{ "meta": { "exportedAt": "2026-09-22T12:07:48.007Z", "formatVersion": 2, "selection": { "q": "deepfakes", "system": "", "harm": "", "context": "", "country": "", "role": "", "relation": "", "evidence": "", "year": "", "response": "", "severity": "", "verification": "", "view": "incidents", "sort": "added" }, "totalIncidents": 12, "coverage": { "cases": 12, "countries": 8, "languages": 8, "unknownLocation": 3, "locationPending": 0, "unknownLanguage": 0, "unknownDate": 1, "lawsuits": 1, "regulatory": 5, "minors": 5, "coreRelations": 12, "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": "NOPE Incident Tracker", "url": "https://nope.net/incidents", "license": "CC BY 4.0" }, "incidents": [ { "id": "2026-berlin-weissensee-heinz-brandt-schule-ai-nude-images-classmates", "caseFacts": { "claims": [ { "id": "c1", "status": "reported", "evidence": [ { "locator": "'An der Heinz-Brandt-Schule in Berlin-Weißensee wird gegen zwei Schüler wegen des Verdachts ermittelt, KI-generierte sexualisierte Nacktbilder von Mitschülerinnen erstellt und verbreitet zu haben.'; 'Die Senatsverwaltung für Bildung bestätigte dem Tagesspiegel die Vorfälle und die laufenden Ermittlungen.'; 'Den Schülern sollen mindestens drei Fälle vorgeworfen werden. Die Schulleitung informierte die Schulgemeinschaft, dass sie am vergangenen Freitag von den Vorfällen erfahren habe.'", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s1" } ], "assertion": "Two pupils of the Heinz-Brandt-Schule in Berlin-Weißensee are suspected of having created and distributed AI-generated sexualised nude images of female classmates in at least three cases; the school leadership learned of the incidents on 'the previous Friday' (19 June 2026, read relative to the 24 June 2026 report), informed parents in a letter, and the Senate Department for Education confirmed the incidents and the investigation.", "causal_attribution": "The school's letter and the Senate confirmation as reported by the Tagesspiegel; 'vergangenen Freitag' before the 24 June 2026 report is 19 June 2026." }, { "id": "c2", "status": "reported", "evidence": [ { "locator": "'Die beiden mutmaßlich hauptverantwortlichen Schüler seien mit sofortiger Wirkung vom Unterricht suspendiert worden. Zudem habe die Schule Maßnahmen gegen Schülerinnen und Schüler verhängt, die von den Bildern gewusst, die Vorfälle jedoch nicht gemeldet haben sollen.'; 'In dem Schreiben bezeichnet die Schulleitung die mutmaßlichen Taten als „massiven Angriff auf die Persönlichkeitsrechte der betroffenen Schülerinnen“ und als „Form sexualisierter Gewalt“.'; 'Als Reaktion wolle die Schule ihr Präventionskonzept sowie das Konzept zur Sexualerziehung überarbeiten.'", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s1" } ], "assertion": "The two pupils alleged to be mainly responsible were suspended from lessons with immediate effect and the school imposed measures on pupils who are said to have known of the images and not reported them; the school called the alleged acts a massive attack on the affected girls' personality rights and a form of sexualised violence and said it would revise its prevention and sex-education concepts.", "causal_attribution": "The school's letter as reported." }, { "id": "c3", "status": "reported", "evidence": [ { "locator": "'„Es liegen Anzeigen wegen der Erstellung sogenannter Deepfakes vor“, sagte ein Sprecher der Berliner Polizei.'; 'Die Ermittlungen dazu habe die Abteilung des Landeskriminalamts übernommen, die für Sexualdelikte zum Nachteil Minderjähriger zuständig sei.'; 'Dabei komme eine Strafbarkeit wegen des Besitzes, der Beschaffung, der Erstellung oder Verbreitung von Jugendpornografie nach Paragraf 184 c des Strafgesetzbuchs in Betracht.'; 'Die Schule habe die Polizei eingeschaltet, die Ermittlungen würden im Auftrag der Staatsanwaltschaft geführt.'", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s1" } ], "assertion": "A Berlin police spokesman said complaints had been filed over the creation of deepfakes, that the State Criminal Police Office unit for sexual offences against minors had taken over the investigation, and that liability for possessing, obtaining, creating or distributing youth pornography under section 184c of the Criminal Code was under consideration; the school's letter says the investigation is conducted on behalf of the public prosecutor.", "causal_attribution": "Police spokesman as quoted by the Tagesspiegel; the prosecutor's role is the school letter's statement." } ], "effects": [ { "label": "female pupils depicted in AI-generated sexualised nude images distributed at their school, described by the school as sexualised violence", "claim_id": "c1", "direction": "negative" } ], "sources": [ { "id": "s1", "url": "https://www.tagesspiegel.de/berlin/schule/polizei-eingeschaltet-jugendliche-sollen-ki-nacktbilder-von-mitschulerinnen-an-berliner-schule-verbreitet-haben-15754057.html", "kind": "news_report", "access": "read", "language": "de", "translation_note": "Read live in German on 2026-09-22 (Der Tagesspiegel, 24 June 2026 14:39, marked 'Update', with dpa). Own reporting: the school leadership's letter to parents, statements from the Senate Department for Education, a Berlin police spokesman and the Pankow district parents' committee. Translated by the reviewer.", "independence_group": "tagesspiegel" } ], "version": 1, "ai_roles": [ "others_use" ], "contexts": [ "education", "privacy", "justice" ], "unknowns": [ "How many girls were depicted; 'at least three cases' is a count of alleged acts, not of persons.", "The ages of the suspects and of the depicted pupils, and the tool used.", "When the images were created and how they were distributed.", "Whether charges followed; no development after June 2026 was found on 2026-09-22.", "The Berliner Morgenpost's first report was not read.", "The date of the school's letter is not given; 19 June 2026 assumes 'am vergangenen Freitag' is relative to the week of the 24 June report." ], "geography": { "basis": "Heinz-Brandt-Schule, Berlin-Weißensee, Pankow district; Berlin police and public prosecutor (Tagesspiegel). No court proceeding reported.", "court_countries": [], "event_countries": [ "DE" ], "affected_person_countries": [ "DE" ] }, "publication": { "basis": "Published under the 2026-09-15 charter as an image-based abuse case affecting minors at a school, documented by the school's letter, the Senate education administration and the police through one newspaper's own reporting (single article, several official origins, recorded as reported). Not a death case. Nobody is named.", "reviewed_on": "2026-09-22" }, "ai_involvement": { "basis": "The school's letter and the Senate education administration describe KI-generated sexualised nude images; the police spokesman refers to complaints over the creation of deepfakes. No tool is named and no forensic detail is public. The artifacts depicted the girls; no AI system interacted with them.", "status": "reported" }, "person_relations": [ "depicted_or_impersonated" ] }, "name": "Berlin-Weißensee: two pupils of the Heinz-Brandt-Schule are suspected of creating and distributing AI-generated sexualised nude images of female classmates in at least three cases; the school suspended them and sanctioned pupils who are said to have known and not reported, and the police's sexual-offences unit investigates with liability under section 184c StGB (youth pornography) under consideration", "summary": "On 'the previous Friday' (19 June 2026, read relative to the 24 June 2026 report) the leadership of the Heinz-Brandt-Schule in Berlin-Weißensee (Pankow district) learned that two of its pupils were suspected of having created and distributed AI-generated sexualised nude images of female classmates; the school wrote to parents that it was 'shocked and appalled' that classmates' photographs had been abused in this way and described the alleged acts as a massive attack on the personality rights of the affected girls and a form of sexualised violence. The two pupils alleged to be mainly responsible were suspended from lessons with immediate effect, and the school imposed measures on pupils who are said to have known about the images without reporting them. The Senate Department for Education confirmed the incidents and the ongoing investigation in the Tagesspiegel's report of 24 June 2026. The school's letter says the investigation is conducted on behalf of the public prosecutor. A Berlin police spokesman said complaints had been filed over the creation of so-called deepfakes, that the investigation had been taken over by the State Criminal Police Office unit responsible for sexual offences against minors, and that criminal liability for possessing, obtaining, creating or distributing youth pornography under section 184c of the Criminal Code was under consideration; the police gave no further details, citing victim protection. At least three cases are alleged. The school said it would revise its prevention and sex-education concepts and asked parents to talk to their children about handling other people's photographs and AI applications. Nobody is named; the number of girls depicted is not reported.", "incidentDate": "2026-06-19", "incidentKind": "bounded_series", "incidentDatePrecision": "day", "exposurePattern": "unknown", "reportedDate": "2026-06-24", "aiSystem": "AI image-generation ('deepfake') tool, not named", "severity": "medium", "verificationStatus": "credible", "harmCategories": [], "harmOutcomes": [ "exploitation_or_abuse" ], "harmOutcomeSummary": "Female pupils were depicted in AI-generated sexualised nude images that were distributed at their school, which the school describes as a massive attack on their personality rights and a form of sexualised violence; the creation and distribution are attributed by the school's letter to two suspended pupils, and the police confirm complaints over the creation of deepfakes and an investigation by the LKA unit for sexual offences against minors. No account from the depicted girls has been published.", "frameworkFacets": [], "causationStatus": "supported", "participantUsersAffectedMin": 0, "otherPeopleHarmedMin": 0, "affectedCountStatus": "unquantified", "affectedCountEvidence": "The report speaks of 'Mitschülerinnen' (female classmates, plural) and of 'mindestens drei Fälle' (at least three cases) alleged against the pupils, without stating how many girls were depicted; a count of cases is not a count of persons. Unquantified, with zero placeholders.", "victimAgeRange": "minor", "jurisdiction": "DE-BE", "platformType": "other", "outcomeType": "investigation_opened", "outcomeStatus": "ongoing", "primarySourceUrl": "https://www.tagesspiegel.de/berlin/schule/polizei-eingeschaltet-jugendliche-sollen-ki-nacktbilder-von-mitschulerinnen-an-berliner-schule-verbreitet-haben-15754057.html", "primarySourceLabel": "Der Tagesspiegel, 24 June 2026: Polizei eingeschaltet: Jugendliche sollen KI-Nacktbilder von Mitschülerinnen an Berliner Schule verbreitet haben", "firstPublishedAt": "2026-09-22T03:45:58.07027+00:00", "scopeVersion": "facts-v3", "tags": [ "deepfake", "ai-generated-imagery", "ncii", "minor", "school", "germany", "berlin", "pankow", "184c-stgb", "depicted" ] }, { "id": "2026-netherlands-mrdeepfakes-74-year-old-prosecuted-deepfake-sex-videos-public-figures", "caseFacts": { "claims": [ { "id": "c1", "status": "corroborated", "evidence": [ { "locator": "'Managers en woordvoerders van verschillende slachtoffers bevestigen aan de NOS dat zij aangifte hebben gedaan of dat zij juridische stappen overwegen'", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s4" }, { "locator": "'BBB-leider Caroline van der Plas, die bij Humberto zei dat de video voelt als \"digitale verkrachting\"'; '\"Ik doe geen aangifte voor mezelf, maar om nieuwe, jonge slachtoffers te voorkomen.\"'; 'Erachter komen dat ik in een deepfake pornovideo zit, was misselijkmakend.'", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s5" }, { "locator": "'De zaak kwam in maart 2024 aan het licht. Vrouwelijke politici, olympische sporters, presentatrices en leden van het Koninklijk Huis doken op in gemanipuleerde pornovideo's'; 'Tientallen vrouwen deden aangifte.'", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s1" } ], "assertion": "In March 2024 a large number of Dutch women in public life, including presenters and politicians, were found to appear in manipulated pornographic videos on an online platform; dozens filed complaints and several described the harm publicly.", "causal_attribution": "AD's 2024 investigation as reported by NOS, with victims' public statements." }, { "id": "c2", "status": "reported", "evidence": [ { "locator": "'Op zijn computer en andere gegevensdragers werden beelden aangetroffen van ongeveer zestig bekende Nederlanders en politici'; 'Naar aanleiding daarvan deden meer dan twintig mensen aangifte. De Noord-Hollander zou volgens het AD de meest actieve Nederlandse gebruiker van het platform zijn geweest'; 'Sommige video's werden tienduizenden keren bekeken'", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s2" }, { "locator": "'De man kwam in beeld door onderzoek naar het beruchte platform MrDeepFakes. Dat leidde tot meer dan twintig aangiftes'", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s3" } ], "assertion": "Images of about sixty well-known Dutch people and politicians were found on the suspect's computer and data carriers; AD's investigation into MrDeepFakes led to more than twenty complaints; according to AD he had been the platform's most active Dutch user, and some videos were viewed tens of thousands of times.", "causal_attribution": "AD's reporting of the OM's findings, relayed by NH Nieuws and Hart van Nederland; one chain." }, { "id": "c3", "status": "corroborated", "evidence": [ { "locator": "'Het Openbaar Ministerie gaat een 74-jarige man uit Noord-Holland vervolgen voor het maken van deepfakeporno van tientallen bekende Nederlandse vrouwen. Dat bevestigt een woordvoerder van het OM'; 'Na ruim een jaar onderzoek heeft justitie besloten hem voor de rechter te brengen'; 'De man riskeert een celstraf van maximaal twee jaar'", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s1" }, { "locator": "'Het Openbaar Ministerie (OM) heeft na ruim een jaar onderzoek besloten de man voor de rechter te brengen'; 'De 74-jarige man kan daarvoor maximaal twee jaar gevangenisstraf krijgen'", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s2" } ], "assertion": "After more than a year of investigation the OM decided to prosecute a 74-year-old man from Noord-Holland for making deepfake porn of dozens of well-known Dutch women; the maximum sentence is two years' imprisonment.", "causal_attribution": "OM spokesperson to NOS (after AD's report) and to AD (relayed by NH Nieuws); two chains for the decision itself." }, { "id": "c4", "status": "reported", "evidence": [ { "locator": "'Zij zegt tegen het AD opgelucht te zijn dat de zaak voor de rechter komt. Volgens haar heeft zij zelf ervaren welke impact dergelijke nepbeelden kunnen hebben.'", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s2" } ], "assertion": "One of the presenters reported to be among the depicted said she was relieved the case would come to court, having experienced the impact of such fake images herself.", "causal_attribution": "Her statement to AD as relayed by NH Nieuws." }, { "id": "c5", "status": "reported", "evidence": [ { "locator": "'Meerdere vrouwelijke bekende Nederlanders overwegen juridische stappen omdat zij zijn opgedoken in gemanipuleerde pornovideo's. Deze video's staan op een online platform met maandelijks 13 miljoen bezoekers, schrijft het AD'; 'Nederlandse artiesten, tv-presentatrices, olympische sporters, (oud-)ministers, burgemeesters en leden van het Koninklijk Huis voorkomen'", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s4" }, { "locator": "'De video's stonden op een online platform met maandelijks 13 miljoen bezoekers'", "relation": "context", "source_id": "s1" } ], "assertion": "AD reported that the platform had 13 million monthly visitors and that the depicted people included Dutch artists, television presenters, Olympic athletes, current and former ministers, mayors and members of the royal family.", "causal_attribution": "AD's 2024 investigation, relayed by NOS; one chain." }, { "id": "c6", "status": "reported", "evidence": [ { "locator": "'Hij is op de hoogte van het besluit, zegt het OM tegen de krant'; 'De website waar de video's op stonden, werd opgericht en gerund door een Canadees uit Toronto. Hij verwijderde eerder al beelden op verzoek van het OM en blokkeerde de website voor Nederlandse IP-adressen'; 'De Canadees wordt niet vervolgd. Wat hij deed, was in Canada niet strafbaar. En het Nederlandse Openbaar Ministerie gaat niet proberen om hem naar Nederland te halen. Dat zou te veel politiecapaciteit vergen, laat het OM weten aan het AD.'", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s1" }, { "locator": "'De verdachte zit niet vast. Het is nog niet bekend wanneer de zaak inhoudelijk voor de rechter komt'", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s2" } ], "assertion": "The suspect has been informed of the decision and is not in custody; no hearing date is known. The platform's founder-operator, a Canadian from Toronto who had removed images at the OM's request and blocked Dutch IP addresses before the site went offline, will not be prosecuted because his conduct was not punishable in Canada and the OM will not try to bring him to the Netherlands.", "causal_attribution": "OM statements to AD, relayed by NOS and NH Nieuws; one chain." } ], "effects": [ { "label": "dozens of women in Dutch public life depicted without consent in pornographic deepfake videos on a platform AD said had 13 million monthly visitors; complaints filed; public statements of harm", "claim_id": "c1", "direction": "negative" }, { "label": "a 74-year-old man to be prosecuted after more than a year of investigation, facing up to two years' imprisonment", "claim_id": "c3", "direction": "negative" } ], "sources": [ { "id": "s1", "url": "https://nos.nl/artikel/2631746-om-gaat-74-jarige-man-vervolgen-voor-maken-deepfakeporno-van-bn-ers", "kind": "news_report", "access": "read", "language": "nl", "translation_note": "Read live in Dutch on 2026-09-21 (HTTP 200; published 2026-09-20 12:26). An OM spokesperson confirmed the prosecution decision to NOS after AD's reporting; NOS adds its own 2024 reporting and the OM's position on the platform operator. Translated by the reviewer.", "independence_group": "nos-2026" }, { "id": "s2", "url": "https://www.nhnieuws.nl/nieuws/363601/om-vervolgt-74-jarige-man-uit-noord-holland-voor-deepfake-seksvideos", "kind": "news_report", "access": "read", "language": "nl", "translation_note": "Read live in Dutch on 2026-09-21 (NH Nieuws, published 2026-09-20 15:35 CEST (13:35 UTC)). Relays AD's report (which spoke to an OM spokesperson): devices, 'about sixty' people, more than twenty complaints, most active Dutch user, a presenter's reaction. AD itself answered 403. Translated by the reviewer.", "independence_group": "ad" }, { "id": "s3", "url": "https://www.hartvannederland.nl/tech/nieuws/artikelen/man-rechter-deepfake-seksvideos-bners", "kind": "news_report", "access": "read", "language": "nl", "translation_note": "Read live in Dutch on 2026-09-21 (Hart van Nederland, published 2026-09-20 11:43). Relays AD; grouped with s2. Translated by the reviewer.", "independence_group": "ad" }, { "id": "s4", "url": "https://nos.nl/artikel/2513371-vrouwelijke-bn-ers-overwegen-aangifte-vanwege-deepfake-pornovideo-s", "kind": "news_report", "access": "read", "language": "nl", "translation_note": "Read live in Dutch on 2026-09-21 (NOS, 19 March 2024). NOS's own 2024 report on the AD revelations, with confirmations from victims' managers and the minister's reaction. Translated by the reviewer.", "independence_group": "nos-2024" }, { "id": "s5", "url": "https://nos.nl/artikel/2513552-wel-of-niet-zeggen-dat-je-in-een-neppornovideo-zit-bn-ers-worstelen-ermee", "kind": "news_report", "access": "read", "language": "nl", "translation_note": "Read live in Dutch on 2026-09-21 (NOS, 20 March 2024). Own reporting with victims' public statements and a quote given to NOS. Translated by the reviewer.", "independence_group": "nos-2024" }, { "id": "s6", "url": "https://www.ad.nl/binnenland/gepensioneerde-man-74-wordt-vervolgd-voor-maken-deepfake-seksvideos-van-zestig-bners~aa272972/", "kind": "news_report", "access": "unavailable", "language": null, "translation_note": "Original AD report of 19 September 2026; the live page answered HTTP 403 (DPG paywall) and the Internet Archive CDX service was offline on 2026-09-21. Its contents are known only through s2, s3 and s1. The 19 September date rests on Google News feed metadata, not on the body.", "independence_group": "ad" } ], "version": 1, "ai_roles": [ "others_use" ], "contexts": [ "privacy", "justice", "everyday_life" ], "unknowns": [ "When the videos were made and over what period; the tools used.", "The exact number of depicted people and of complainants ('about sixty'; 'more than twenty').", "The charges' legal basis and whether distribution as well as creation is charged; no hearing date.", "The suspect's identity beyond age and province is not reported and is not sought here.", "The AD original could not be read; its details are known through relays.", "The range start (19 March 2024) is the date the videos' existence was publicly revealed and complaints began; the videos were made and posted at unreported earlier dates. The range end (19 September 2026) is the date the prosecution decision was reported; the OM's decision date is not stated." ], "geography": { "basis": "The suspect is from Noord-Holland and the videos were made at his home (NH Nieuws citing AD); the depicted people are Dutch public figures; the platform was operated from Toronto (NOS). The prosecution decision is by the Dutch OM; no hearing has been scheduled, so no court country is recorded.", "court_countries": [], "event_countries": [ "NL" ], "affected_person_countries": [ "NL" ] }, "publication": { "basis": "Published under the 2026-09-15 charter as an image-based abuse case affecting identifiable people, with harm described publicly by several of the depicted women and a prosecution decision confirmed by the Public Prosecution Service to NOS. Five Dutch bodies read (two NOS chains and the AD relay chain); the AD original is unavailable. Depicted people who spoke publicly are quoted in locators but not named in the record; the suspect is not named.", "reviewed_on": "2026-09-21" }, "ai_involvement": { "basis": "NOS, NH Nieuws and Hart van Nederland describe the videos as deepfakes in which the faces of known women were placed on pornographic footage, and the OM's prosecution, as confirmed to NOS, is for making deepfake porn (Hart van Nederland says he is suspected of making and distributing the videos); the specific tools are not identified in any inspected source.", "status": "reported" }, "person_relations": [ "depicted_or_impersonated" ] }, "name": "Netherlands: the Public Prosecution Service will prosecute a 74-year-old man from Noord-Holland for making deepfake sex videos of dozens of Dutch public figures, including presenters, politicians and a member of the royal family (images of about sixty people were found on his devices), after the 2024 revelations about the MrDeepFakes platform", "summary": "In March 2024 the newspaper AD revealed that a large number of Dutch women in public life, including artists, television presenters, Olympic athletes, current and former ministers, mayors and members of the royal family, appeared in manipulated pornographic videos on an online platform with 13 million monthly visitors, later identified as MrDeepFakes. Dozens of women filed police complaints and several spoke publicly: one presenter said she was preparing a complaint, a party leader said the video felt like 'digital rape', another presenter said she would file a complaint 'because tomorrow it could happen to young girls of sixteen', a presenter-entrepreneur did so 'to prevent new, young victims', and a member of parliament, told of a video by the House security service, went public rather than 'keep it small'. On 19 and 20 September 2026 AD, and the Public Prosecution Service (OM) confirming to NOS, reported that after more than a year of investigation the OM will prosecute a 74-year-old man from Noord-Holland, who is not in custody, for making the videos (Hart van Nederland, citing AD, says he is suspected of making and distributing them); images of about sixty well-known Dutch people and politicians were found on his devices, AD reported that he had been the platform's most active Dutch user, and he faces up to two years' imprisonment. The platform's Canadian operator, who removed material at the OM's request and blocked Dutch IP addresses before the site went offline, will not be prosecuted. One of the presenters reported to be among the depicted told AD she was relieved the case would go to court, having experienced the impact of such images herself. No hearing date has been set.", "incidentDate": "2024-03-19", "incidentEndDate": "2026-09-19", "incidentKind": "bounded_series", "incidentDatePrecision": "range", "exposurePattern": "unknown", "reportedDate": "2024-03-19", "aiSystem": "Face-swap deepfake video tools (not identified); videos published on the MrDeepFakes platform", "severity": "high", "verificationStatus": "credible", "harmCategories": [], "harmOutcomes": [ "exploitation_or_abuse", "psychological_distress", "reputational_harm" ], "harmOutcomeSummary": "Dozens of women in Dutch public life (images of about sixty people were found on the suspect's devices) were depicted without consent in pornographic deepfake videos, some viewed tens of thousands of times; those who spoke publicly described the experience as sickening and as 'digital rape', and one was advised by parliamentary security to stay silent (NOS 2024; NH Nieuws and Hart van Nederland citing AD, 2026). The 2026 prosecution decision is the consequence for the alleged maker.", "frameworkFacets": [], "causationStatus": "supported", "participantUsersAffectedMin": 0, "otherPeopleHarmedMin": 20, "affectedCountStatus": "documented_minimum", "affectedCountEvidence": "NH Nieuws and Hart van Nederland, citing AD, report that the MrDeepFakes investigation led to more than twenty complaints ('meer dan twintig aangiften'), a documented lower bound of 20 depicted complainants; images of about sixty well-known people were found on the suspect's devices, but 'ongeveer zestig' is approximate and not all are confirmed as depicted victims. Documented minimum 20.", "victimAgeRange": "adult", "jurisdiction": "NL", "platformType": "other", "outcomeType": "criminal_charges", "outcomeStatus": "ongoing", "primarySourceUrl": "https://nos.nl/artikel/2631746-om-gaat-74-jarige-man-vervolgen-voor-maken-deepfakeporno-van-bn-ers", "primarySourceLabel": "NOS, 20 September 2026: OM gaat 74-jarige man vervolgen voor maken deepfakeporno van BN'ers (OM spokesperson confirms after AD's report)", "firstPublishedAt": "2026-09-21T04:11:25.939553+00:00", "scopeVersion": "facts-v3", "tags": [ "deepfake", "ncii", "sexual-deepfake", "mrdeepfakes", "public-figures", "politicians", "royal-family", "prosecution", "netherlands", "noord-holland", "depicted" ] }, { "id": "2026-manhattan-da-deepfake-ncii-site-seizure", "caseFacts": { "claims": [ { "id": "c1", "status": "documented", "evidence": [ { "locator": "'seizure of 12 domain names of illegal websites'; 'turn pre-existing photos and videos of approximately 1,200 real people into what appear to be hyper-realistic images and videos of those individuals engaging in sexual conduct'; 'overwhelmingly women and primarily public-facing individuals'.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s1" }, { "locator": "'the seizure of 12 domains'; 'Around 1,200 people—overwhelmingly women—were depicted in nonconsensual sexual images and videos on the websites'.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s2" } ], "assertion": "The Manhattan DA seized 12 domains used to disseminate, publish and sell non-consensual AI-generated sexual deepfakes of approximately 1,200 real people, overwhelmingly women, including actors, politicians, athletes, musicians, activists and influencers.", "causal_attribution": "Directly established by the DA's press release; corroborated by WIRED's independent reporting." }, { "id": "c2", "status": "reported", "evidence": [ { "locator": "'many videos appeared to be reposts of content that had originally be[en] shared on the MrDeepFakes website'; 'On at least two of the seized websites, elected officials were given profiles'; '56 European politicians... 16 US politicians and two based in the UK'.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s2" } ], "assertion": "Many videos reposted content from the defunct MrDeepFakes platform, and dozens of politicians appeared on the sites (56 European, 16 US and two UK-based figures per the American Sunlight Project), some with profiles containing their names and positions.", "causal_attribution": "Reported by WIRED, citing researchers Benjamin Shultz (American Sunlight Project) and Leonie Oehmig (Institute for Strategic Dialogue); not part of the DA's release." }, { "id": "c3", "status": "documented", "evidence": [ { "locator": "'seized these websites pursuant to a court order'; 'Our investigations into these websites and similar operations are ongoing'; sites not named.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s1" }, { "locator": "'a seizure warrant issued by a New York State Supreme Court'; 'has not publicly named the websites'.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s2" } ], "assertion": "The seizure was carried out under a New York State Supreme Court warrant; the DA did not name the sites and said investigations into who ran them and uploaded content are ongoing.", "causal_attribution": "DA release and WIRED." } ], "effects": [ { "label": "about 1,200 real people depicted in non-consensual AI-generated sexual imagery published and sold on 12 seized websites", "claim_id": "c1", "direction": "negative" } ], "sources": [ { "id": "s1", "url": "https://manhattanda.org/manhattan-d-a-s-office-seizes-domains-of-12-illegal-websites-selling-ai-generated-deep-fakes/", "kind": "official_statement", "access": "read", "language": "en", "translation_note": "Read in English on 2026-09-17 (DA press release, 14 Sep 2026). ~1,200 real people, 12 domains, overwhelmingly women, court-ordered seizure, ongoing investigation, victim hotline.", "independence_group": "manhattanda" }, { "id": "s2", "url": "https://www.wired.com/story/new-york-seizes-a-dozen-celebrity-deepfake-websites/", "kind": "news_report", "access": "read", "language": "en", "translation_note": "Read in English on 2026-09-17 (datePublished 2026-09-14). Independent reporting: observed takedown notices pre-announcement, New York State Supreme Court warrant, MrDeepFakes reposts, ISD and American Sunlight Project researchers, 56 EU / 16 US / 2 UK politicians.", "independence_group": "wired" } ], "version": 1, "ai_roles": [ "others_use" ], "contexts": [ "privacy", "justice", "everyday_life" ], "unknowns": [ "No individual victim is named and the ~1,200 figure is the DA's approximation; how it counts depicted people versus content creators is not fully specified.", "The site operators and uploaders are not identified and no arrests are reported.", "How long the sites operated is unclear (WIRED cites one claiming to have been online since 2018); the anchoring event date is the 14 September 2026 seizure." ], "geography": { "basis": "Event and court: the seizure was executed by the Manhattan DA under a New York State Supreme Court warrant (DA release, WIRED). Affected people span many countries (US, UK and dozens of European figures per the American Sunlight Project) and are not enumerated, so affected-person countries are left empty.", "court_countries": [ "US" ], "event_countries": [ "US" ], "affected_person_countries": [] }, "publication": { "basis": "Published under the 2026-09-15 charter as a bounded series of non-consensual AI-generated sexual imagery affecting about 1,200 real, identifiable-category people, anchored to the Manhattan DA's 14 September 2026 seizure. The DA's release and WIRED's independent reporting (with named researchers) are read; the count is the DA's approximate figure and the counting method for anonymous-actor artifact waves is flagged for the operator.", "reviewed_on": "2026-09-17" }, "ai_involvement": { "basis": "The Manhattan DA's office states AI image- and video-creation tools were used to turn real people's photos into sexual deepfakes; WIRED and cited researchers describe the AI-generated non-consensual imagery on the seized sites. The specific tools are not identified.", "status": "supported" }, "person_relations": [ "depicted_or_impersonated" ] }, "name": "New York: the Manhattan District Attorney seized 12 websites selling AI-generated sexual deepfakes of about 1,200 real people", "summary": "On 14 September 2026 Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced the seizure of 12 domain names used to disseminate, publish and sell non-consensual AI-generated sexual 'deepfake' videos. His office said individuals under investigation had used AI image- and video-creation tools to turn photos and videos of approximately 1,200 real people, overwhelmingly women, into hyper-realistic sexual imagery without consent. The victims included actors, politicians, athletes, musicians, activists and social-media influencers. WIRED and outside researchers reported that many videos reposted content from the defunct MrDeepFakes platform and that dozens of politicians appeared on the sites; investigations into who ran them are ongoing.", "incidentDate": "2026-09-14", "incidentKind": "bounded_series", "incidentDatePrecision": "day", "exposurePattern": "unknown", "reportedDate": "2026-09-14", "aiSystem": "AI image- and video-generation tools (not identified), used to create non-consensual sexual deepfakes", "severity": "high", "verificationStatus": "credible", "harmCategories": [], "harmOutcomes": [ "exploitation_or_abuse", "reputational_harm", "psychological_distress" ], "harmOutcomeSummary": "Approximately 1,200 real people, overwhelmingly women, had their faces and bodies turned into non-consensual AI-generated sexual imagery published and sold on 12 websites; the Manhattan DA described an immense toll on victims' emotional and mental wellbeing and careers, and seized the domains.", "frameworkFacets": [], "causationStatus": "supported", "participantUsersAffectedMin": 0, "otherPeopleHarmedMin": 1200, "affectedCountStatus": "documented_minimum", "affectedCountEvidence": "The Manhattan DA's office states approximately 1,200 real people were depicted in non-consensual sexual imagery on the 12 seized sites; WIRED independently reports the same approximate figure, and the American Sunlight Project counted dozens of politicians among them (56 European, 16 US, 2 UK). The 1,200 figure is the prosecuting authority's approximate count of depicted real people; recorded as a documented minimum.", "victimAgeRange": "adult", "jurisdiction": "US", "platformType": "other", "outcomeType": "investigation_opened", "outcomeStatus": "ongoing", "primarySourceUrl": "https://manhattanda.org/manhattan-d-a-s-office-seizes-domains-of-12-illegal-websites-selling-ai-generated-deep-fakes/", "primarySourceLabel": "Manhattan District Attorney's Office press release, 14 September 2026: D.A. seizes domains of 12 illegal websites selling AI-generated deepfakes (~1,200 real people)", "firstPublishedAt": "2026-09-17T03:27:44.31761+00:00", "scopeVersion": "facts-v3", "tags": [ "deepfake", "ncii", "non-consensual-imagery", "manhattan-da", "new-york", "celebrities", "united-states", "depicted-or-impersonated" ] }, { "id": "2026-untan-pontianak-deepfake-victims-suspended", "caseFacts": { "claims": [ { "id": "c1", "status": "reported", "evidence": [ { "locator": "'Kasus dugaan penyalahgunaan teknologi AI tersebut mencuat di media sosial pada awal Mei 2026. RY, mahasiswa Jurusan Biologi FMIPA Untan angkatan 2025, disebut diduga menggunakan teknologi AI untuk memanipulasi foto teman kuliah dan sejumlah mahasiswi menjadi konten vulgar bermuatan asusila'; the borrowed-phone discovery passage.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s1" } ], "assertion": "In early May 2026 a case of alleged AI abuse surfaced at Untan: RY, a Biology FMIPA student (class of 2025), allegedly used AI to turn photos of female classmates and other students into vulgar content; it came to light when a classmate borrowing his phone found manipulated photos in the gallery.", "causal_attribution": "Reported with the outlet's 'dugaan' (alleged) framing; the task force's findings and any police complaint are not public in the inspected source." }, { "id": "c2", "status": "reported", "evidence": [ { "locator": "'Satgas PPKPT Untan telah memeriksa sembilan korban dan saksi, melakukan pendalaman terhadap perangkat milik terlapor, hingga membuka kanal pelaporan bagi korban lain yang belum teridentifikasi'; the victims'-origin passage.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s1" } ], "assertion": "The university's Satgas PPKPT task force examined nine victims and witnesses, deepened examination of the complainant's devices, and opened a reporting channel for further unidentified victims; victims come from the campus, the suspect's high-school circle in Singkawang, and universities outside West Kalimantan.", "causal_attribution": "The 'nine victims and witnesses' figure mixes roles; only the six documented suspended victims are counted as harmed persons." }, { "id": "c3", "status": "reported", "evidence": [ { "locator": "'keenam mahasiswi tersebut disebut mendapat sanksi skorsing selama dua semester'; Achmadi: 'Yang keenam mahasiswi itu sanksinya dicabut dan kuliahnya tetap aktif kembali'; the corrected decree to be handed over 'Selasa (15/9)'.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s1" } ], "assertion": "The university suspended six of the victimized students for two semesters; after the 14 September 2026 student demonstration, Vice Rector Dr Achmadi announced the six sanctions were revoked and their academic status reactivated, with the corrected decree to be handed over on 15 September.", "causal_attribution": "The suspension and revocation are reported through the outlet's account of the demonstration and the Vice Rector's on-record statements; the suspension decree itself was not inspected." }, { "id": "c4", "status": "reported", "evidence": [ { "locator": "'keputusan tersebut belum membuat massa sepenuhnya puas'; 'Mahasiswa masih menuntut kepastian mengenai sanksi terhadap mahasiswa berinisial RY... mendesak Untan menjatuhkan sanksi drop out (DO)'.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s1" } ], "assertion": "Students welcomed the revocation but said they were not fully satisfied and continued to demand RY's expulsion (drop out); the alleged perpetrator's sanction remained pending.", "causal_attribution": "The student demands are reported; the university's decision on RY is pending." } ], "effects": [ { "label": "students victimized by AI deepfakes were suspended by their university; sanctions revoked after protests", "claim_id": "c3", "direction": "negative" } ], "sources": [ { "id": "s1", "url": "https://www.detik.com/kalimantan/hukum-dan-kriminal/d-8663012/untan-cabut-sanksi-6-korban-deepfake-mahasiswa-masih-desak-pelaku-di-do/amp", "kind": "news_report", "access": "read", "language": "id", "translation_note": "Read in Indonesian on 2026-09-15 (datePublished 2026-09-15T06:58+07:00; 12 substantive paragraphs). Model translation, no human reviewer.", "independence_group": "detik" } ], "version": 1, "ai_roles": [ "others_use" ], "contexts": [ "education" ], "unknowns": [ "The specific AI tool used is not named in the inspected reporting.", "Whether the task force or police confirmed the images were AI-generated, and any forensic findings from the phone, are not public in the inspected source.", "The six suspended students' basis for suspension (which rule they were accused of violating) is not stated in the inspected source.", "Some victims come from the suspect's high-school circle; their ages are unstated and they may include minors — sensitivity note recorded.", "The corrected decree's contents (handover planned for 15 September) and the decision on RY are pending.", "The earlier report in the same series (11 September) is listed but its body was not re-extracted in this pass." ], "geography": { "basis": "Event and affected persons: Tanjungpura University, Pontianak, West Kalimantan, with some victims from the suspect's high-school circle in Singkawang and universities outside West Kalimantan — all in Indonesia. No court proceeding is reported; the university's task force and rectorate are not courts.", "court_countries": [], "event_countries": [ "ID" ], "affected_person_countries": [ "ID" ] }, "publication": { "basis": "Published under the 2026-09-15 charter as a harmful-artifact case with a consequential institutional response: students depicted in alleged AI-generated vulgar images were suspended by their university, reversed after protests. The victims are unnamed in the source and here; the suspect is identified by initials only, as in the source; the 'dugaan' (alleged) framing is preserved throughout.", "reviewed_on": "2026-09-15" }, "ai_involvement": { "basis": "The case is reported as alleged AI abuse: manipulated photos found in the suspect's phone gallery and reported as AI-generated vulgar content (detikKalimantan's account; 'dugaan'/alleged framing throughout). The specific tool is not named; the task force's device examination findings are not public.", "status": "supported" }, "person_relations": [ "depicted_or_impersonated" ] }, "name": "Pontianak, Indonesia: university suspended six students victimized by AI deepfakes; the sanctions were revoked after student protests", "summary": "In May 2026, a case of alleged AI abuse surfaced at Tanjungpura University (Untan), Pontianak: a biology student identified by the initials RY allegedly used AI to turn photos of female classmates and other students into vulgar content, discovered when a classmate borrowing his phone found manipulated images in the gallery. The university's task force examined nine victims and witnesses and opened a reporting channel. The university then suspended six of the victimized students for two semesters — while the alleged perpetrator received a lighter sanction — prompting a student demonstration on 14 September 2026 demanding the victims' reinstatement and RY's expulsion. At the protest, Vice Rector Dr Achmadi announced the six sanctions were revoked and the students' academic status reactivated, with the corrected decree to be handed over on 15 September.", "incidentDate": "2026-05-01", "incidentEndDate": "2026-09-15", "incidentKind": "bounded_series", "incidentDatePrecision": "range", "exposurePattern": "repeated_interactions", "reportedDate": "2026-09-11", "aiSystem": "AI image-manipulation tools (unspecified)", "aiCompany": "Unknown", "severity": "high", "verificationStatus": "credible", "harmCategories": [ "third_party_harm_facilitation" ], "harmOutcomes": [ "psychological_distress", "reputational_harm", "educational_harm" ], "harmOutcomeSummary": "Female students depicted in AI-generated vulgar images were then suspended for two semesters by their own university — an institutional re-victimization reversed only after student protests — while continuing to seek the alleged perpetrator's expulsion.", "frameworkFacets": [], "causationStatus": "supported", "participantUsersAffectedMin": 0, "otherPeopleHarmedMin": 6, "affectedCountStatus": "documented_minimum", "affectedCountEvidence": "Lower bound: the six victimized students whose two-semester suspensions were revoked on 14 September 2026 (Vice Rector's on-record account). The task force examined 'nine victims and witnesses' and opened a channel for unidentified victims, so the total is larger but not quantified by role; only the six documented suspended victims are counted.", "victimAgeRange": "adult", "jurisdiction": "ID", "platformType": "other", "outcomeType": "internal_action", "outcomeStatus": "resolved", "primarySourceUrl": "https://www.detik.com/kalimantan/hukum-dan-kriminal/d-8663012/untan-cabut-sanksi-6-korban-deepfake-mahasiswa-masih-desak-pelaku-di-do/amp", "primarySourceLabel": "detikKalimantan (15 Sep 2026, Ocsya Ade CP) — the 14 Sep demonstration, the revocation, and the case background", "firstPublishedAt": "2026-09-15T09:27:14.16594+00:00", "scopeVersion": "facts-v3", "tags": [ "depicted-or-impersonated", "ncii", "deepfake", "university", "institutional-response", "indonesia" ] }, { "id": "2026-seoul-lab-colleagues-deepfake-sentence", "caseFacts": { "claims": [ { "id": "c1", "status": "corroborated", "evidence": [ { "locator": "Paragraphs 1-2: 서울북부지법 형사5단독 권소영 판사, 10일, 징역 1년6개월; 40시간 성폭력 치료 프로그램 이수; 취업제한 5년; 중국 국적 A(30)씨.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s1" }, { "locator": "Paragraphs 1-3: 징역 1년 6개월; 40시간 치료프로그램; 5년간 취업제한; 중국 국적 대학원생 (30).", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s2" }, { "locator": "Opening paragraphs report the same 18-month sentence and associated orders but date sentencing to 9 September. That date contradicts the 10 September date reported by Newsis and News1; this source does not corroborate the exact date.", "relation": "contradicts", "source_id": "s3" } ], "assertion": "On 10 September 2026 the Seoul Northern District Court sentenced a 30-year-old Chinese national doctoral student to 18 months in prison under the Sexual Violence Punishment Act for habitually producing manipulated sexual images of seven women from his university research laboratory, and ordered a 40-hour treatment programme and a five-year employment restriction at institutions for children, adolescents and people with disabilities.", "causal_attribution": "Court judgment as reported by Newsis, News1 via Dong-A and The Korea Herald via The Straits Times; the written judgment was not inspected. The Korean accounts give 10 September while the Korea Herald copy gives 9 September. The record follows the two Korean accounts and retains the unresolved date discrepancy." }, { "id": "c2", "status": "corroborated", "evidence": [ { "locator": "Paragraphs 5-8: 지난해 11월부터 약 6개월간; 1141개; 개인 노트북에 보관; 유포됐다고 확실히 볼 만한 정황은 없다.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s1" }, { "locator": "Paragraphs 5-6 and 8: 1141건; 유포됐다고 볼 만한 사정은 없는 점.", "relation": "context", "source_id": "s2" }, { "locator": "Paragraph 4: 1,141 files; paragraph 9: no evidence the content had been distributed.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s3" } ], "assertion": "Investigators found 1,141 manipulated images and videos on his computer, produced over about six months from November 2025 using the victims' facial photographs; the court found no evidence the material had been distributed.", "causal_attribution": "Findings of the court as reported." }, { "id": "c3", "status": "corroborated", "evidence": [ { "locator": "Paragraph 8: 생성형 인공지능(AI) '그록'의 안전장치를 우회하는 방법을 검색한 기록도 확인됐다.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s2" }, { "locator": "Paragraph 5: 'Investigators also found that he had searched for ways to bypass safeguards built into Grok, a generative AI chatbot.'", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s3" } ], "assertion": "Investigators also found records of searches for ways to bypass the safeguards of the generative AI Grok.", "causal_attribution": "Reported from the investigation; the reporting does not state which tool generated the images." }, { "id": "c4", "status": "reported", "evidence": [ { "locator": "Paragraph 12: 'a lawyer representing five of the victims asked the court to impose a harsh sentence, saying they continued to suffer from fear, trauma and emotional distress'.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s3" } ], "assertion": "A lawyer representing five of the victims told the court they continued to suffer fear, trauma and emotional distress.", "causal_attribution": "Victims' representative's statement as reported by The Korea Herald." }, { "id": "c5", "status": "corroborated", "evidence": [ { "locator": "Paragraphs 4 and 9-10: 각 700만원 형사 공탁, 수령 거부; 검찰 징역 3년 구형, 신상정보 공개·고지 요청.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s1" }, { "locator": "Paragraphs 6-7 and 9: 700만원씩 공탁, 수령 거부; 신상정보 공개·고지 명령 면제; 검찰 징역 3년 구형.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s2" }, { "locator": "Paragraphs 7 and 10-11.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s3" } ], "assertion": "The defendant deposited 7 million won per victim with the court; the victims refused to accept it. Prosecutors had sought three years and public disclosure of his identity, which the court declined.", "causal_attribution": "Procedural facts as reported." } ], "effects": [ { "label": "nonconsensual_sexualized_imagery", "claim_id": "c1", "direction": "negative" }, { "label": "psychological_distress", "claim_id": "c4", "direction": "negative" } ], "sources": [ { "id": "s1", "url": "https://www.newsis.com/view/NISX20260910_0003784048", "kind": "news_report_court", "access": "read", "language": "ko", "translation_note": "Model read the Korean original retained on 2026-09-15; no independent bilingual human review.", "independence_group": "newsis" }, { "id": "s2", "url": "https://www.donga.com/news/Society/article/all/20260910/134641563/1", "kind": "news_agency_report_syndicated_court", "access": "read", "language": "ko", "translation_note": "Model read the Korean original retained on 2026-09-15; no independent bilingual human review. This Dong-A page is a News1 wire report, explicitly credited at the article’s beginning and end.", "independence_group": "news1" }, { "id": "s3", "url": "https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/chinese-student-sentenced-to-18-months-jail-in-s-korea-for-creating-1100-deepfakes-of-colleagues", "kind": "news_report_syndicated", "access": "read", "language": "en", "translation_note": "The Korea Herald report carried by The Straits Times (Asia News Network); read in English on 2026-09-15.", "independence_group": "korea-herald" } ], "version": 1, "ai_roles": [ "others_use" ], "contexts": [ "education", "privacy", "justice" ], "unknowns": [ "Which tool or service generated the images is not stated; the Grok safeguard-bypass searches are the only named system.", "Whether either side appealed the first-instance sentence is not known.", "The victims' ages are not reported; the university is not named here.", "The written judgment was not inspected.", "Exact event start day and end date are not reported; the sources describe about six months from November 2025.", "Sentencing date differs across inspected reports: Newsis and News1 say 10 September 2026; the Korea Herald copy says 9 September. The written judgment was not inspected to resolve this." ], "geography": { "basis": "Event and affected persons: the women and defendant worked or studied in the same university research laboratory in Seoul (Newsis; News1 via Dong-A). Court: Seoul Northern District Court. Newsis and News1 date the sentence to 10 September 2026; the Korea Herald copy gives 9 September.", "court_countries": [ "KR" ], "event_countries": [ "KR" ], "affected_person_countries": [ "KR" ] }, "publication": { "basis": "Published after source, duplicate and sensitivity review under the 2026-09-15 charter: a first-instance criminal judgment reported by two Korean outlets and The Korea Herald. Neither the defendant nor the victims are named; no image content is described beyond the court's characterisation.", "reviewed_on": "2026-09-15" }, "ai_involvement": { "basis": "The court convicted the defendant of habitually editing and compositing the victims' faces into sexual images; Dong-A Ilbo and The Korea Herald report that investigators found search records for ways to bypass the safeguards of the generative AI Grok. The tool that produced the images is not named in the inspected reporting.", "status": "supported" }, "person_relations": [ "depicted_or_impersonated" ] }, "name": "Seoul: doctoral student sentenced to 18 months for 1,141 AI-manipulated sexual images of seven laboratory colleagues", "summary": "On 10 September 2026 the Seoul Northern District Court sentenced a 30-year-old Chinese national doctoral student to 18 months in prison for habitually producing manipulated sexual images of seven women who worked in his university research laboratory. Investigators found 1,141 files made over about six months from November 2025, and search records for ways to bypass the safeguards of the generative AI Grok; the court found no evidence of distribution. A lawyer for five of the victims said they continued to suffer fear, trauma and distress. Prosecutors had sought three years and public disclosure of his identity, which the court declined.", "incidentDate": "2025-11-01", "incidentKind": "bounded_series", "incidentDatePrecision": "month", "exposurePattern": "unknown", "reportedDate": "2026-09-10", "aiSystem": "Generative AI image tools (unspecified; investigators found searches for bypassing Grok's safeguards)", "severity": "high", "verificationStatus": "verified", "harmCategories": [], "harmOutcomes": [ "exploitation_or_abuse", "psychological_distress" ], "harmOutcomeSummary": "Seven women had their faces composited into sexual images and videos without consent; a lawyer for five of them told the court they continued to suffer fear, trauma and emotional distress.", "frameworkFacets": [], "causationStatus": "supported", "participantUsersAffectedMin": 0, "otherPeopleHarmedMin": 7, "affectedCountStatus": "exact", "affectedCountEvidence": "The court identified seven victims, members of the same research laboratory (Newsis; Dong-A; Korea Herald). The defendant is not counted.", "victimAgeRange": "unknown", "outcomeType": "criminal_charges", "outcomeStatus": "ongoing", "primarySourceUrl": "https://www.newsis.com/view/NISX20260910_0003784048", "primarySourceLabel": "뉴시스 (Newsis), 10 September 2026: \"'동료 여성 딥페이크 1141개 제작' 중국인 유학생, 징역 1년6개월\"", "firstPublishedAt": "2026-09-15T03:23:43.390259+00:00", "scopeVersion": "facts-v3", "tags": [ "deepfakes", "south-korea", "non-consensual-imagery", "university", "criminal-charges", "grok" ] }, { "id": "2026-brazil-influencer-ai-sexualized-minors", "caseFacts": { "claims": [ { "id": "c1", "status": "corroborated", "evidence": [ { "locator": "'Influenciador digital usou ferramentas de IA para inserir fotos de jovens evangélicas da Congregação Cristã do Brasil (CCB) em vídeos com conotação sexual dentro das igrejas da entidade.'; 'O material foi publicado nas redes sociais do influencer, onde ele soma quase 50 mil seguidores.'", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s1" }, { "locator": "'Um influenciador digital é investigado pela Polícia Civil de São Paulo sob suspeita de usar inteligência artificial para manipular imagens de jovens evangélicas, sem consentimento, criando vídeos com conteúdos sexualizados. As manipulações eram divulgadas em perfis nas redes sociais.'; 'O caso foi inicialmente divulgado pelo g1 e confirmado pela Folha.'", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s4" }, { "locator": "'Pego a foto, as irmãs postando de costas, e jogo na IA. A IA faz dançar'; 'Disse que retirou as imagens de perfis públicos em redes sociais e que não sabia que algumas das pessoas retratadas eram adolescentes.'", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s2" }, { "locator": "'publicadas em perfis dele no Instagram, no TikTok e no YouTube'", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s3" } ], "assertion": "A digital influencer manipulated, without consent, photographs of young women and adolescent girls of the Congregação Cristã do Brasil into videos with sexual connotation using AI ('deepfake') tools and published them on his social-media profiles, including Instagram, TikTok and YouTube; he admitted in his own recordings that he takes the congregants' photographs and puts them into an AI that makes them dance.", "causal_attribution": "Reported by g1 from the police and the victims, confirmed by Folha, and admitted by the influencer in his own recordings and police statement." }, { "id": "c2", "status": "reported", "evidence": [ { "locator": "'Ele pegou a minha foto sem autorização e fez uma montagem com inteligência artificial, com as mulheres sensualizando na frente e [comigo] junto a elas'; 'Eu sou muito envergonhada, então não queria ter sido exposta. Eu tomo cuidado e também fico com medo disso afetar meu convívio social'; 'Eu não tirei mais nenhuma [fotografia]. Eu não tirei mais de mim.'; 'O caso veio à tona em fevereiro, quando a jovem e os pais procuraram a 8ª Delegacia de Defesa da Mulher (DDM), em São Mateus, Zona Leste da capital paulista.'; 'A família entrou com ação na Justiça pedindo indenização por dano moral.'", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s1" }, { "locator": "'após uma adolescente de 16 anos, vítima do influenciador em uma das publicações, denunciar o caso à 8ª Delegacia da Defesa da Mulher (DDM) de São Paulo'", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s5" } ], "assertion": "A 16-year-old congregant told g1 that her photograph, taken in 2025 in front of the altar of a CCB church, had been used without authorisation in an AI montage placing her beside women in sensual poses; she said she was very shy and had not wanted to be exposed, feared the effect on her social life and had stopped taking photographs of herself; she and her parents had gone to the 8ª DDM in February 2026 and the family filed a civil action for moral damages.", "causal_attribution": "The girl's and her family's account to g1; Metrópoles confirms the 16-year-old's complaint to the 8ª DDM. g1's 15 May report describes the first complainant as also 17, a discrepancy recorded in unknowns." }, { "id": "c3", "status": "corroborated", "evidence": [ { "locator": "'A Polícia Civil de São Paulo investiga o caso.'; 'O inquérito, que começou na 8ª DDM da capital, foi encaminhado'", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s1" }, { "locator": "'A ocorrência foi registrada na 8ª DDM (Delegacia de Defesa da Mulher) da capital e posteriormente encaminhada à Delegacia de Polícia de Lençóis Paulistas, responsável pela área onde teriam ocorrido os fatos.'", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s4" }, { "locator": "'O Metrópoles apurou que a investigação é feita por meio de um inquérito policial que foi direcionado às autoridades de Lençóis Paulista, no interior de São Paulo, por determinação judicial.'", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s5" } ], "assertion": "The São Paulo Civil Police investigate the influencer; the inquiry was registered at the 8ª Delegacia de Defesa da Mulher in São Paulo and sent to the police of Lençóis Paulista by judicial order.", "causal_attribution": "The investigation and the transfer to Lençóis Paulista are reported by g1 and confirmed by Folha and Metrópoles; Folha frames the transfer by where the facts occurred, g1 by where the suspect lives." }, { "id": "c3b", "status": "reported", "evidence": [ { "locator": "'conforme o artigo 241-C do Estatuto da Criança e do Adolescente (ECA), cuja pena varia de 1 a 3 anos de reclusão, além de multa. A polícia também apura se ele cometeu difamação em relação a outras jovens expostas.'; 'à 2ª Vara da Comarca de Lençóis Paulista, no interior do estado, onde o investigado mora. O pedido foi feito pelo Ministério Público (MP).'; 'A gente está investigando esse caso de deepfake. Houve uma simulação dessas imagens dessas meninas, algumas delas adolescentes'; 'pede que outras jovens expostas pelo influencer também procurem à delegacia'", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s1" } ], "assertion": "g1 reports that he is investigated under article 241-C of the Estatuto da Criança e do Adolescente (one to three years plus a fine) and for possible defamation of other young women exposed; that the transfer to the 2ª Vara of Lençóis Paulista, where he lives, was ordered by the 1ª Vara de Crimes Praticados contra Crianças e Adolescentes at the Ministério Público's request; and that the delegada of the 8ª DDM said some identified victims were adolescents and asked others to come forward.", "causal_attribution": "g1's reporting of the police and court steps; single chain for these details." }, { "id": "c4", "status": "reported", "evidence": [ { "locator": "'O boletim de ocorrência mais recente foi registrado em 30 de abril, pela mãe da adolescente, na 4ª Delegacia de Defesa da Mulher (DDM) Norte, após a divulgação da reportagem do g1 sobre o caso.'; 'A divulgação na internet afetou a garota psicologicamente.'; 'outras jovens evangélicas da CCB tiveram suas imagens expostas sem autorização, mas o número total de vítimas ainda está sendo apurado.'; 'também é investigado por difamação, já que há vítimas adultas que aparecem nos vídeos manipulados com deep fake'", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s3" } ], "assertion": "On 30 April 2026 the mother of a second adolescent, aged 17, registered a police report at the 4ª DDM Norte; g1 reported that the online exposure had affected the girl psychologically, that the influencer was also investigated for defamation of adult women in the videos, and that the total number of victims was still being established.", "causal_attribution": "g1's report of the second complaint; the psychological effect is g1's statement without an attributed speaker." }, { "id": "c5", "status": "corroborated", "evidence": [ { "locator": "'A defesa enfatiza que as publicações realizadas em suas redes sociais tinham o intuito estrito de sátira e crítica de costumes, inseridas em um contexto de humor. Em nenhum momento houve a intenção de promover exploração sexual, pornografia ou qualquer ato que atentasse contra a dignidade sexual das pessoas mencionadas'", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s2" }, { "locator": "'alegou que as publicações foram feitas em um “contexto de humor”, sem a intenção de atentar contra a dignidade sexual das vítimas.'; 'realizou uma retratação pública, pedindo desculpas às jovens, às famílias e à comunidade da Congregação Cristã do Brasil (CCB) por qualquer constrangimento ou sofrimento causado'", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s5" } ], "assertion": "Through his lawyer the influencer said the publications were satire and criticism of customs in a context of humour, without intent of sexual exploitation, that he did not know the ages of those depicted, and that he had expressed regret and made a public retraction apologising to the young women, their families and the CCB.", "causal_attribution": "The defence note was sent to both g1 and Metrópoles." }, { "id": "c5b", "status": "reported", "evidence": [ { "locator": "'Pego a foto, as irmãs postando de costas, e jogo na IA. A IA faz dançar'; 'Eu peço perdão a todos que se sentiram ofendidos. Eu prometo ser mais cauteloso'; 'declarou apoiar a adoção de medidas legais cabíveis pelas autoridades'", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s2" }, { "locator": "'negou ter vinculado a imagem da adolescente a fotografias de mulheres com pouca vestimenta ou a qualquer conteúdo sexualizado ou pornográfico'", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s1" } ], "assertion": "g1 reports that he admitted in his own earlier recordings and in his police statement that he takes the congregants' photographs and animates them with AI, that he posted an apology video, and that the CCB said it supports the legal measures taken by the authorities; in his police statement he also denied linking the adolescent's image to scantily dressed women or any sexualised content and said he had taken her for an adult.", "causal_attribution": "g1's reporting of his recordings, statement and video; the CCB note as given to g1." } ], "effects": [ { "label": "a 16-year-old depicted in an AI-made sexualised video: embarrassment, fear for her social life, stopped taking photographs of herself", "claim_id": "c2", "direction": "negative" }, { "label": "a 17-year-old reported to be psychologically affected by the video made from her photograph", "claim_id": "c4", "direction": "negative" }, { "label": "young women and adolescent girls of a church inserted without consent into sexualised videos posted to tens of thousands of followers", "claim_id": "c1", "direction": "negative" } ], "sources": [ { "id": "s1", "url": "https://g1.globo.com/sp/sao-paulo/noticia/2026/04/22/pegou-foto-sem-autorizacao-diz-evangelica-de-16-anos-vitima-de-influencer-que-usou-ia-para-sexualizar-sua-imagem-em-igreja.ghtml", "kind": "news_report", "access": "read", "language": "pt", "translation_note": "Read live in Portuguese on 2026-09-22 (g1 São Paulo, 22 April 2026, updated 23 April). Own reporting: the 16-year-old and her parents, another congregant, the delegada, the family's lawyer, experts. Translated by the reviewer.", "independence_group": "g1" }, { "id": "s2", "url": "https://g1.globo.com/sp/sao-paulo/noticia/2026/04/24/influencer-investigado-por-videos-sexualizados-de-evangelicas-com-ia-diz-que-usou-humor-para-criticar-roupas-usadas-por-jovens-em-igreja.ghtml", "kind": "news_report", "access": "read", "language": "pt", "translation_note": "Read live in Portuguese on 2026-09-22 (g1 São Paulo, 24 April 2026). The suspect's defence note, police statement, own recordings and apology video; CCB and platform responses. Grouped with s1.", "independence_group": "g1" }, { "id": "s3", "url": "https://g1.globo.com/sp/sao-paulo/noticia/2026/05/15/nova-vitima-de-17-anos-registra-bo-contra-influenciador-que-usa-ia-para-sexualizar-jovens-evangelicas.ghtml", "kind": "news_report", "access": "read", "language": "pt", "translation_note": "Read live in Portuguese on 2026-09-22 (g1 São Paulo, 15 May 2026). Second police report of 30 April 2026. Grouped with s1.", "independence_group": "g1" }, { "id": "s4", "url": "https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/cotidiano/2026/04/influenciador-e-investigado-sob-suspeita-de-criar-videos-sexualizados-de-jovens-evangelicas-em-sp.shtml", "kind": "news_report", "access": "read", "language": "pt", "translation_note": "Read live in Portuguese on 2026-09-22 at the .shtml path (Folha de S.Paulo, 22 April 2026); the .ghtml path cited by the historical record answers 404 and its Internet Archive capture is a subscription shell. Folha states the case was first reported by g1 and confirmed by Folha.", "independence_group": "folha" }, { "id": "s5", "url": "https://www.metropoles.com/sao-paulo/influencer-acusado-de-sexualizar-adolescentes-usando-ia-alega-humor", "kind": "news_report", "access": "read", "language": "pt", "translation_note": "Read live in Portuguese on 2026-09-22 (Metrópoles, 24 April 2026). Defence note, Metrópoles's own checking of the inquiry's transfer, CCB note to Metrópoles.", "independence_group": "metropoles" } ], "version": 1, "ai_roles": [ "others_use" ], "contexts": [ "everyday_life", "privacy", "justice", "religion" ], "unknowns": [ "The age of the first complainant: 16 per g1 on 22 April 2026, 'também de 17 anos' per g1 on 15 May 2026.", "How many people were depicted; the police were still establishing the number in May 2026.", "When the videos were first posted; the photographs date from 2025 and the first complaint from February 2026.", "Whether the suspect has been indicted or charged, and the status of the civil damages action; no development after 15 May 2026 was found.", "Which AI tools were used beyond the TikTok tools he named to police.", "When the apology video was posted: g1's 22 April report dates it to 5 April 2026 and says it does not mention the deepfakes; g1's 24 April report describes it as posted after his police statement.", "Which police station took the first complaint: 8ª DDM (g1 22 April, Metrópoles) or 5ª DDM Leste (g1 15 May)." ], "geography": { "basis": "Photographs taken in CCB churches in São Paulo; complaints at the 8ª DDM (São Mateus, São Paulo) and 4ª DDM Norte; suspect in Lençóis Paulista, São Paulo state (g1, Folha, Metrópoles). Court: the inquiry was transferred by the 1ª Vara de Crimes Praticados contra Crianças e Adolescentes of São Paulo to the 2ª Vara of Lençóis Paulista, and the first girl's family filed a civil damages action (g1).", "court_countries": [ "BR" ], "event_countries": [ "BR" ], "affected_person_countries": [ "BR" ] }, "publication": { "basis": "Restored under the 2026-09-15 charter as an image-based abuse case involving minors, documented by g1's interviews with the victims, their families and the delegada, confirmed by Folha and Metrópoles, and admitted in substance by the influencer, who disputes criminal intent. Not a death case. The girls and their families are unnamed; the adult suspect is described but not named in this record.", "reviewed_on": "2026-09-22" }, "ai_involvement": { "basis": "The influencer admitted in his own recordings and in his police statement that he takes the congregants' photographs and puts them into an AI that makes them dance; the delegada describes the case as deepfake; g1, Folha and Metrópoles all report AI manipulation. The tool is not named. The artifacts depicted the girls and women; no AI system interacted with them.", "status": "supported" }, "person_relations": [ "depicted_or_impersonated" ] }, "name": "São Paulo: a 37-year-old influencer used AI 'deepfake' tools to insert photographs of young women and adolescent girls of the Congregação Cristã do Brasil, taken from their social-media profiles without consent, into sexualised videos set inside churches; a 16-year-old and a 17-year-old filed police reports and the Civil Police investigate under the child-protection statute", "summary": "A humorist and tyre repairer from Lençóis Paulista, São Paulo state, who posts on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok as an impersonator of a television presenter, used AI tools to turn photographs that young women and adolescent girls of the Congregação Cristã do Brasil (CCB) had posted from inside churches into videos in which they appear dancing sensually beside women in short skirts, with the presenter inserted and the influencer commenting on their clothes. A 16-year-old congregant and her parents went to the 8ª Delegacia de Defesa da Mulher in São Paulo in February 2026; g1 made the case public on 22 April 2026 and Folha de S.Paulo confirmed the investigation. The girl told g1 the photograph had been taken in 2025 in front of the altar of a CCB church, that she was very shy, had not wanted to be exposed and was afraid the exposure would affect her social life, and that she had stopped taking photographs of herself; her family sued for moral damages. On 30 April 2026 the mother of a second girl, aged 17, registered a police report at the 4ª DDM Norte; g1 reported that the exposure had affected the girl psychologically. The São Paulo Civil Police investigate under article 241-C of the Estatuto da Criança e do Adolescente (simulating a sex or pornography scene with a minor by digital means) and for defamation of adult women in the videos; the inquiry was sent at the prosecutor's request to Lençóis Paulista, where the suspect lives, and the total number of people depicted was still being established. The influencer admitted making the videos with AI, said through his lawyer that they were satire and criticism of customs in a context of humour, said he did not know some of those depicted were minors, denied in his police statement linking the adolescent's image to sexualised content and said he had taken her for an adult, and posted an apology video (dated 5 April by g1's first report, which says it does not mention the deepfakes; described as posted after his police statement in g1's second report). The CCB said it had identified him, was taking internal measures and supports legal measures by the authorities. No later development was found on 2026-09-22.", "incidentDate": "2026-02-01", "incidentEndDate": "2026-04-30", "incidentKind": "bounded_series", "incidentDatePrecision": "month", "exposurePattern": "unknown", "reportedDate": "2026-04-22", "aiSystem": "AI image-animation and face-insertion ('deepfake') tools; the influencer told police he used TikTok tools to animate and manipulate the images, and said in a recording that he 'throws' the photographs into an AI that makes them dance", "severity": "high", "verificationStatus": "credible", "harmCategories": [], "harmOutcomes": [ "exploitation_or_abuse", "psychological_distress", "reputational_harm" ], "harmOutcomeSummary": "Adolescent congregants and adult women were depicted without consent in AI-made sexualised videos posted to tens of thousands of followers; a 16-year-old described embarrassment, fear for her social life and giving up photographs of herself, and a 17-year-old was reported to be psychologically affected. The creation and posting are admitted by the influencer, who disputes any sexual or criminal intent.", "frameworkFacets": [], "causationStatus": "supported", "participantUsersAffectedMin": 0, "otherPeopleHarmedMin": 2, "affectedCountStatus": "partial", "affectedCountEvidence": "Two identified minors who filed police reports (a 16-year-old, g1 22 April; a 17-year-old, g1 15 May). Other congregants, adult and adolescent, are described as depicted ('uma quantidade enorme de vítimas' per the father; 'o número total de vítimas ainda está sendo apurado' per g1) but not counted. Partial: 2 counted plus an unquantified number.", "victimAgeRange": "minor", "jurisdiction": "BR", "platformType": "other", "outcomeType": "investigation_opened", "outcomeStatus": "ongoing", "primarySourceUrl": "https://g1.globo.com/sp/sao-paulo/noticia/2026/04/22/pegou-foto-sem-autorizacao-diz-evangelica-de-16-anos-vitima-de-influencer-que-usou-ia-para-sexualizar-sua-imagem-em-igreja.ghtml", "primarySourceLabel": "g1 São Paulo, 22 April 2026: 'Pegou foto sem autorização', diz evangélica de 16 anos vítima de influencer que usou IA para sexualizar sua imagem em igreja", "firstPublishedAt": "2026-06-14T11:18:13.776891+00:00", "scopeVersion": "facts-v3", "tags": [ "deepfake", "ai-generated-imagery", "ncii", "minor", "brazil", "sao-paulo", "church", "influencer", "eca", "depicted" ] }, { "id": "2026-asato-v-xai-grok", "caseFacts": { "claims": [ { "id": "2026-09-14-pilot-o12-c1", "status": "reported", "evidence": [ { "locator": "Background section.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "2026-09-14-pilot-s16" } ], "assertion": "A claimant's solicitors state that Grok was used to produce non-consensual sexualized images of her.", "causal_attribution": "Attributed in the account; independent causation has not been established." }, { "id": "2026-09-14-pilot-o12-c2", "status": "reported", "evidence": [ { "locator": "Filing announcement paragraph.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "2026-09-14-pilot-s16" } ], "assertion": "The solicitors announce a claim filed in the High Court in England on June 3, 2026.", "causal_attribution": "Procedural statement by the claimant’s representatives; no finding on liability is asserted." } ], "effects": [ { "label": "nonconsensual_sexualized_imagery", "claim_id": "2026-09-14-pilot-o12-c1", "direction": "negative" } ], "sources": [ { "id": "2026-09-14-pilot-s16", "url": "https://awo.agency/articles/first-claim-in-the-uk-against-groks-nonconsensual-deepfakes/", "kind": "legal_representative_statement", "access": "read", "language": "en", "translation_note": "Read in English; no translation needed.", "independence_group": "2026-09-14-pilot-g13" } ], "version": 1, "ai_roles": [ "others_use" ], "contexts": [ "privacy", "public_life", "deepfakes", "non-consensual-imagery" ], "unknowns": [ "The probe did not inspect the court file or independently adjudicate liability." ], "geography": { "basis": "Affected-person country from the historical record and solicitor's account; court country explicitly stated. Location of online image generation unknown.", "court_countries": [ "GB" ], "event_countries": [], "affected_person_countries": [ "GB" ] }, "publication": { "basis": "Restored a previously published case under its original ID after source, duplicate and sensitivity review. Allegations remain attributed to the claimant’s solicitors.", "reviewed_on": "2026-09-15" }, "ai_involvement": { "basis": "The account or representative reports use of an AI system; independent verification was not performed.", "status": "reported" }, "person_relations": [ "depicted_or_impersonated" ] }, "name": "Jess Asato’s solicitors report non-consensual Grok imagery and a High Court claim", "summary": "Jess Asato’s solicitors report that Grok was used to make non-consensual sexualized images of her in January 2026. They announced a High Court claim against xAI on 3 June. These are the claimant’s representatives’ accounts; liability has not been established by the evidence reviewed here.", "incidentDate": "2026-01-01", "incidentKind": "single_event", "incidentDatePrecision": "month", "exposurePattern": "unknown", "reportedDate": "2026-06-03", "aiSystem": "Grok", "aiCompany": "xAI", "severity": "high", "verificationStatus": "unverified", "harmCategories": [], "harmOutcomes": [ "exploitation_or_abuse" ], "harmOutcomeSummary": "A claimant's solicitors state that Grok was used to produce non-consensual sexualized images of her.", "frameworkFacets": [], "causationStatus": "alleged", "participantUsersAffectedMin": 0, "otherPeopleHarmedMin": 1, "affectedCountStatus": "exact", "affectedCountEvidence": "One person is described as harmed in this account; wider affected populations are not counted.", "victimAgeRange": "adult", "outcomeType": "lawsuit_filed", "outcomeStatus": "unknown", "primarySourceUrl": "https://awo.agency/articles/first-claim-in-the-uk-against-groks-nonconsensual-deepfakes/", "primarySourceLabel": "AWO, representing the claimant", "firstPublishedAt": "2026-06-14T11:10:33.428074+00:00", "scopeVersion": "facts-v3", "tags": [ "privacy", "public_life", "deepfakes", "non-consensual-imagery" ] }, { "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)", "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", "scopeVersion": "facts-v3", "tags": [ "deepfakes", "hong-kong", "university", "ncii", "sexual-images", "legal-gap", "investigation", "east-asia", "depicted-or-impersonated" ] }, { "id": "2023-spain-almendralejo-deepfake-minors", "caseFacts": { "claims": [ { "id": "c1", "status": "corroborated", "evidence": [ { "locator": "Paragraphs 2-4: images created from clothed photos taken from the girls' own social media accounts and processed by an application that generates an imagined nude image.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s1" }, { "locator": "Opening paragraphs: pupils reported fake nude photos made 'a través de una aplicación de inteligencia artificial' circulating on phones at the start of the school year.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s2" }, { "locator": "Paragraph 2: images arose from a WhatsApp group linked to several Almendralejo schools; profile photos from WhatsApp and Instagram were used.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s6" }, { "locator": "Paragraph 3: the judgment's proven facts describe AI applications superimposing the girls' faces, taken from WhatsApp and Instagram profiles, on other nude bodies, and circulation through two WhatsApp groups.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s4" } ], "assertion": "In September 2023 artificial-intelligence image-manipulation applications were used to create fake nude images of secondary-school girls in Almendralejo from photographs taken from their WhatsApp and Instagram profiles, and the images circulated in WhatsApp groups.", "causal_attribution": "The juvenile court's agreed judgment records the use of AI applications as proven fact (El País and Infobae, 9 July 2024, citing the TSJEx)." }, { "id": "c2", "status": "reported", "evidence": [ { "locator": "Paragraph 4: 'more than 20 girls, aged between 11 and 17, have come forward as victims'.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s1" }, { "locator": "Opening paragraph: 'Ya son 22 menores las víctimas'; 10 presuntos autores identificados, todos menores.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s3" }, { "locator": "Paragraph 1: 'al menos 20 niñas residentes en Almendralejo'.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s4" } ], "assertion": "At least 20 girls aged 11 to 17 were affected; police had counted 22 victims and identified 10 suspected authors, all minors, by 21 September 2023.", "causal_attribution": "Counts are the police and court figures as reported; the BBC also reports a parents' group of 28, which is not used as a harm count." }, { "id": "c3", "status": "reported", "evidence": [ { "locator": "Paragraphs 1 and 3: sentence of 20 June 2024 in conformity; 15 minors; 20 delitos de pornografía infantil y otros tantos contra la integridad moral; libertad vigilada durante un año.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s4" }, { "locator": "Paragraphs 1-2: Juzgado de Menores de Badajoz; quince menores; veinte delitos de pornografía infantil y otros tantos contra la integridad moral; un año de libertad vigilada with the described programme.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s5" }, { "locator": "Paragraph 1: 'a juvenile court this summer sentenced 15 of their classmates to a year of probation'.", "relation": "context", "source_id": "s7" } ], "assertion": "On 20 June 2024 the Badajoz juvenile court, in an agreed judgment, held 15 minors responsible for 20 counts of child pornography and 20 counts against moral integrity and imposed one year of supervised release (libertad vigilada) with affective-sexual education, responsible-technology and gender-equality content.", "causal_attribution": "Court outcome as reported from the TSJEx; the judgment text itself was not inspected." }, { "id": "c4", "status": "reported", "evidence": [ { "locator": "Paragraph 7: 'Investigators are also looking into the claim that an attempt was made to extort one of the girls by using a fake image of her.'", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s1" }, { "locator": "Paragraph 5: 'según han denunciado varias madres, chantajearon a sus hijas con dinero para no distribuir sus fotografías manipuladas'.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s6" } ], "assertion": "Mothers reported that girls were blackmailed with the fake images, and police investigated an attempt to extort one of the girls.", "causal_attribution": "Reported by the families to police and the press; no charge for extortion is recorded in the inspected judgment reporting." }, { "id": "c5", "status": "reported", "evidence": [ { "locator": "Passage beginning 'The impact the images’ circulation has had on the girls affected varies': the interviewed mother says her daughter is bearing up well, while some other girls would not leave home.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s1" } ], "assertion": "One mother said some affected girls would not leave their homes after the images circulated, while her own daughter was bearing up well.", "causal_attribution": "A parent's account reported by the BBC; not independently confirmed." } ], "effects": [ { "label": "nonconsensual_sexualized_imagery_of_minors", "claim_id": "c1", "direction": "negative" }, { "label": "extortion_attempt", "claim_id": "c4", "direction": "negative" }, { "label": "psychological_distress", "claim_id": "c5", "direction": "negative" } ], "sources": [ { "id": "s1", "url": "https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-66877718", "kind": "news_report", "access": "read", "language": "en", "translation_note": "Read in English on 2026-09-15; datePublished 2023-09-23.", "independence_group": "bbc" }, { "id": "s2", "url": "https://elpais.com/espana/2023-09-18/la-policia-investiga-el-desnudo-integral-de-varias-menores-en-extremadura-con-inteligencia-artificial-me-dio-un-vuelco-el-corazon.html", "kind": "news_report", "access": "read", "language": "es", "translation_note": "Model read the Spanish original retained on 2026-09-15; no independent bilingual human review.", "independence_group": "elpais" }, { "id": "s3", "url": "https://elpais.com/sociedad/2023-09-21/las-victimas-por-los-desnudos-de-almendralejo-ascienden-a-22-con-10-presuntos-autores-identificados-hasta-el-momento.html", "kind": "news_report", "access": "read", "language": "es", "translation_note": "Model read the Spanish original retained on 2026-09-15; no independent bilingual human review.", "independence_group": "elpais" }, { "id": "s4", "url": "https://elpais.com/sociedad/2024-07-09/un-ano-de-libertad-vigilada-para-15-menores-de-almendralejo-por-manipular-imagenes-de-ninas.html", "kind": "news_report_court_outcome", "access": "read", "language": "es", "translation_note": "Model read the Spanish original retained on 2026-09-15; no independent bilingual human review. Court outcome is reported from TSJEx; the judgment itself was not inspected.", "independence_group": "tsjex-judgment-account" }, { "id": "s5", "url": "https://www.infobae.com/espana/2024/07/09/los-menores-que-manipularon-desnudos-con-inteligencia-artificial-en-almendralejo-quedan-en-libertad-vigilada/", "kind": "news_agency_report_court_outcome", "access": "read", "language": "es", "translation_note": "Model read the Spanish original retained on 2026-09-15; no independent bilingual human review. Court outcome is reported from TSJEx; the judgment itself was not inspected. Infobae credits EFE for this article.", "independence_group": "tsjex-judgment-account" }, { "id": "s6", "url": "https://www.infobae.com/espana/2023/09/18/caso-almendralejo-es-delito-utilizar-la-ia-con-fines-pornograficos-hasta-nueve-anos-de-carcel-por-manipular-imagenes-de-menores-desnudas/", "kind": "news_report", "access": "read", "language": "es", "translation_note": "Model read the Spanish original retained on 2026-09-15; no independent bilingual human review.", "independence_group": "infobae" }, { "id": "s7", "url": "https://fortune.com/2024/08/16/ai-nude-deepfakes-boys-social-media-classmates-school/", "kind": "news_agency_report", "access": "read", "language": "en", "translation_note": "Associated Press report carried by Fortune; read in English on 2026-09-15.", "independence_group": "ap" }, { "id": "s8", "url": "https://incidentdatabase.ai/cite/610/", "kind": "incident_database_aggregator", "access": "read", "language": "en", "translation_note": "Aggregator entry listing press reports; used as context only.", "independence_group": "aiid" } ], "version": 1, "ai_roles": [ "others_use" ], "contexts": [ "education", "privacy", "justice" ], "unknowns": [ "The application or applications used are not named in the inspected court reporting; an earlier version of this record named one app on the basis of press reports not re-inspected today.", "When each image was created is not established; the BBC reports that many were believed to have been created over the summer of 2023.", "Whether any image reached pornographic websites, which the families feared, is not established.", "The individual consequences for the affected girls beyond the reports cited are not documented.", "The judgment text was not inspected; its contents are taken from El País and Infobae reporting the TSJEx." ], "geography": { "basis": "Event: the images were made and circulated among pupils of secondary schools in Almendralejo, Badajoz, Spain (BBC; El País 18 and 21 September 2023). Affected persons: girls attending those schools (El País 21 September 2023). Court: Juzgado de Menores de Badajoz (El País and Infobae, 9 July 2024).", "court_countries": [ "ES" ], "event_countries": [ "ES" ], "affected_person_countries": [ "ES" ] }, "publication": { "basis": "Restored under its original ID after source, duplicate and sensitivity review under the 2026-09-15 charter. Eight sources read, seven in full; no victim or suspect is named; the app named in the earlier record is omitted because the inspected court reporting does not name it.", "reviewed_on": "2026-09-15" }, "ai_involvement": { "basis": "The Badajoz juvenile court's agreed judgment of 20 June 2024, as reported by El País and Infobae citing the Tribunal Superior de Justicia de Extremadura, records as proven fact that the minors used artificial-intelligence applications to superimpose the girls' faces on other bodies. The application is not named in the inspected court reporting.", "status": "supported" }, "person_relations": [ "depicted_or_impersonated" ] }, "name": "Almendralejo, Spain: AI-generated nude images of at least 20 schoolgirls; 15 minors placed under supervised release", "summary": "In September 2023 families in Almendralejo (Badajoz, Spain) reported that artificial-intelligence 'undressing' applications had been used to create fake nude images of local girls aged 11 to 17 from their social-media photographs, and that the images circulated in WhatsApp groups. Police counted 22 victims and identified 10 suspects, all minors, within days. On 20 June 2024 the Badajoz juvenile court, in an agreed judgment, held 15 minors responsible for 20 counts of child pornography and 20 counts against moral integrity and imposed one year of supervised release with an education programme.", "incidentDate": "2023-09-01", "incidentKind": "bounded_series", "incidentDatePrecision": "month", "exposurePattern": "unknown", "reportedDate": "2023-09-18", "aiSystem": "AI image 'undressing' applications (not named in the inspected court reporting)", "severity": "high", "verificationStatus": "verified", "harmCategories": [], "harmOutcomes": [ "exploitation_or_abuse", "psychological_distress" ], "harmOutcomeSummary": "At least 20 girls aged 11 to 17 had AI-manipulated nude images of them created from their social-media photographs and shared in WhatsApp groups; families reported blackmail attempts and one mother said some girls would not leave their homes.", "frameworkFacets": [], "causationStatus": "supported", "participantUsersAffectedMin": 0, "otherPeopleHarmedMin": 20, "affectedCountStatus": "documented_minimum", "affectedCountEvidence": "The juvenile court's agreed judgment, as reported by El País and Infobae from the TSJEx, refers to at least 20 girls; police had counted 22 victims by 21 September 2023 (El País). The court figure is used as the documented minimum. The 15 minors held responsible are not counted as harmed persons.", "victimAgeRange": "minor", "outcomeType": "criminal_charges", "outcomeStatus": "resolved", "primarySourceUrl": "https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-66877718", "primarySourceLabel": "BBC News, 23 September 2023: 'AI-generated naked child images shock Spanish town of Almendralejo'", "firstPublishedAt": "2026-01-29T09:52:26.746489+00:00", "scopeVersion": "facts-v3", "tags": [ "deepfakes", "minors", "spain", "school", "non-consensual-imagery", "juvenile-court" ] }, { "id": "2024-south-korea-telegram-deepfake-crisis", "caseFacts": { "claims": [ { "id": "c1a", "status": "corroborated", "evidence": [ { "locator": "BBC 3 Sep 2024 confirms Ko Narin's Hankyoreh scoop and describes the school- and university-specific rooms.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s1" }, { "locator": "Hankyoreh English's own exposure of the military Telegram room (27 Aug 2024).", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s3" } ], "assertion": "Around 26 August 2024 The Hankyoreh (Ko Narin) exposed Telegram rooms creating and sharing AI-generated sexual deepfakes of Korean women and girls, with rooms organized by school and university.", "causal_attribution": "The scoop's existence and the rooms' school/university organization are confirmed by the BBC's original reporting and Hankyoreh English's companion investigation; the original Korean article is dead-linked and retained uninspected." }, { "id": "c1b", "status": "reported", "evidence": [ { "locator": "Room-structure passages: 'humiliation rooms'/'friend of friend rooms', entry terms, the 2,000-member school group.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s1" } ], "assertion": "The rooms ran as 'humiliation rooms' and 'friend of friend rooms' with entry terms demanding at least four photos plus name, age and area, and one group for underage pupils at a single school had more than 2,000 members.", "causal_attribution": "Single-chain detail from the BBC's 3 Sep 2024 account; no second inspected chain describes the entry terms or the 2,000-member group." }, { "id": "c2", "status": "reported", "evidence": [ { "locator": "Police-figure passages: 297 vs 180; 'The victims are often minors and the perpetrators are mostly teenagers'.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s2" }, { "locator": "Watchdog ~6,500 requests Jan-Jul (4x); 178 suspects booked, 74% aged 10-19; >half of erased deepfakes involved minors.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s4" } ], "assertion": "Police recorded 297 deepfake cases in January-July 2024 against 180 in all of 2023; the watchdog received nearly 6,500 takedown requests in the first seven months of 2024 (four times the prior year); of 178 suspects booked, 74% were aged 10-19; more than half of erased deepfakes involved minors; victims were often minors and perpetrators mostly teenagers.", "causal_attribution": "Both outlets relay the same police and watchdog accounts; traced to one official origin, so the figures are reported rather than corroborated. Figures count cases, requests and suspects, not harmed people." }, { "id": "c3", "status": "reported", "evidence": [ { "locator": "'more than 900 students, teachers and staff' (education ministry); 'of 964 deepfake-related sex crime cases reported from January to October last year, police made 23 arrests' (Seoul police statement).", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s6" } ], "assertion": "The education ministry counted more than 900 students, teachers and staff victimized between January and early November 2024; a Seoul police statement said that of 964 deepfake-related sex crime cases reported January-October 2024, 23 arrests were made.", "causal_attribution": "Single chain (CNN) relaying official figures; the education-ministry count is the record's person-count lower bound." }, { "id": "c4", "status": "corroborated", "evidence": [ { "locator": "Reuters wire via CNN, 26 Sep 2024: possession/viewing criminalized.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s5" }, { "locator": "CNN 25 Apr 2025: Sep 2024 law — possession/viewing up to 3 years or 30M won; creation maximum raised 5 to 7 years.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s6" } ], "assertion": "On 26 September 2024 the National Assembly criminalized possessing or viewing sexually explicit deepfakes (up to 3 years' prison or a 30 million won fine); the maximum sentence for creating deepfake pornography was raised from 5 to 7 years.", "causal_attribution": "The statute is a public record carried by two chains (Reuters wire; CNN original). The historical claim of an October 2024 amendment removing the distribution-intent requirement was not re-verified and is recorded as an unknown." }, { "id": "c5", "status": "reported", "evidence": [ { "locator": "'Military IDs turned into deepfake porn': servicewomen called 'military supplies'; at least 30 victims; channel active since 8 Aug with ~850 audience.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s3" } ], "assertion": "A separate Telegram room degraded servicewomen with deepfakes made from military-intranet ID photos, implying insider involvement, with at least 30 victims across the Army, Navy and Air Force and an audience of about 850 since 8 August 2024.", "causal_attribution": "Single chain (Hankyoreh original reporting)." }, { "id": "c6", "status": "reported", "evidence": [ { "locator": "Heejin passages (pseudonymous victim account).", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s1" }, { "locator": "Ruma passages (pseudonymous victim account).", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s6" } ], "assertion": "Individual victims described severe harm: a pseudonymous school victim 'Heejin' spoke to the BBC, and 'Ruma', targeted in 2021 at age 27, spoke to CNN.", "causal_attribution": "Pseudonymous first-person accounts carried by two outlets; the historical record's 'broke my whole belief system' quotation was not re-found in inspected sources and is dropped from the claims." }, { "id": "c7", "status": "reported", "evidence": [ { "locator": "Korea Herald 16 Nov 2025 relaying the National Office of Investigation figures.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s7" } ], "assertion": "By November 2025 the National Office of Investigation reported 3,557 people apprehended for cybersexual violence over the preceding year, with deepfake crimes the largest category (1,553 cases) and about 62% of suspects teenagers.", "causal_attribution": "Single chain relaying official figures; apprehension figures count suspects, not victims." } ], "effects": [ { "label": "mass AI-generated sexual deepfakes of identified women and girls distributed in Telegram rooms", "claim_id": "c1a", "direction": "negative" } ], "sources": [ { "id": "s1", "url": "https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cpdlpj9zn9go", "kind": "news_report", "access": "read", "language": "en", "translation_note": "Read in English on 2026-09-15 (3 Sep 2024; Jean Mackenzie, Seoul). Original reporting: victim 'Heejin', room structure, the 2,000-member school group, the 500+ activist-compiled school list.", "independence_group": "bbc" }, { "id": "s2", "url": "https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cg4yerrg451o", "kind": "news_report", "access": "read", "language": "en", "translation_note": "Read in English on 2026-09-15 (28 Aug 2024). Yoon cabinet order; police figures attributed.", "independence_group": "bbc" }, { "id": "s3", "url": "https://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_national/1155588.html", "kind": "news_report", "access": "read", "language": "en", "translation_note": "Read in English on 2026-09-15 (27 Aug 2024). Hankyoreh's own exposure of the military room.", "independence_group": "hankyoreh" }, { "id": "s4", "url": "https://www.npr.org/2024/09/06/nx-s1-5101891/south-korea-deepfake", "kind": "news_report", "access": "read", "language": "en", "translation_note": "Read in English on 2026-09-15 (6 Sep 2024). Watchdog and police figures attributed.", "independence_group": "npr" }, { "id": "s5", "url": "https://www.cnn.com/2024/09/26/asia/south-korea-deepfake-bill-passed-intl-hnk", "kind": "wire_report", "access": "read", "language": "en", "translation_note": "Read in English on 2026-09-15 (26 Sep 2024); bylined Reuters.", "independence_group": "reuters" }, { "id": "s6", "url": "https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/25/asia/south-korea-deepfake-crimes-intl-hnk-dst", "kind": "news_report", "access": "read", "language": "en", "translation_note": "Read in English on 2026-09-15 (25 Apr 2025). CNN original: victim 'Ruma', education-ministry figure, Seoul police statement.", "independence_group": "cnn" }, { "id": "s7", "url": "https://www.koreaherald.com/article/10616925", "kind": "news_report", "access": "read", "language": "en", "translation_note": "Read in English on 2026-09-15 (16 Nov 2025; the historical date 2025-11-01 was wrong). National Office of Investigation figures.", "independence_group": "korea-herald" }, { "id": "s8", "url": "https://www.hani.co.kr/arti/society/society_general/1155800.html", "kind": "news_report", "access": "unavailable", "language": null, "translation_note": "HTTP 404 on 2026-09-15. Ko Narin's original Korean investigation (~26 Aug 2024); retained as the historical reference. BBC's 3 Sep 2024 report confirms the scoop; the body was not inspected in this review and its language is not re-asserted.", "independence_group": "hankyoreh" } ], "version": 1, "ai_roles": [ "others_use" ], "contexts": [ "education", "justice" ], "unknowns": [ "Not re-verified in inspected sources and therefore not claims of this record: the 220,000-member channel figure; 781 victims with 37% minors; Women's Human Rights Institute of Korea 332,341 supported cases; the October 2024 amendment removing the distribution-intent requirement; the Seoul National University graduates' 9-year and 3.5-year sentences; the teachers' union 200-school estimate; the 'broke my whole belief system' victim quotation.", "The specific AI tools used are not identified in the inspected reporting.", "Ko Narin's original Korean article (hani.co.kr 1155800) is HTTP 404; its contents are known only through the BBC's confirmation and the historical record.", "The ScienceDirect study cited by the historical record answered 403 and was not inspected.", "Cross-group overlap between police case counts, the education-ministry victim count and watchdog requests is unresolved." ], "geography": { "basis": "Events, victims and the responding institutions are all in South Korea (all chains). No court proceeding is verified in this review, so court_countries is [].", "court_countries": [], "event_countries": [ "KR" ], "affected_person_countries": [ "KR" ] }, "publication": { "basis": "Restored under the 2026-09-15 charter as a harmful-artifact crisis affecting identified women and girls, predominantly minors. The person count is the education ministry's documented lower bound; case, request and membership figures are recorded but never used as person counts. Unverifiable historical claims are preserved as unknowns rather than deleted silently. No death; the death-verification rule is not engaged. Pseudonymous victims remain pseudonymous. In a 2026-09-15 second pass the original compound first claim was split: the corroborated exposure and room organization stand as c1a, and the BBC-only structure details (entry terms, 2,000-member group) stand as reported c1b. person_relations recorded in the same pass.", "reviewed_on": "2026-09-15" }, "ai_involvement": { "basis": "Every inspected chain describes AI deepfake tools as the generation mechanism and Telegram as the distribution channel; police and watchdog figures classify the cases as deepfake sex crimes. The specific tools are not individually identified beyond 'AI deepfake/nudify tools'.", "status": "supported" }, "person_relations": [ "depicted_or_impersonated" ] }, "name": "South Korea Telegram AI Deepfake Sexual Abuse Crisis", "summary": "In late August 2024, journalist Ko Narin of The Hankyoreh exposed networks of Telegram rooms in South Korea where AI tools were used to turn ordinary photos of women and girls — middle and high school pupils, university students, teachers and servicewomen — into sexual deepfakes, shared with their identities in school- and university-specific 'humiliation rooms'. Police figures showed 297 deepfake cases in January-July 2024 (vs 180 in all of 2023); the education ministry counted more than 900 victimized students, teachers and staff; President Yoon ordered a crackdown; and on 26 September 2024 the National Assembly criminalized possessing or viewing sexually explicit deepfakes. Victims were often minors and perpetrators mostly teenagers.", "incidentDate": "2024-08-01", "incidentEndDate": "2024-09-26", "incidentKind": "bounded_series", "incidentDatePrecision": "range", "exposurePattern": "repeated_interactions", "reportedDate": "2024-08-26", "aiSystem": "AI deepfake generation tools (various)", "aiCompany": "Multiple (various free AI 'undressing' tools)", "severity": "critical", "verificationStatus": "credible", "harmCategories": [ "minor_exploitation", "third_party_harm_facilitation", "psychological_manipulation" ], "harmOutcomes": [ "psychological_distress", "reputational_harm" ], "harmOutcomeSummary": "Mass non-consensual AI sexual imagery of schoolgirls, students, teachers and servicewomen, distributed with their identities in Telegram rooms; pseudonymous victims describe severe distress, and police recorded hundreds of cases dominated by minor victims and teenage perpetrators.", "frameworkFacets": [], "causationStatus": "supported", "participantUsersAffectedMin": 0, "otherPeopleHarmedMin": 900, "affectedCountStatus": "documented_minimum", "affectedCountEvidence": "Lower bound: the South Korean education ministry's count of 'more than 900 students, teachers and staff' victimized (January-early November 2024), carried by CNN's 25 April 2025 report. This counts people reported as victims to the education authorities. Police figures (297 cases; 964 cases) count cases, not people, and are not used as person counts; the watchdog's ~6,500 figures count takedown requests, not people; the 500+ schools figure is an activist-compiled list of targets, not a victim count; channel membership numbers are not counted. Cross-group overlap is unresolved.", "victimAgeRange": "minor", "jurisdiction": "KR", "platformType": "other", "outcomeType": "criminal_charges", "outcomeStatus": "ongoing", "primarySourceUrl": "https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cpdlpj9zn9go", "primarySourceLabel": "BBC News, Jean Mackenzie (3 Sep 2024) — 'Inside the deepfake porn crisis engulfing Korean schools' (replaces the dead Hankyoreh original)", "firstPublishedAt": "2026-01-29T09:52:18.956616+00:00", "scopeVersion": "facts-v3", "tags": [ "deepfakes", "minor", "south-korea", "telegram", "sexual-images", "school", "criminal-charges", "legislation", "mass-scale", "non-western" ] }, { "id": "2024-roberts-ai-deepfake-stalking", "caseFacts": { "claims": [ { "id": "c1", "status": "reported", "evidence": [ { "locator": "Paragraphs 2-4: stalked the victim for over a year; used AI tools to create deepfake videos of the victim engaging in sexual acts that never occurred; shared the videos without consent.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s1" }, { "locator": "Paragraphs 1-3: Albany man; stalking for about a year; AI tools used to edit videos and photos showing the victim in sexual acts that never happened; shared without permission.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s2" } ], "assertion": "Police say a 38-year-old Albany, New Hampshire man stalked a person for about a year and used AI tools to make 'deepfake' videos and photographs showing the victim in sexual acts and other activities that never occurred, then shared them without the victim's consent.", "causal_attribution": "Police allegations relayed by WGME and WMUR/MSN from the same investigating agency; no independent witness account, underlying court record or conviction was inspected." }, { "id": "c2", "status": "reported", "evidence": [ { "locator": "Paragraphs 2 and 5: arrested 'last Friday' (report dated 7 November 2025); charged with non-consensual dissemination of private sexual images, fraudulent use of deepfakes, stalking, and receiving stolen property.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s1" }, { "locator": "Paragraphs 4 and 6: arrested in late October on three counts of non-consensual dissemination of private sexual images, fraudulent use of fake photos and videos, stalking and receiving stolen property; joint effort by Conway police, the Carroll County Sheriff's Office and state police.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s2" } ], "assertion": "He was arrested in late October 2025 on charges including three counts of non-consensual dissemination of private sexual images, fraudulent use of deepfakes, stalking and receiving stolen property, after a joint investigation by Conway police, the Carroll County Sheriff's Office and state police.", "causal_attribution": "Procedural facts reported from police statements." }, { "id": "c3", "status": "reported", "evidence": [ { "locator": "Paragraph 6: held at the Carroll County House of Corrections without bail.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s1" }, { "locator": "Paragraph 5: held without bail until a probable cause hearing Thursday.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s2" } ], "assertion": "As of reporting on 7 November 2025, police said he was held without bail at the Carroll County House of Corrections pending a probable-cause hearing.", "causal_attribution": "Procedural fact reported from police statements." } ], "effects": [ { "label": "nonconsensual_sexualized_imagery", "claim_id": "c1", "direction": "negative" }, { "label": "stalking", "claim_id": "c1", "direction": "negative" } ], "sources": [ { "id": "s1", "url": "https://wgme.com/news/local/new-hampshire-man-accused-of-using-ai-to-create-sexual-images-of-person-he-stalked-crime-police-joseph-roberts-deepfake-videos", "kind": "local_tv_news", "access": "read", "language": "en", "translation_note": "Read in English on 2026-09-15; datePublished 2025-11-07.", "independence_group": "conway-police-account" }, { "id": "s2", "url": "https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/man-accused-of-creating-deepfake-ai-videos-of-person-he-was-stalking/ar-AA1Q0YjD", "kind": "local_tv_news_syndicated_copy", "access": "read", "language": "en", "translation_note": "WMUR (Hearst) report read on 2026-09-15 through the MSN syndicated copy (published 2025-11-07T17:24Z) because wmur.com answers HTTP 451 to requests from the European Economic Area.", "independence_group": "conway-police-account" }, { "id": "s3", "url": "https://www.wmur.com/article/deepfake-ai-videos-stalking-110725/69289062", "kind": "local_tv_news", "access": "unavailable", "language": null, "translation_note": "HTTP 451 (region block) on 2026-09-15; the same report was read via the MSN copy above.", "independence_group": "conway-police-account" }, { "id": "s4", "url": "https://www.conwaydailysun.com/news/local/man-charged-with-synthetic-media-misuse-and-stalking/article_aa71121f-2144-4e3d-8630-029620a9ba97.html", "kind": "local_newspaper", "access": "unavailable", "language": null, "translation_note": "HTTP 451/429 on 2026-09-15 (EEA region block); not read.", "independence_group": "cds" }, { "id": "s5", "url": "https://www.conwaydailysun.com/news/local/grand-jury-issues-indictments-for-fake-intimate-images/article_6ad74c7f-27dc-44ca-8404-b966204d7527.html", "kind": "local_newspaper", "access": "unavailable", "language": null, "translation_note": "HTTP 451/429 on 2026-09-15 (EEA region block); not read. Search-engine snippets describe January 2026 indictments; unverified.", "independence_group": "cds" } ], "version": 1, "ai_roles": [ "others_use" ], "contexts": [ "privacy", "relationships", "justice" ], "unknowns": [ "The AI tools used are not identified.", "The victim is not identified; their age and relationship to the accused are not reported.", "Police described stalking for about or over a year before reporting in November 2025. Exact start and end dates of the conduct are not stated; the late-October arrest is a procedural date.", "Conway Daily Sun reports, including one that search results describe as covering grand-jury indictments in January 2026, could not be read from this workspace (HTTP 451 for EEA requests); the case status after November 2025 is unverified.", "The earlier version of this record dated the events to 2024 and cited a bare publisher domain; those details are superseded." ], "geography": { "basis": "Event and affected-person locations are not stated in the inspected reports. They identify the accused as from Albany, New Hampshire, and the investigating agencies as Conway police, the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office and state police. US proceedings are supported by the charges, New Hampshire custody and pending probable-cause hearing reported in November 2025; those facts do not establish the victim’s location.", "court_countries": [ "US" ], "event_countries": [], "affected_person_countries": [] }, "publication": { "basis": "Restored under its original ID after source, duplicate and sensitivity review. Allegations are attributed to Conway police as reported by WGME and WMUR; the accused is not named in this record and the victim is not identified.", "reviewed_on": "2026-09-15" }, "ai_involvement": { "basis": "Conway police, as reported by WGME and WMUR on 7 November 2025, say the accused used AI tools to edit videos and photographs so that they showed the victim in sexual acts that never happened. The tools are not identified and no court finding was reviewed.", "status": "reported" }, "person_relations": [ "depicted_or_impersonated" ] }, "name": "Conway police allege AI-generated sexual images and stalking", "summary": "Police in Conway, New Hampshire, said in November 2025 that a 38-year-old Albany man had stalked a person for about a year and used AI tools to make 'deepfake' videos and photographs showing the victim in sexual acts that never happened, then shared them without consent. He was arrested in late October 2025 on charges including three counts of non-consensual dissemination of private sexual images, fraudulent use of deepfakes, stalking and receiving stolen property, and, as of reporting on 7 November, was held without bail pending a probable-cause hearing. These are police allegations; no conviction had been verified at review.", "incidentKind": "bounded_series", "incidentDatePrecision": "unknown", "exposurePattern": "unknown", "reportedDate": "2025-11-07", "aiSystem": "AI image and video generation tools (not identified by police)", "severity": "high", "verificationStatus": "credible", "harmCategories": [], "harmOutcomes": [ "exploitation_or_abuse" ], "harmOutcomeSummary": "Police allege the victim was stalked for about a year and that AI-made sexual videos and photographs of them were shared without consent.", "frameworkFacets": [], "causationStatus": "alleged", "participantUsersAffectedMin": 0, "otherPeopleHarmedMin": 1, "affectedCountStatus": "exact", "affectedCountEvidence": "Police describe one stalking victim (WGME; WMUR). The accused is not counted as a harmed person.", "victimAgeRange": "unknown", "outcomeType": "criminal_charges", "outcomeStatus": "unknown", "primarySourceUrl": "https://wgme.com/news/local/new-hampshire-man-accused-of-using-ai-to-create-sexual-images-of-person-he-stalked-crime-police-joseph-roberts-deepfake-videos", "primarySourceLabel": "WGME, 7 November 2025: 'New Hampshire man accused of using AI to create sexual images of person he stalked'", "firstPublishedAt": "2026-01-13T10:04:21.00423+00:00", "scopeVersion": "facts-v3", "tags": [ "deepfakes", "stalking", "non-consensual-imagery", "new-hampshire", "criminal-charges" ] }, { "id": "2025-grok-non-consensual-image-generation", "caseFacts": { "claims": [ { "id": "c1", "status": "corroborated", "evidence": [ { "locator": "'image generation and editing are currently limited to paying subscribers'; the standalone app/X tab complied with undress requests including NBC's consenting test subject.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s2" }, { "locator": "AP: Grok let users 'undress people, putting females in transparent bikinis or revealing clothing'; some images appeared to include children.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s7" }, { "locator": "'Over the past several weeks, Grok allowed users to create and publicly post sexually altered images of real people at the click of a button.'", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s8" } ], "assertion": "From late December 2025, Grok's image generation and editing on X and the standalone app let users generate sexualized images of real people at scale; xAI limited generation to paying subscribers on 9 January 2026, but NBC's own consenting test found the standalone app and X tab still complied with 'undress' requests.", "causal_attribution": "The conduct is established by NBC's direct test plus official accounts; the paywall change's limited effect is NBC's finding." }, { "id": "c2", "status": "reported", "evidence": [ { "locator": "Genevieve Oh's analysis: 7,751 sexualized images in one hour Wednesday, up 16.4% from 6,659/hr Monday.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s2" }, { "locator": "NYT via NC DOJ: 'generated and posted 4.4 million images, of which at least 41 percent were sexualized images of women' over nine days.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s8" }, { "locator": "CCDH via Engadget: 'an estimated 3 million sexualized images over 11 days, including 23,000 of minors'.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s9" } ], "assertion": "Scale analyses: Genevieve Oh's analysis found 7,751 sexualized images generated in one hour on a Wednesday (up 16.4% from 6,659/hour on Monday); the New York Times reported 4.4 million images over nine days, at least 41% sexualized images of women; an AP analysis of 20,000 images from 25 December-1 January found 2% appeared to be 18 or younger; CCDH estimated about 3 million sexualized images over 11 days including roughly 23,000 of minors.", "causal_attribution": "Each figure belongs to its own analysis (Oh; NYT; AP via Fortune; CCDH); none is platform-confirmed and they are not merged. The AP 20,000-image analysis is carried via Fortune. The Bloomberg ~6,700/hour, 84-85x figure is recorded as unavailable." }, { "id": "c3a", "status": "reported", "evidence": [ { "locator": "'I felt horrified, I felt violated, especially seeing my toddler's backpack in the back of it'; image of her at 14 undressed, up ~12 hrs, removed after the Guardian sought comment.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s3" } ], "assertion": "Ashley St. Clair said users sexualized images of her, including one of her at 14 that stayed up about 12 hours and was removed after the Guardian sought comment: 'I felt horrified, I felt violated.'", "causal_attribution": "Her account to the Guardian; her own lawsuit is a separate held row and is not merged here." }, { "id": "c3b", "status": "reported", "evidence": [ { "locator": "'dehumanised and reduced into a sexual stereotype'; 'others asked Grok to generate more of her'; 'While it wasn't me that was in states of undress, it looked like me and it felt like me and it felt as violating.'", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s1" } ], "assertion": "Samantha Smith told the BBC she felt 'dehumanised and reduced into a sexual stereotype', and after she posted about it, others asked Grok to generate more of her.", "causal_attribution": "Her account to the BBC." }, { "id": "c3c", "status": "reported", "evidence": [ { "locator": "'had seen an increase in people using Grok to undress her'; the 'sticking plaster' quote.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s4" } ], "assertion": "Dr Daisy Dixon, a Cardiff University lecturer, told the BBC she had seen an increase in people using Grok to undress her and called the paywall change 'a sticking plaster'.", "causal_attribution": "Her account to the BBC." }, { "id": "c4", "status": "corroborated", "evidence": [ { "locator": "IWF analysts found 'criminal imagery' of girls aged 11-13 apparently made with Grok.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s4" }, { "locator": "AI Forensics' review: ~800 archived URLs, <10% apparent CSAM ('photorealistic people, very young'), ~70 URLs reported to EU regulators.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s5" } ], "assertion": "The Internet Watch Foundation told the BBC its analysts found 'criminal imagery' of girls aged 11-13 apparently made with Grok; Wired and AI Forensics reviewed about 800 archived Grok Imagine URLs with under 10% apparent CSAM and reported about 70 URLs to EU regulators.", "causal_attribution": "Two independent expert bodies' findings (IWF; AI Forensics); the minors are unnamed and uncounted per the counting rules." }, { "id": "c5", "status": "corroborated", "evidence": [ { "locator": "NBC: Ofcom 'urgent contact'; Starmer 'disgraceful... X has got to get a grip'.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s2" }, { "locator": "ICO announcement: formal investigations into XIUC and X.AI; follows the 7 January contact.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s6" }, { "locator": "AP via PBS: the EU's formal DSA investigation; 'materialized' risks; 'serious harm'.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s7" }, { "locator": "NC DOJ release: the 35-AG letter and its demands.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s8" }, { "locator": "Engadget: the Baltimore suit; City Solicitor Thompson's statement.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s9" }, { "locator": "TechPolicy.Press: the Amsterdam order of 26 March.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s13" }, { "locator": "Reuters headline (body unavailable): Ireland DPC inquiry of 17 February.", "relation": "context", "source_id": "s11" } ], "assertion": "Formal regulatory and legal actions followed: Ofcom's urgent contact (5 Jan; response by 9 Jan; investigation announced 12 Jan); the UK ICO's formal investigations into XIUC and X.AI LLC (3 Feb); the European Commission's formal DSA investigation (26 Jan, risks 'materialized' into 'serious harm'); Ireland's DPC GDPR inquiry (17 Feb); 35 US state attorneys general's demand letter (23 Jan); Baltimore's consumer-protection suit (24 Mar; D. Md. 1:26-cv-02103); and an Amsterdam court order to stop generating or distributing non-consensual sexualized images in the Netherlands (26 Mar, Offlimits suit, penalty up to €10 million).", "causal_attribution": "Each action is carried by an inspected official or news source; the California AG probe (NBC) and the Indonesia/Malaysia/Philippines blocks (Reuters bodies unavailable) are recorded in the outcome and reported in the narrative." }, { "id": "c6", "status": "corroborated", "evidence": [ { "locator": "AP: the X statement of 14 January ('bikinis, underwear or other revealing attire', where illegal).", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s7" }, { "locator": "BBC (16 Mar): Musk's 'Literally zero' post of 14 January.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s10" } ], "assertion": "xAI's 14 January statement said it would stop allowing users to depict people in 'bikinis, underwear or other revealing attire' where illegal; Musk posted on 14 January that he was 'not aware of any naked underage images... Literally zero'.", "causal_attribution": "The company's and Musk's statements are recorded as their positions; the IWF and AI Forensics findings stand in tension with 'Literally zero' and are preserved as contrary evidence." }, { "id": "c7", "status": "reported", "evidence": [ { "locator": "BBC (20 Apr 2026): the 3 Feb raid, the summons, Musk's non-appearance, the DOJ refusal, and the probe's scope.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s10" } ], "assertion": "Paris police raided X's offices on 3 February and summoned Musk and Yaccarino for 20 April; Musk did not appear, and the US DOJ declined to assist France; the French probe includes complicity in possession or organised distribution of child sexual abuse material.", "causal_attribution": "Single inspected chain (BBC); attributed accordingly." } ], "effects": [ { "label": "industrial-scale non-consensual sexualized imagery of real people, including apparent minors, generated by Grok", "claim_id": "c1", "direction": "negative" } ], "sources": [ { "id": "s1", "url": "https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c98p1r4e6m8o", "kind": "news_report", "access": "read", "language": "en", "translation_note": "Read in English on 2026-09-15 (2 Jan 2026). Samantha Smith's account.", "independence_group": "bbc" }, { "id": "s2", "url": "https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/internet/x-paywall-ai-image-grok-app-bikini-allows-sexual-deepfakes-rcna252647", "kind": "news_report", "access": "read", "language": "en", "translation_note": "Read in English on 2026-09-15 (8 Jan 2026). Paywall change; NBC's own consenting test; Genevieve Oh's analysis; Starmer and Ofcom accounts.", "independence_group": "nbc" }, { "id": "s3", "url": "https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/jan/05/elon-musk-ashley-st-clair-grok-fake-sexualised-images", "kind": "news_report", "access": "read", "language": "en", "translation_note": "Read in English on 2026-09-15 (5 Jan 2026). Ashley St. Clair's account.", "independence_group": "guardian" }, { "id": "s4", "url": "https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c99kn52nx9do", "kind": "news_report", "access": "read", "language": "en", "translation_note": "Read in English on 2026-09-15 (9 Jan 2026, McMahon/Cress). Dr Daisy Dixon; the IWF finding.", "independence_group": "bbc" }, { "id": "s5", "url": "https://www.wired.com/story/grok-is-generating-sexual-content-far-more-graphic-than-whats-on-x/", "kind": "news_investigation", "access": "read", "language": "en", "translation_note": "Read in English on 2026-09-15 (7 Jan 2026, Burgess/Varner). AI Forensics' review of ~800 archived Grok Imagine URLs.", "independence_group": "wired" }, { "id": "s6", "url": "https://ico.org.uk/about-the-ico/media-centre/news-and-blogs/2026/02/ico-announces-investigation-into-grok/", "kind": "regulator_announcement", "access": "read", "language": "en", "translation_note": "Read in English on 2026-09-15 (formal investigations into XIUC and X.AI LLC; follows the 7 January urgent-information contact).", "independence_group": "ico" }, { "id": "s7", "url": "https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/eu-investigates-musks-ai-chatbot-grok-over-sexual-deepfakes", "kind": "wire_report", "access": "read", "language": "en", "translation_note": "Read in English on 2026-09-15 (AP, Kelvin Chan; 26 Jan 2026). EU DSA investigation; X's 14 January statement.", "independence_group": "ap" }, { "id": "s8", "url": "https://ncdoj.gov/attorney-general-jeff-jackson-leads-bipartisan-coalition-demanding-xai-stop-creating-and-remove-groks-nonconsensual-sexual-images/", "kind": "regulator_press_release", "access": "read", "language": "en", "translation_note": "Read in English on 2026-09-15 (23 Jan 2026). The 35-AG letter; quotes the New York Times' 4.4M/41% figure.", "independence_group": "nc-doj" }, { "id": "s9", "url": "https://www.engadget.com/ai/baltimore-sues-xai-over-grok-deepfakes-214135922.html", "kind": "news_report", "access": "read", "language": "en", "translation_note": "Read in English on 2026-09-15 (24 Mar 2026). Baltimore suit; the CCDH estimate.", "independence_group": "engadget" }, { "id": "s10", "url": "https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crk151nn7j3o", "kind": "news_report", "access": "read", "language": "en", "translation_note": "Read in English on 2026-09-15 (20 Apr 2026). Paris raid; Musk's non-appearance; DOJ refusal to assist France.", "independence_group": "bbc" }, { "id": "s11", "url": "https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/boards-policy-regulation/ireland-opens-probe-into-musks-grok-ai-over-sexualised-images-2026-02-17/", "kind": "wire_report", "access": "unavailable", "language": null, "translation_note": "HTTP 401 on 2026-09-15; headline and date verified from the URL and snapshot; body not read.", "independence_group": "reuters" }, { "id": "s12", "url": "https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-01-07/", "kind": "news_report", "access": "unavailable", "language": null, "translation_note": "HTTP 403 on 2026-09-15; the ~6,700/hour, 84-85x analysis is attributed from the historical record and secondary references; body not read.", "independence_group": "bloomberg" }, { "id": "s13", "url": "https://www.techpolicy.press/dutch-court-orders-x-grok-to-stop-aigenerated-sexual-abuse-content/", "kind": "news_report", "access": "read", "language": "en", "translation_note": "Read in English on 2026-09-15 (27 Mar 2026). Amsterdam court order in the Offlimits case.", "independence_group": "techpolicy-press" }, { "id": "s14", "url": "https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/ashley-st-clair-sues-xai-grok-sexual-images-rcna254302", "kind": "news_report", "access": "read", "language": "en", "translation_note": "Read on 2026-09-15 (15 Jan 2026). St. Clair's suit; cross-reference to the related held row.", "independence_group": "nbc" }, { "id": "s15", "url": "https://www.pacermonitor.com/public/case/64870891/MAYOR_AND_CITY_COUNCIL_OF_BALTIMORE_v_X_Corp_et_al", "kind": "court_docket", "access": "read", "language": "en", "translation_note": "Docket page read on 2026-09-15 (D. Md. 1:26-cv-02103; SpaceX dismissed without prejudice 17 Jul; MTD briefing under way as of 29 Jul).", "independence_group": "court-record" } ], "version": 1, "ai_roles": [ "others_use" ], "contexts": [ "everyday_life", "justice" ], "unknowns": [ "The Bloomberg analysis (~6,700 images/hour, 84-85x leading deepfake sites) could not be read (403) and is recorded without its body.", "Whether the images remain hosted and downloadable (Wired's June 2026 follow-up, cited but not read) is unverified.", "The N.D. Cal. class action's pseudonymity ruling of 30 July is known only through a blocked summary (internetcases 403).", "The outcome of the Amsterdam order's penalty mechanism and xAI's compliance are not reported in the inspected sources.", "The Indonesia/Malaysia/Philippines blocks and lifts are recorded from the historical record and headlines (Reuters/CNN bodies unavailable); dates may shift one day across carriers.", "The historical claim of 'five countries acting within two weeks' is not precisely verified and is not claimed." ], "geography": { "basis": "The generation and consumption were global and not tied to an inspected event location, so event and affected-person countries remain unknown rather than inferred from regulators or the company's seats. Court countries are limited to the documented proceedings: the US (Baltimore D. Md. suit; the related US suits) and the NL (Amsterdam court order). Regulatory actions by Ofcom, the ICO, the EU, the DPC, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines are not courts.", "court_countries": [ "US", "NL" ], "event_countries": [], "affected_person_countries": [] }, "publication": { "basis": "Restored under the 2026-09-15 charter as a harmful-artifact crisis (depicted_or_impersonated). Named victims are adults who spoke publicly; minors are never named and never counted from image statistics. Each scale figure is attributed to its own analysis; the victims' accounts are single-chain and recorded as reported. Related xAI suits (St. Clair, Tennessee minors, others) are separate held rows and are not merged.", "reviewed_on": "2026-09-15" }, "ai_involvement": { "basis": "NBC's own consenting test confirmed the standalone Grok app and X tab complied with 'undress' requests after the 9 January paywall change; the victims' accounts, the IWF and AI Forensics reviews, and xAI's own 14 January restriction all establish the AI generation. The scale figures are attributed analyses, not platform-confirmed numbers.", "status": "supported" }, "person_relations": [ "depicted_or_impersonated" ] }, "name": "Grok non-consensual sexual image generation wave (December 2025 - January 2026)", "summary": "From late December 2025, xAI's Grok image editing on X let users generate sexualized images of real people at industrial scale, including images of named women and apparent minors. Analyses attributed to Genevieve Oh (7,751 sexualized images in one hour, via NBC), the New York Times (4.4 million images in nine days, at least 41% sexualized images of women, via the NC AG), the AP (2% of a 20,000-image sample appearing to be minors, via Fortune) and CCDH (about 3 million sexualized images over 11 days including roughly 23,000 of minors, via Engadget) documented the scale. Named women — Ashley St. Clair, Samantha Smith and Dr Daisy Dixon — described being undressed by Grok and revictimized when they objected. The wave triggered formal actions by Ofcom, the UK ICO, the EU (DSA), Ireland's DPC, 35 US state attorneys general, the California AG, Baltimore (consumer-protection suit), an Amsterdam court order, country blocks in Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines, and a Paris police raid; xAI restricted generation to paying subscribers on 9 January and narrowed the feature on 14 January 2026.", "incidentDate": "2025-12-25", "incidentEndDate": "2026-01-14", "incidentKind": "bounded_series", "incidentDatePrecision": "range", "exposurePattern": "repeated_interactions", "reportedDate": "2026-01-02", "aiSystem": "Grok (image generation and editing on X and the standalone app)", "aiCompany": "SpaceXAI (formerly xAI)", "severity": "critical", "verificationStatus": "verified", "harmCategories": [ "minor_exploitation", "third_party_harm_facilitation", "barrier_erosion" ], "harmOutcomes": [ "psychological_distress", "reputational_harm" ], "harmOutcomeSummary": "Mass non-consensual sexualized imagery of real people — including apparent minors — generated at industrial scale and amplified when victims objected, with named women describing violation and dehumanization and regulators on three continents opening formal actions.", "frameworkFacets": [], "causationStatus": "established", "participantUsersAffectedMin": 0, "otherPeopleHarmedMin": 3, "affectedCountStatus": "partial", "affectedCountEvidence": "Three counted depicted persons: Ashley St. Clair (Guardian), Samantha Smith (BBC) and Dr Daisy Dixon (BBC), each named and speaking publicly. Further victims — including the minors in the IWF's apparent criminal imagery (girls 11-13) and the people in the analysis samples — are unquantified: hourly image rates, the 20,000-image sample and the CCDH estimate count images, not people, and are never converted.", "victimAgeRange": "minor", "jurisdiction": "XX", "platformType": "assistant", "outcomeType": "regulatory_action", "outcomeStatus": "ongoing", "primarySourceUrl": "https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c98p1r4e6m8o", "primarySourceLabel": "BBC (2 Jan 2026) — Samantha Smith's account of being undressed by Grok and revictimized when she objected", "firstPublishedAt": "2026-01-11T12:19:47.670189+00:00", "scopeVersion": "facts-v3", "tags": [ "grok", "xai", "csam", "deepfakes", "minor", "sexual-images", "industrial-scale", "multi-country", "eu-dsa", "class-action", "35-state-ag", "depicted-or-impersonated" ] } ] }