of-real-doctors-spreading-health-misinformation-on-social-media","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"The Guardian, 5 December 2025, reporting Full Fact's investigation with its own quotations from the professor, statements from TikTok and a politician; read in full (HTTP 200). Its account of Full Fact's findings relays Full Fact.","independence_group":"guardian-5-dec-2025"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["health","work"],"unknowns":["Who operated the accounts and which tools generated the altered footage and voices.","Whether any viewer bought a product after seeing the videos, and any financial or health consequence for viewers.","When the first videos depicting the two academics were posted.","Whether other people Full Fact identified as possibly deepfaked objected or suffered other consequences."],"geography":{"basis":"The depicted professor works at the University of Liverpool and the other depicted man was chief executive of Public Health England (Full Fact, The Guardian). No source says where the accounts were operated or where viewers were, so event countries are left unknown.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":[],"affected_person_countries":["GB"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published as a core case (depicted_or_impersonated): Full Fact examined videos altered from real footage of two UK public-health academics and found them to be AI-generated deepfakes promoting supplements; the professor describes irritation, concern that people who know him were taken in and the effort of getting TikTok to remove the videos, and the former Public Health England chief objects to them. The tool and the technical basis of the AI finding are undisclosed, and the supplements company denies running the accounts.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-18"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"Full Fact, a fact-checking organisation that examined the videos, traced them to real footage of the two academics (a Public Health England conference talk and a May 2025 select committee appearance) altered so that they appear to say things about menopause and supplements they never said, and describes them as AI-generated deepfakes. Both depicted men say the videos are fake. TikTok removed them under its impersonation and misinformation policies. Full Fact does not name the tool or describe a technical test that distinguishes AI generation from other editing.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"Full Fact finds AI deepfakes of UK public-health academics made to promote menopause supplements on TikTok; depicted professors object","summary":"In a December 2025 investigation, the fact-checker Full Fact reported that social media accounts were using AI-generated deepfakes of real doctors and academics, made from real footage, to promote supplements, with many links to the US company Wellness Nest. Professor David Taylor-Robinson of the University of Liverpool learned on 11 August 2025 that TikTok carried footage of his real conference talk altered so that a fake version of him discussed a supposed menopause symptom and recommended a Wellness Nest probiotic; The Guardian reported 14 such videos. TikTok at first found no violation, and removed the account after Full Fact contacted it on 24 September, calling the delay a moderating error. He said he became more and more irritated, that removal was a faff and that people who know him could have been taken in. Full Fact also found eight videos of Duncan Selbie, former head of Public Health England, who called them a complete fake. Wellness Nest denied running the accounts or using AI-generated content. The tool used is not identified.","incidentDate":"2025-08-01","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"month","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2025-12-05","aiSystem":"Unidentified tools used to alter real footage and voices of public-health academics into supplement-promotion videos, described by Full Fact as AI-generated deepfakes; no tool is named","aiProduct":"Unidentified video tool","severity":"low","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["reputational_harm","psychological_distress"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"Two depicted public-health academics object to AI-altered videos that made them recommend supplements: the professor says he became more and more irritated, that people who know him could have been taken in and that removal took weeks of effort; the former Public Health England chief says he was not pleased that the videos existed.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"supported","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":2,"affectedCountStatus":"partial","affectedCountEvidence":"The two depicted academics whose objections are reported are counted: the professor, who complained to TikTok, and the former Public Health England chief, who told Full Fact the videos were a complete fake. Other people Full Fact identified as possibly deepfaked, the friend's wife who was almost taken in and the video's 365,000 viewers are not counted.","victimAgeRange":"adult","jurisdiction":"GB","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"internal_action","outcomeStatus":"resolved","primarySourceUrl":"https://fullfact.org/health/academics-deepfaked-tiktok-wellness-nest/","primarySourceLabel":"Full Fact, 5 December 2025: how academics are being deepfaked on TikTok and Instagram to promote supplements","firstPublishedAt":"2026-10-18T03:07:55.542695+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-18T03:07:55.542695+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["deepfake_video","health_misinformation","supplement_promotion","academic_likeness","tiktok"]}]}