{"meta":{"exportedAt":"2026-10-06T07:38:57.553Z","formatVersion":2,"selection":{"q":"elections","system":"","harm":"","context":"","country":"","role":"","relation":"core","evidence":"","year":"2026","response":"","severity":"","verification":"","view":"incidents","sort":"added"},"totalIncidents":5,"coverage":{"cases":5,"countries":2,"languages":2,"unknownLocation":0,"locationPending":0,"unknownLanguage":0,"unknownDate":0,"lawsuits":0,"regulatory":0,"minors":0,"coreRelations":5,"contextualRelations":0,"mixedRelations":0,"unknownRelations":0,"relationPending":0,"relationUnknown":0},"countingNote":"Distinct public cases in this selection. People counts apply within individual cases only; cross-case person overlap has not been resolved. No population incidence estimate.","affectedCountNote":"Interpret person counts with affectedCountStatus and the reported effects. Unquantified zeros are placeholders, not a measured zero.","source":"AI incidents","publisher":"NOPE","url":"https://nope.net/incidents","license":"CC BY 4.0"},"incidents":[{"id":"2026-new-hampshire-senate-republicans-ai-altered-candidate-image-cash-gold-chains-meta-ads","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'The New Hampshire Senate Republicans paid to show Facebook and Instagram users an AI-altered image of Democratic state Senate candidate Leonard Bell laughing in front of piles of cash and wearing gold chains'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The New Hampshire Senate Republicans paid Meta to show Facebook and Instagram users an AI-altered image of Democratic state Senate candidate Leonard Bell laughing in front of piles of cash and wearing gold chains.","causal_attribution":"Granite Post, citing Meta’s Ad Library."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Under Meta’s rules for political ads, that label means the advertiser told Meta the ad includes a photorealistic image made or changed with artificial intelligence (AI).'; 'Media in this ad created or edited with AI.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"According to Granite Post, Meta labelled the ad \"Digitally created\" and the ad’s detail page states that its media was created or edited with AI, a label that under Meta’s political-ad rules means the advertiser disclosed a photorealistic image made or changed with AI.","causal_attribution":"Granite Post’s description of Meta’s label and ad detail page; the Ad Library page was not inspected directly. No tool is named, and the Senate Republicans did not answer questions about the tool or prompt."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'The face appears to be lifted from a real photo: a family snapshot taken outdoors at sunset'; 'his face has been cut out, turned black-and-white, and dropped into a scene built around it.'; 'None of what is depicted in the ad is real.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Granite Post reports that Bell’s face appears to have been taken from a family snapshot, cut out, turned black-and-white and placed in a constructed scene, and that the gold chains, ring, watch, plaid suit and leather chair are not his.","causal_attribution":"Granite Post’s description and Bell’s statements to the outlet."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Everything in that photo is false other than my face'; 'There are people that know me know that that depiction of me is as false as false can get.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Bell told Granite Post that everything in the image is false other than his face and that the depiction of him is as false as false can get.","causal_attribution":"Bell’s statements to Granite Post."},{"id":"c5","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'the ad first ran from Sept. 7 through Sept. 12'; 'as of Oct. 2, when it was still running'; 'Taken together, the three ads have put the altered image on New Hampshire screens between 39,000 and 50,000 times, at a cost of $1,100 to $1,400.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The image ran in three Meta ads from 7 September 2026 and was still running on 2 October; together the ads put it on New Hampshire screens between 39,000 and 50,000 times at a cost of $1,100 to $1,400.","causal_attribution":"Granite Post, citing Meta’s Ad Library; impressions are screen showings, not people."},{"id":"c6","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'For decades, movies, television, and music videos have used similar visual shorthand for a Black man portrayed as flashy and dangerous'; 'Republicans are weaponizing this technology to make racist caricatures of proud veterans running for office in New Hampshire'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Granite Post describes the image as using visual shorthand long used to portray a Black man as flashy and dangerous, and state Sen. Donovan Fenton, a Democratic co-sponsor of New Hampshire’s 2024 deepfake law, called it a racist caricature.","causal_attribution":"The outlet’s analysis and a Democratic state senator’s statement; the Senate Republicans and Bell’s opponent did not respond by publication."},{"id":"c7","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Senate Republicans did not respond to questions about tools to create the ad or the prompt used to create it by time of publication.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The New Hampshire Senate Republicans did not respond to questions about the tools or prompt used to create the ad by the time of publication.","causal_attribution":"Granite Post."}],"effects":[{"label":"a state Senate candidate was shown in paid political ads in an AI-altered image built around his real face, surrounded by cash and gold chains, which he says is false in every detail but his face","claim_id":"c4","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://granitepostnews.com/news/politics/leonard-bell-ai-ad-nh-gop/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-06 (HTTP 200); no translation was involved and no human reviewer read the article. Granite Post, byline Colin Booth, published 5 October 2026; the outlet also ran the story under the headline \"Is the NH Senate Republicans’ AI ad of Leonard Bell racist?\". Granite Post’s about-us page (read on 2026-10-06) describes it as the 10th state-based newsroom of COURIER, a public benefit corporation owned by Good Information Inc., whose newsrooms practise independent, point-of-view journalism and which accepts no funding from any party, party committee, candidate or campaign. The Meta Ad Library entries it describes were not inspected directly.","independence_group":"granite-post-bell-ad"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["public_life","elections"],"unknowns":["Which AI tool was used and what prompt; the advertiser did not answer.","Whether a complaint has been filed with the New Hampshire attorney general or a court under the 2024 deepfake law.","Whether the ads remain active after 2 October 2026.","Any response from the New Hampshire Senate Republicans or from Bell’s opponent."],"geography":{"basis":"The ads were bought by the New Hampshire Senate Republicans about a candidate for the New Hampshire state Senate, and Granite Post, citing Meta’s Ad Library, says all impressions of the first ad were in New Hampshire. No court proceeding is reported.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":["US"],"affected_person_countries":["US"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published as a core case (depicted_or_impersonated): Granite Post reports that the New Hampshire Senate Republicans ran Meta ads with an image of state Senate candidate Leonard Bell that the ad’s own disclosure says was created or edited with AI, built around his real face and surrounded by cash and gold chains, and that Bell says everything in it but his face is false. The harm is reputational and is alleged; the racial-stereotype criticism is attributed to the outlet and a Democratic state senator. The account rests on one outlet’s reading of the Meta Ad Library.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-06"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"Granite Post reports that Meta labelled the ad \"Digitally created\" and that the ad’s detail page states its media was created or edited with AI, which under Meta’s rules means the advertiser disclosed a photorealistic image made or changed with AI. The outlet describes what that image shows: Bell’s real face placed into a constructed scene with cash, gold chains, a ring, a watch, a plaid suit and a leather chair that are not his. That generated depiction of Bell is the material his statements and the stereotype criticism concern. No tool is named, and the advertiser did not answer questions about the tool or prompt.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"New Hampshire Senate Republicans ran Meta ads with an AI-altered image of Black state Senate candidate Leonard Bell amid cash and gold chains, outlet reports","summary":"Granite Post reported on 5 October 2026 that the New Hampshire Senate Republicans paid Meta to show Facebook and Instagram users an image of Leonard Bell, the Democratic candidate for state Senate District 18 and the only Black candidate for state Senate in New Hampshire this year, laughing in a leather armchair buried in cash and wearing gold chains, a large ring and a watch. According to the outlet, Meta labelled the ad \"Digitally created\" and its detail page states that the media was created or edited with AI; Bell’s face appears to have been taken from a family snapshot. Bell told the outlet that everything in the image is false other than his face. Citing Meta’s Ad Library, the outlet says three ads from 7 September put the image on New Hampshire screens 39,000 to 50,000 times. The outlet describes the image as a racial stereotype, and a Democratic co-sponsor of New Hampshire’s 2024 deepfake law called it a racist caricature. The Senate Republicans did not respond to questions.","incidentDate":"2026-09-07","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"day","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2026-10-05","aiSystem":"An AI-altered photorealistic image built around the candidate’s real face, disclosed in Meta’s ad label as created or edited with AI, per Granite Post (tool not named)","aiProduct":"Unidentified image tool","severity":"low","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["reputational_harm"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"A state Senate candidate was shown in paid political ads in an image that the ad’s disclosure says was created or edited with AI, built around his real face and surrounded by cash and gold chains; he says everything in it but his face is false, and the outlet and a Democratic state senator call it a racial stereotype.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":1,"affectedCountStatus":"documented_minimum","affectedCountEvidence":"One depicted person is reported harmed: Bell, who told Granite Post the image is false in every detail but his face. Three other Democratic candidates appear in matching AI-labelled ads, but the outlet reports no harm to or response from them, so they are not counted and the count is a lower bound. Impressions (39,000 to 50,000) are screen showings, not people. Documented minimum 1.","victimAgeRange":"adult","jurisdiction":"US","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"media_coverage","outcomeStatus":"ongoing","primarySourceUrl":"https://granitepostnews.com/news/politics/leonard-bell-ai-ad-nh-gop/","primarySourceLabel":"Granite Post, 5 October 2026: NH Republicans used AI to turn a Black veteran’s family photo into a stereotype","firstPublishedAt":"2026-10-06T03:23:12.957118+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-06T03:23:12.957118+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["deepfake","political-deepfake","ai-altered-image","political-ad","meta","new-hampshire","elections","depicted-or-impersonated"]},{"id":"2026-new-mexico-senate-republican-ai-images-ethics-complaint-stewart-fake-mugshot","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'posting a fake photo of Stewart made to look like a jail mugshot using artificial intelligence.'; 'Even though Stewart wasn't issued a citation'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'posted a mugshot-like image of Senate President Pro Tem Mimi Stewart (D-Albuquerque), mentioning criminal charges never faced.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"In September 2026 Sen. Jay Block posted on social media a mugshot-like image of Senate President Pro Tem Mimi Stewart that lists criminal charges she never faced.","causal_attribution":"The New Mexican's own reporting, including an interview in which Block confirmed and defended the post. KRQE's account comes from the Democratic Party's complaint (its image is credited to the party); the complaint text was not inspected, so its independence from the New Mexican's earlier report is not established. The month follows from the New Mexican's report that word of the 2024 incident got out in the week of its 24 September article."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Block's social media posts indicate the fake mugshot was AI-generated. On X, the post had been shared more than 100 times.'; 'ostensibly booked into the Bernalillo County jail on charges of \"hit and run\" and \"abusive behavior towards staff and other lawmakers\"'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"Block's posts indicate the fake mugshot was AI-generated; it showed Stewart ostensibly booked into the Bernalillo County jail on charges of 'hit and run' and 'abusive behavior towards staff and other lawmakers', and the X post had been shared more than 100 times.","causal_attribution":"One newspaper's description of the post; the AI tool is not named."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'much less booked into jail'; 'the incident didn't occur in Bernalillo County, as the fake image suggests'; 'He noted in an email the incident was \"not considered a hit and run crash\"'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"Stewart was not issued a citation or booked into jail, the 2024 incident did not occur in Bernalillo County, and Santa Fe's interim police chief said it was not considered a hit and run crash.","causal_attribution":"The New Mexican's account of police and court records; the police report itself was not inspected."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Stewart said Block's post with an AI-generated image of her \"staged as a mugshot\" manufactured answers by insinuation.'; 'take down the fabricated image, and stop with the falsehoods and insinuations'; 'Block said Wednesday he stands by the post and has no plans to take it down.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"Stewart said Block's post used an AI-generated image of her staged as a mugshot to manufacture answers by insinuation and asked Block and the Republican caucus to take down the fabricated image; Block said he stands by the post and has no plans to take it down.","causal_attribution":"Statements by the two senators as reported by one newspaper; the harm described is reputational and is alleged by Stewart."},{"id":"c5","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'\"Everything on there was accurate with the information we were provided,\" Block said in an interview.'; 'The Senate Republican caucus shared the post on its social media accounts'; 'We now acknowledge that Senator Stewart did not appear to leave the scene'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"Block told the New Mexican that everything on the post was accurate with the information provided to him; the Senate Republican caucus shared the post and later issued a corrected news release acknowledging that Stewart did not appear to leave the scene.","causal_attribution":"The poster's and the caucus's own position as reported by one newspaper."},{"id":"c6","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Senate Republican leader Bill Sharer (R-Farmington) and the Senate Republicans shared an image on Facebook last month, showing House Speaker Javier Martinez (D-Albuquerque) wearing a Soviet Union pin, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Deb Haaland with her arm around a man in an orange jumpsuit, and former state Rep. Joseph Hernandez naked'; 'The Democratic Party said both images are \"misleading AI generated images\"'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Senate Republican leader Bill Sharer and the Senate Republicans shared on Facebook in September 2026 an image showing House Speaker Javier Martinez wearing a Soviet Union pin, gubernatorial candidate Deb Haaland with her arm around a man in an orange jumpsuit, and former state Rep. Joseph Hernandez naked; the Democratic Party of New Mexico says it is a misleading AI-generated image.","causal_attribution":"One station's account of the party's complaint; the AI-generated character of this image rests on the complaint, and the inspected sources carry no statement from the three people depicted."},{"id":"c7","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'The Democratic Party of New Mexico has filed an ethics complaint, saying two Republican social media posts used images created with artificial intelligence.'; 'violate a 2024 state law cracking down on deepfakes. They want the posts removed and posters fined.'; 'he did not address the issues mentioned in the complaint.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The Democratic Party of New Mexico has filed an ethics complaint saying both images violate a 2024 state law on deepfakes and asking that the posts be removed and the posters fined; Sharer's statement in response did not address the issues in the complaint.","causal_attribution":"A party's complaint as reported by one station; the complaint text was not inspected and its allegations are unproven."}],"effects":[{"label":"a state Senate leader was depicted in a fake jail mugshot, indicated by the poster to be AI-generated, listing charges she never faced; she asked for it to be taken down and the poster said he has no plans to remove it","claim_id":"c4","direction":"negative"},{"label":"three Democratic politicians were depicted in a Facebook image that the state Democratic Party calls a misleading AI-generated image","claim_id":"c6","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.krqe.com/news/politics/democratic-party-of-new-mexico-files-ethics-complaint-over-ai-images/","kind":"local_tv_news","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"KRQE article by Jordan Honeycutt, published 2 October 2026. The article page answered HTTP 403 to this host, so the full text was read on 2026-10-03 from the site's AMP version of the same URL (/amp/) and checked against the post's WordPress API record. A related-story card inside the page was not used. The description of the images and their AI-generated character derives from the Democratic Party's complaint.","independence_group":"dpnm-complaint"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/fake-ai-generated-mugshot-prominent-035900442.html","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Santa Fe New Mexican article by Daniel J. Chacón, read on 2026-10-03 through its Yahoo News syndication (canonical santafenewmexican.com page not fetched). Based on the reporter's interview with Block, a statement from Stewart, Senate Republican releases and Santa Fe police; independent of the party's complaint.","independence_group":"santa-fe-new-mexican"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["public_life","elections"],"unknowns":["Which AI tool or tools made the images, and whether the Facebook image is AI-generated beyond the party's allegation.","The exact dates of the Facebook post and of Block's post.","The body with which the ethics complaint was filed, its filing date and its outcome.","Whether Martinez, Haaland or Hernandez responded to the Facebook image.","Whether either post has been removed."],"geography":{"basis":"The images were posted by New Mexico state senators and the New Mexico Senate Republicans and depict New Mexico state politicians; the complaint invokes a New Mexico state law (KRQE, Santa Fe New Mexican). The ethics complaint is not a court proceeding.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":["US"],"affected_person_countries":["US"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published as a core case (depicted_or_impersonated) consistent with 2026-wisconsin-cooke-van-orden-ai-deepfake-videos-cease-and-desist and 2026-texas-goodwin-ai-deepfake-campaign-ads-sheriff-complaint: a newspaper reports that a state senator posted a fake mugshot of a Senate leader that his own posts indicate was AI-generated, listing charges she never faced, and that she asked for it to be taken down; a TV station reports a party ethics complaint alleging that this image and a Facebook image of three other politicians are misleading AI-generated images. The harm is reputational and is alleged; the poster stands by his post.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-03"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The Santa Fe New Mexican reports that Block's own social media posts indicate the fake mugshot of Stewart was AI-generated, and Stewart, in a statement quoted by the newspaper, calls it a fabricated image. For the Facebook image of Martinez, Haaland and Hernandez, the only inspected basis is the Democratic Party of New Mexico's complaint, which KRQE reports calls both images misleading AI-generated images. No tool is named.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"New Mexico: the state Democratic Party filed an ethics complaint, reported on 2 October 2026, over two Senate Republican social media posts from September 2026 that it says used misleading AI-generated images, including a fake jail mugshot of Senate President Pro Tem Mimi Stewart that she publicly asked to be taken down","summary":"In September 2026 Republican state Sen. Jay Block posted on social media a fake image of New Mexico Senate President Pro Tem Mimi Stewart made to look like a jail mugshot. The Santa Fe New Mexican (24 September 2026) reports that Block's posts indicate the image was AI-generated and that it showed her ostensibly booked into the Bernalillo County jail on charges of 'hit and run' and 'abusive behavior towards staff and other lawmakers'. Stewart was not issued a citation or booked, and Santa Fe's interim police chief said the 2024 incident in which she drove over a pedestrian's foot was not considered a hit and run crash. Stewart asked Block and the Senate Republican caucus to take down the fabricated image. Block said he stands by the post and has no plans to remove it. KRQE reported on 2 October 2026 that the Democratic Party of New Mexico had filed an ethics complaint over this post and over an image that Senate Republican leader Bill Sharer and the Senate Republicans shared on Facebook in September, which shows House Speaker Javier Martinez wearing a Soviet Union pin, gubernatorial candidate Deb Haaland with her arm around a man in an orange jumpsuit and former state Rep. Joseph Hernandez naked. The party calls both 'misleading AI generated images' that violate a 2024 state law on deepfakes and wants the posts removed and the posters fined.","incidentDate":"2026-09-01","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"month","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2026-09-24","aiSystem":"Unnamed AI image tool used to make a fake jail mugshot of Sen. Mimi Stewart posted by Sen. Jay Block (his posts indicate the image was AI-generated, per the Santa Fe New Mexican) and, according to the Democratic Party of New Mexico's ethics complaint, an image of three Democratic politicians shared by the Senate Republicans on Facebook; no tool is named","aiProduct":"Unidentified image tool","severity":"low","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["reputational_harm"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"A state Senate leader was depicted in a fake jail mugshot, which the poster's own posts indicate was AI-generated, listing charges she never faced; she publicly asked for the fabricated image to be taken down, and the poster said he stands by the post and has no plans to take it down. The state Democratic Party alleges in an ethics complaint that this image and a Facebook image of three other Democratic politicians are misleading AI-generated images.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":1,"affectedCountStatus":"documented_minimum","affectedCountEvidence":"One depicted person is reported harmed: Stewart, shown in the fake mugshot, who called it a fabricated image and asked for it to be taken down (Santa Fe New Mexican; KRQE). Martinez, Haaland and Hernandez are depicted in the Facebook image that the Democratic Party of New Mexico calls a misleading AI-generated image, but the inspected sources report no harm to or response from them and the complaint is the party's, so they are not counted and the count is a lower bound. The unidentified man in the orange jumpsuit is not counted. Shares of the post are not person counts. Documented minimum 1.","victimAgeRange":"adult","jurisdiction":"US-NM","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"media_coverage","outcomeStatus":"ongoing","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.krqe.com/news/politics/democratic-party-of-new-mexico-files-ethics-complaint-over-ai-images/","primarySourceLabel":"KRQE, 2 October 2026: Democratic Party of New Mexico files ethics complaint over AI images","firstPublishedAt":"2026-10-03T03:17:39.879526+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-03T03:17:39.879526+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["deepfake","political-deepfake","fake-mugshot","new-mexico","ethics-complaint","x","facebook","depicted-or-impersonated"]},{"id":"2026-wisconsin-cooke-van-orden-ai-deepfake-videos-cease-and-desist","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"documented","evidence":[{"locator":"'Take, for example, the video posted to your X account on August 4, 2026.'; 'in Eau Claire with former President Biden seated behind her.'; 'to take advantage of as much corruption as possible and give every illegal alien free healthcare.'; 'The video is pure fiction. The events depicted did not occur. Ms. Cooke never made the statements attributed to her.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'The letter specifically cites an AI video that Derrick Van Orden posted to his X account on Aug. 4, 2026.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"A cease-and-desist letter sent on behalf of Cooke for Congress on 30 September 2026 says Van Orden posted to his X account on 4 August 2026 a video purporting to show Cooke speaking on the campaign trail in Eau Claire with former President Biden seated behind her and attributing to her the statement that she seeks to take advantage of as much corruption as possible and give every illegal alien free healthcare; the letter says the events did not occur and she never made the statements.","causal_attribution":"The letter documents the campaign's description and allegation; it is a party's document, and the post itself was not inspected."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'has repeatedly used artificial intelligence to post videos to his X account, showing Cooke saying things she never said.'; 'The videos posted to that platform come with an automatic label, indicating that they were made with \"Grok Imagine,\" an AI image and video generator.'; 'Let the peasants eat cake. They will vote for me anyway.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'your pattern of posting misleading AI-generated videos that falsely attribute statements to Ms. Cooke that she did not make'; 'posting myriad such videos.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"Van Orden has repeatedly posted AI-generated videos to his X account showing Cooke saying things she never said, including an AI-generated version of her saying 'Let the peasants eat cake. They will vote for me anyway', and the videos carry an automatic label indicating they were made with Grok Imagine.","causal_attribution":"Wisconsin Public Radio's own description of the posts and their platform label, with the campaign letter alleging a pattern; whether the statements are false is the candidate's account."},{"id":"c3","status":"documented","evidence":[{"locator":"'for the patently obvious purpose of harming Ms. Cooke’s reputation for your own political advantage'; 'deepfake statute only applies to communications by Wisconsin committees, and thus does not apply to federal candidates.'; 'Wisconsin’s common law of defamation fills the gaps yet remaining in Wisconsin’s statutory protections against fake AI'; 'we will evaluate all legal options to address that misconduct.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"The letter alleges the videos are posted for the purpose of harming her reputation for political advantage, says Wisconsin's deepfake statute applies only to communications by Wisconsin committees and not to federal candidates, invokes the common law of defamation, and warns that her lawyers will evaluate all legal options if the conduct persists.","causal_attribution":"The letter establishes what the campaign alleges and threatens; the defamation allegation is untested."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'is instead spending his time and energy producing AI videos putting words in my mouth'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'is instead spending his time and energy producing AI videos putting words in my mouth, pretending that I said things that I didn'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"Cooke said in a statement that Van Orden is spending his time and energy producing AI videos putting words in her mouth.","causal_attribution":"The candidate's own statement, issued through her campaign."},{"id":"c5","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Rebecca Cooke has spent six years running for office, lying to voters about who she is and her record'; 'Van Orden responded to the cease-and-desist letter with another Grok-assisted video.'; 'The short clip includes a red AI-generated duck.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Van Orden's campaign said Cooke has spent six years running for office lying to voters about who she is and her record, and Van Orden responded to the letter with another Grok-assisted video in which an AI-generated duck says 'Cease and desist!'.","causal_attribution":"Van Orden's campaign release and posts as reported by WPR; his reported responses do not address whether the attributed statements are fabricated."}],"effects":[{"label":"a congressional candidate was depicted in AI-generated videos posted by her opponent saying things she says she never said","claim_id":"c2","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.wpr.org/news/cooke-cease-and-desist-letter-van-orden-ai-deepfakes","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-10-02 (Wisconsin Public Radio, Sarah Lehr, published 1 October 2026). Republished by Urban Milwaukee (also read). The description of the X posts and their Grok Imagine label is the reporter's own; the account of the letter derives from the letter.","independence_group":"wpr"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cqk8OPoIGN__tQeSgNPW0RqHYJr82Xuo/view","kind":"legal_letter","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Two-page letter dated 30 September 2026 from Ben Stafford, Elias Law Group, on behalf of Cooke for Congress, linked from the WEAU and Urban Milwaukee articles; downloaded from Google Drive on 2026-10-02 and converted with pdftotext. A party's own document: it establishes what the campaign alleges, not that the allegations are true.","independence_group":"cooke-campaign"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://www.weau.com/2026/09/30/rebecca-cooke-sends-derrick-van-orden-cease-desist-over-ai-deepfake-videos/","kind":"local_tv_news","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-10-02 (WEAU Staff, 30 September 2026). Based on the campaign's press release and the letter; Van Orden's statement to WEAU is announced but its text is not in the retrieved page.","independence_group":"cooke-campaign"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["elections","public_life"],"unknowns":["How many such videos were posted and when the first was posted; 4 August 2026 is the earliest specific post in the inspected sources.","Whether every video was made with Grok Imagine, as the platform label reported for the posts indicates, or with other tools.","Van Orden's statement to WEAU, which was not in the retrieved page.","Whether the campaign will pursue a defamation claim or other legal action."],"geography":{"basis":"The videos concern the race for Wisconsin's 3rd Congressional District, and the 4 August video purports to show the candidate in Eau Claire, Wisconsin (letter, WPR, WEAU). No court is involved.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":["US"],"affected_person_countries":["US"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published as a core case (depicted_or_impersonated) consistent with 2026-texas-goodwin-ai-deepfake-campaign-ads-sheriff-complaint: a candidate's lawyers' letter, read in full, documents the campaign's allegation that her opponent posted AI-generated videos showing her saying things she never said, and Wisconsin Public Radio describes the posts and their Grok Imagine label. The harm is reputational and electoral and is alleged by the candidate; the opponent's campaign disputes her account of her record.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-02"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The cease-and-desist letter calls the posts AI-generated deepfake videos, and Wisconsin Public Radio reports that the videos posted to X carry an automatic label indicating they were made with Grok Imagine. The response from Van Orden's campaign quoted by WPR does not address whether the videos are AI-generated (his statement to WEAU was not in the retrieved page), and WPR describes his answer to the letter as another Grok-assisted video.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"Wisconsin: lawyers for congressional candidate Rebecca Cooke sent Rep. Derrick Van Orden a cease-and-desist letter on 30 September 2026 over AI-generated videos posted on his X account that show her making statements she never made; Wisconsin Public Radio reports the videos carry an automatic label indicating Grok Imagine","summary":"Rebecca Cooke, the Democratic challenger in Wisconsin's 3rd Congressional District, says Republican Rep. Derrick Van Orden has repeatedly posted AI-generated videos to his X account that put words in her mouth. A cease-and-desist letter sent on her campaign's behalf on 30 September 2026 by Elias Law Group cites a video posted on 4 August 2026 that purports to show her speaking on the campaign trail in Eau Claire with former President Biden seated behind her and saying she seeks 'to take advantage of as much corruption as possible and give every illegal alien free healthcare'. The letter calls the video 'pure fiction', says she never made the statements, alleges the videos are posted to harm her reputation, and warns that her lawyers will evaluate all legal options. Wisconsin Public Radio reports that the videos posted to X carry an automatic label indicating they were made with Grok Imagine, and quotes two other AI-generated lines attributed to her. Van Orden's campaign accused Cooke of lying to voters about her record, and he answered the letter with another AI video of a duck saying 'Cease and desist!'.","incidentDate":"2026-08-04","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"day","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2026-09-30","aiSystem":"AI-generated videos depicting the candidate, posted on Rep. Van Orden's X account; Wisconsin Public Radio reports that the videos carry an automatic label indicating they were made with Grok Imagine, an AI image and video generator","aiProduct":"Grok Imagine (reported)","severity":"low","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["reputational_harm"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"A congressional candidate was depicted in AI-generated videos posted by her opponent on X saying things she says she never said; her lawyers' cease-and-desist letter alleges the videos are false and posted to harm her reputation, and the opponent's campaign accuses her of lying about her record.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":1,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"One depicted person, the candidate on whose behalf the letter was sent. Exact 1. Voters said to be misled are not counted.","victimAgeRange":"adult","jurisdiction":"US-WI","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"media_coverage","outcomeStatus":"ongoing","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.wpr.org/news/cooke-cease-and-desist-letter-van-orden-ai-deepfakes","primarySourceLabel":"Wisconsin Public Radio, 1 October 2026: Cooke campaign sends cease-and-desist to Congressman Van Orden over AI deepfakes","firstPublishedAt":"2026-10-02T03:12:28.898646+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-02T03:12:28.898646+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["deepfake","political-deepfake","election","wisconsin","grok-imagine","x","cease-and-desist","depicted-or-impersonated"]},{"id":"2026-italy-siracusano-ai-altered-photo-vannacci-facebook-reggio-by-election","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"corroborated","evidence":[{"locator":"'Una foto ritoccata della sottosegretaria ai Rapporti con il Parlamento e deputata di Forza Italia, Matilde Siracusano, compare sulla pagina Facebook di Roberto Vannacci, leader di Futuro Nazionale.'; 'nella foto originale Siracusano indossa una maglietta bianca sotto la giacca floreale, che però è 'sparita''","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'Nell’immagine, realizzata a partire da uno scatto originale del profilo Instagram della parlamentare'; 'La modifica consiste nella scomparsa della maglietta bianca indossata sotto la giacca floreale: al suo posto emerge una scollatura molto più accentuata.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'ha pubblicato una foto della compagna del governatore, la sottosegretaria Matilde Siracusano, con una profonda scollatura creata artificialmente'","relation":"context","source_id":"s5"},{"locator":"'Nella fotografia originale di Matilde Siracusano sotto la giacca c’è effettivamente una maglietta chiara.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"An altered photograph of Matilde Siracusano appeared on Roberto Vannacci's Facebook page in a by-election campaign post; in the original photograph she wears a white top under a floral jacket, and in the posted version the top had disappeared and a deeper neckline appeared in its place.","causal_attribution":"AGI and RaiNews each describe the public post and its difference from the original photograph, and the blog that first published the image concedes that the original shows a light T-shirt; ANSA's phrase 'profonda scollatura creata artificialmente' repeats Mara Carfagna's statement quoted by AGI and Adnkronos (reviewer translation: 'the white top worn under the floral jacket disappears: in its place a much more pronounced neckline emerges'). Who made the alteration is addressed in c2."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Quella che abbiamo pubblicato -afferma ancora il blog- non era una fotografia reale. Era un’immagine elaborata con l’intelligenza artificiale.'; 'Nell’immagine elaborata quella parte è stata invece ricostruita artificialmente dall’intelligenza artificiale'; 'risale addirittura a giovedì 24 settembre alle 12,33'; 'venerdì 25 settembre alle 8,27'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"},{"locator":"'pubblicando il link del blog Iacchitè, che aveva pubblicato l'immagine generata con l'IA'","relation":"context","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"The blog Iacchite' says it published the image with an article on 24 September 2026, that the image was produced with artificial intelligence and was not a real photograph, that the AI reconstructed the neck and neckline area where the original photograph shows a light T-shirt, and that Vannacci reposted it on 25 September without citing the source.","causal_attribution":"The blog's own account relayed by Adnkronos (reviewer translation: 'What we published was not a real photograph. It was an image produced with artificial intelligence'). The blog does not name the tool or say who prompted it; it characterises the image as satirical and not pornographic."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Usare l'intelligenza artificiale per spogliare una donna, con la volontà evidente di denigrare una donna, è un problema gigantesco per tutti'; 'sta valutando l'ipotesi di \"presentare una denuncia'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"},{"locator":"'annunciando l’intenzione di presentare querela. «Si tratta di un reato e le donne vanno tutelate.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'per ora diciamo che si muoveranno i miei avvocati'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s6"},{"locator":"'E si rivolgerà a un avvocato per una querela.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s7"}],"assertion":"Siracusano described the image as using AI to undress a woman in order to denigrate her, called it a crime, and said she intended to file, or was weighing, a criminal complaint (querela); she told la Repubblica that her lawyers would act.","causal_attribution":"Her own statements to several outlets (reviewer translation of Adnkronos: 'Using artificial intelligence to undress a woman, with the evident will to denigrate a woman, is a gigantic problem for everyone'). An announced complaint is recorded; no filing is reported."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'A chi mi accusa, senza alcuna concretezza, di aver modificato una foto con la IA, rispondo di cercare meglio e di rivolgere le accuse, eventualmente, a chi di dovere'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s8"},{"locator":"'rimandando al blog che ha pubblicato il post corredato con la foto manipolata della deputata di Forza Italia'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"Vannacci replied on Facebook that those accusing him without any concreteness of having altered a photo with AI should look better and direct their accusations to whom they are due, linking to the blog that had published the image.","causal_attribution":"Vannacci's public reply as quoted by Corriere della Calabria and Adnkronos; he denies making the alteration and does not dispute that he posted the image."}],"effects":[{"label":"an AI-altered image removing the top under her jacket and generating a deeper neckline was published on a blog and reposted by a party leader on Facebook during an election campaign; she described it as a sexist attack to denigrate her and announced legal action","claim_id":"c1","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.agi.it/politica/news/2026-09-26/vannacci-siracusano-39260391/","kind":"wire_report","access":"read","language":"it","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-27 (AGI, 26 September 2026; Italian). Describes the Facebook post and the original photo. Quotations are Italian originals; English renderings in this record are reviewer translations, no human translator.","independence_group":"agi"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.rainews.it/articoli/2026/09/vannacci-rilancia-foto-scollata-della-sottosegretaria-ritoccata-con-lia-fi-insorge-3ec0ff68-f70e-4e3a-9928-23445143b36d.html","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"it","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-27 (RaiNews, 26 September 2026; Italian). Describes the alteration, Siracusano's statement announcing a querela, and Vannacci's reply. Reviewer translation. Siracusano's quoted words ('una scelta perversa e squallida') match those ANSA attributes to her Corriere.it interview, so for c3 this likely relays the same interview as s7.","independence_group":"rainews"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://www.adnkronos.com/politica/matilde-siracusano-post-foto-ritoccata-ai-fake-oggi-bufera_3BWSuxpUZl4k99BHdYNcPW","kind":"wire_report","access":"read","language":"it","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-27 (Adnkronos, 26 September 2026; Italian). Siracusano's direct comments to Adnkronos, Vannacci's Facebook reply and political reactions. Reviewer translation.","independence_group":"adnkronos"},{"id":"s4","url":"https://www.adnkronos.com/politica/siracusano-vannacci-foto-ia-blog-iacchite-oggi_5MZGVSAnIoHq3R7JG6ZG8c","kind":"wire_report","access":"read","language":"it","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-27 (Adnkronos, 26 September 2026; Italian). Relays the blog Iacchite's own statement on how and when it published the AI image; the blog post itself was not read. Reviewer translation.","independence_group":"iacchite-blog-statement"},{"id":"s5","url":"https://www.ansa.it/sito/notizie/politica/2026/09/26/bufera-per-la-foto-modificata-di-siracusano-rilanciata-da-vannacci_f4bf9e8a-edc2-49a5-b090-6cd8df138b96.html","kind":"wire_report","access":"read","language":"it","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-27 (ANSA; Italian). Canonical URL of the article read (the Google News link resolved to an older slug with the same ID); headed 'Domani si vota alle suppletive a Reggio, tempesta su Vannacci per la foto fake di Matilde Siracusano'. Reviewer translation.","independence_group":"ansa"},{"id":"s6","url":"https://www.repubblica.it/politica/2026/09/26/news/matilde_siracusano_fi_vannacci_foto_nuda_ia_intervista-425609252/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"it","translation_note":"Read on 2026-09-27 (la Repubblica interview, 26 September 2026; Italian). Only the opening of the interview was available (JSON-LD article body); the remainder is paywalled and was not read. Reviewer translation.","independence_group":"repubblica"},{"id":"s7","url":"https://www.tempostretto.it/news/post-di-vannacci-con-foto-ritoccata-dallia-matilde-siracusano-querela-lex-generale.html","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"it","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-27 (Tempo Stretto, Messina, 26 September 2026; Italian). Relays Siracusano's statement to Corriere della Sera (not read). Reviewer translation.","independence_group":"corriere-della-sera-interview"},{"id":"s8","url":"https://www.corrieredellacalabria.it/2026/09/26/foto-con-lia-vannacci-replica-cercate-meglio/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"it","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-27 (Corriere della Calabria, 26 September 2026; Italian). Quotes Vannacci's Facebook reply. Reviewer translation. Its account of Vannacci's reply is word-for-word identical to the corresponding RaiNews paragraph (s2), so the two share one account for c4.","independence_group":"vannacci-facebook-reply"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["public_life","elections","privacy"],"unknowns":["Which AI tool produced the image and who operated it (the blog says the AI generated the altered area but does not name the tool or the person).","Whether the criminal complaint has been filed and under which offence; whether a prosecutor has opened an investigation.","Whether the post was removed from the blog or from Vannacci's Facebook page, and how widely it was shared.","The dates of the blog's publication (24 September) and Vannacci's repost (25 September) rest only on the blog's own statement relayed by Adnkronos; no other inspected source dates the Facebook post."],"geography":{"basis":"The image was published by a Calabrian blog and on the Facebook page of an Italian party leader in the campaign for the Reggio Calabria by-election (AGI, RaiNews, ANSA, Adnkronos); Siracusano is an Italian deputy and undersecretary. No filed complaint or court is reported, so court_countries is empty.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":["IT"],"affected_person_countries":["IT"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published under the 2026-09-15 charter as a core depicted_or_impersonated case: several national outlets describe an AI-altered image of a named public figure that removed clothing and generated a deeper neckline, circulated in an election campaign; the blog that first published it says it was produced with AI. She announced legal action. The tool and operator are unknown.","reviewed_on":"2026-09-27"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The blog Iacchite', which says it first published the image, states it was 'elaborata con l'intelligenza artificiale' and that the AI reconstructed the neck and neckline area (via Adnkronos). RaiNews and Corriere della Calabria, in an identical passage, describe it as an image generated with AI; Adnkronos as a photo retouched by AI; AGI as a collage of other photos. Siracusano says it was altered with software and AI (RaiNews, Adnkronos). These outlet descriptions do not independently establish how the image was made. No tool is named and no forensic analysis is reported.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"Italian official condemns alleged AI sexualisation of her photograph in a political post","summary":"On the eve of the 27-28 September 2026 Chamber by-election in the Reggio Calabria constituency, Roberto Vannacci, leader of Futuro Nazionale, posted on Facebook a campaign image showing Matilde Siracusano, Undersecretary for Relations with Parliament and a Forza Italia deputy, seated at a table beside the centre-right candidate Fabio Roscioli and Senator Claudio Lotito. According to AGI and RaiNews, the white top Siracusano wears under her floral jacket in the original photograph (taken from her Instagram profile, per RaiNews) had disappeared and a much deeper neckline appeared in its place. The Calabrian blog Iacchite', to which Vannacci pointed, said it had published the image on 24 September, that it was not a real photograph but an image produced with artificial intelligence, and that the AI had reconstructed the neck and neckline area; Vannacci reposted it on 25 September without citing the source, according to the blog. Siracusano told Adnkronos that using AI to undress a woman in order to denigrate her was 'squalid'; RaiNews reports her calling it a crime and announcing her intention to file a criminal complaint (querela), while Adnkronos and ANSA say she was weighing one; she told la Repubblica that her lawyers would act. Vannacci replied that his accusers should 'look better' for whom to blame. Ministers and politicians across parties, including Forza Italia leader Antonio Tajani, condemned the post. No complaint filing, investigation or removal of the post is reported in the inspected sources.","incidentDate":"2026-09-24","incidentEndDate":"2026-09-25","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"range","exposurePattern":"single_interaction","reportedDate":"2026-09-26","aiSystem":"An unidentified generative-AI image tool that, according to the blog Iacchite', produced the composite image and regenerated the neck and neckline area of Siracusano's photograph; the tool is not named","aiProduct":"Unidentified image tool","severity":"low","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["reputational_harm"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"Siracusano says an AI-altered image that 'undressed' her was used for electoral propaganda to denigrate her; she called it sexist and squalid and announced legal action (her statements to Adnkronos, RaiNews, la Repubblica). The image circulated on a blog and on Vannacci's Facebook page and became a national controversy (AGI, ANSA).","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":1,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"One person, Matilde Siracusano, depicted in the altered image (AGI, RaiNews, Adnkronos). Exact 1.","victimAgeRange":"adult","jurisdiction":"IT","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"media_coverage","outcomeStatus":"ongoing","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.agi.it/politica/news/2026-09-26/vannacci-siracusano-39260391/","primarySourceLabel":"AGI, 26 September 2026: Vannacci 'amplia' la scollatura di Matilde Siracusano sui social ed è subito bufera","firstPublishedAt":"2026-09-27T03:39:45.926413+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-05T11:08:59.788816+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["deepfake","image-manipulation","politics","election","italy","calabria","sexualised-imagery","depicted-or-impersonated"]},{"id":"2026-texas-goodwin-ai-deepfake-campaign-ads-sheriff-complaint","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"corroborated","evidence":[{"locator":"'has filed a police report accusing Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick of violating Texas law after his campaign released two ads featuring AI-generated videos of Goodwin.'; 'submitted with a complaint filed Saturday with the Travis County Sheriff’s Office.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'filed a police report saying that artificial intelligence-generated ads released by Patrick's campaign in September violated state law.'; 'The Travis County Sheriff’s Office confirmed receipt of Goodwin's complaint but did not offer additional comment.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'according to a notarized affidavit she filed Saturday with the Travis County Sheriff’s Office.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"On Saturday 19 September 2026 Vikki Goodwin filed a complaint with a sworn affidavit at the Travis County Sheriff's Office accusing Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick of violating the 2019 Texas election deepfake law after his campaign posted two ads with AI-generated videos of her; the sheriff's office confirmed receipt of the complaint.","causal_attribution":"The filing is reported from the affidavit (Tribune, KXAN) and confirmed by the sheriff's office (KUT)."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'I did not personally do or say the things depicted in the video; although the ‘person’ in the video appears to be me, it was not actually me'; 'Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick posted the video with the intent to deceive Texans, injure a candidate, or influence the result of an election'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'The affidavit alleges two instances of AI-generated deepfakes targeting Goodwin, the first on Sept. 5 (27 workdays prior to Oct. 19) and the second on Sept. 12 (23 workdays).'; 'Both of the videos were posted by Patrick’s non-government account on the social media website X'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"},{"locator":"'The AI ads were making it look as though I'm in favor of increasing taxes, and of course, nobody wants their taxes to be increased, so that's going to turn voters off'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"In the affidavit Goodwin stated that she did not do or say the things depicted, that the person in the video appeared to be her but was not, and that Patrick posted the video with intent to deceive Texans, injure a candidate or influence the election; the affidavit identifies two posts, on 5 and 12 September 2026, on Patrick's non-government X account; Goodwin told KUT the ads made it look as though she favoured raising taxes.","causal_attribution":"The candidate's sworn allegations and interview statements; not independently established beyond the existence and contents of the affidavit."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Allen Blakemore, a campaign spokesman for Patrick, told the New York Times that the material was “an obvious parody produced to entertain.”'; 'Furthermore, we have not published or distributed any of these parodies within 30 days of the election.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'Patrick campaign spokesman Allen Blakemore told The New York Times on Saturday that the videos were “an obvious parody produced to entertain.”'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"},{"locator":"'KUT News also reached out to Patrick’s campaign, but has not yet received a response.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"Patrick's campaign spokesman told the New York Times the material was 'an obvious parody produced to entertain' and that none of it was published or distributed within 30 days of the election; KUT received no response from the campaign.","causal_attribution":"The campaign's response as relayed from the New York Times, which this review could not read."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Goodwin cited a 2019 Texas law banning the deepfake videos from being published or distributed within 30 days of an election.'; 'defines a deepfake video as appearing to depict a real person performing an action that did not occur, with the intent to deceive.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'A conviction under the deepfake law is a class A misdemeanor, which can carry a fine of up to $4,000 and/or up to one year imprisonment.'; 'while Election Day is Nov. 3, early voting begins Oct. 19.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"The 2019 Texas law bans deepfake videos, defined as appearing to depict a real person performing an action that did not occur with intent to deceive, within 30 days of an election; early voting begins on 19 October 2026; a conviction is a class A misdemeanour with up to a $4,000 fine and a year in jail.","causal_attribution":"Legal background as described by the outlets; whether the posts fall within the statutory window is disputed between the campaigns."},{"id":"c5","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'The posts were still public when Goodwin filed her police report and affidavit on Sept. 19 but were taken down the following day, according to Sophia Mirto, Goodwin’s communications director.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'However, links to the posts lead to messages saying that the posts don’t exist.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"},{"locator":"'Goodwin linked to two specific posts on X; however, those posts now appear to have been deleted.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"The two posts are no longer available on X; according to Goodwin's communications director they were taken down on 20 September 2026, the day after the complaint.","causal_attribution":"The deletion date is the Goodwin campaign's account; KXAN and KUT observed only that the posts no longer resolve."}],"effects":[{"label":"the candidate was depicted in AI-generated campaign videos saying things she did not say, which she says misrepresented her tax position to voters","claim_id":"c2","direction":"negative"},{"label":"she filed a sworn criminal complaint; the posts were removed the following day, her campaign says","claim_id":"c5","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.texastribune.org/2026/09/21/texas-goodwin-patrick-ad-police-complaint/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live in English on 2026-09-22 (The Texas Tribune, 21 September 2026 17:48 Central). Affidavit shared with the Tribune; Patrick campaign statement relayed from the New York Times; communications director on the deletion.","independence_group":"texas-tribune"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.kut.org/politics/2026-09-21/vikki-goodwin-dan-patrick-ai-deepfake-campaign-ads-texas-lieutenant-governor-race","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live in English on 2026-09-22 (KUT Austin, 21 September 2026 13:03 CDT). Own interview with Goodwin on Monday; the Travis County Sheriff's Office confirmed receipt of the complaint to KUT.","independence_group":"kut"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/politics/election-2026/2026/09/21/562352/vikki-goodwin-files-police-report-saying-dan-patrick-broke-law-with-ai-generated-campaign-ads/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live in English on 2026-09-22 (Houston Public Media, 21 September 2026). Same KUT report; grouped with s2.","independence_group":"kut"},{"id":"s4","url":"https://www.kxan.com/news/texas-politics/lt-gov-candidate-goodwin-reports-dan-patrick-social-media-deepfakes-to-travis-county-sheriff/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live in English on 2026-09-22 (KXAN Austin, AMP page, 21 September 2026; JSON-LD retained). Affidavit dates of the two posts, misdemeanour penalty, Patrick campaign statement relayed from the New York Times.","independence_group":"kxan"},{"id":"s5","url":"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/19/us/vikki-goodwin-dan-patrick-ai-attack-ads-texas.html","kind":"news_report","access":"unavailable","language":null,"translation_note":"New York Times, 19 September 2026: answered HTTP 403 on 2026-09-21 and 2026-09-22; its content is known only through the Tribune and KXAN. Not relied on.","independence_group":"nyt"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["elections","justice","public_life"],"unknowns":["What the two videos showed and said; they were deleted, and the inspected reports describe them only as an AI-generated Goodwin describing her policies (KUT relaying the New York Times) with a tax theme (Goodwin to KUT).","Which tool produced the videos and who made them for the campaign.","Whether the Travis County Sheriff's Office opened an investigation; Goodwin herself doubted it would.","Whether the 5 and 12 September posts fall within the statutory 30-day window, which the two campaigns dispute.","The New York Times report that first carried the campaign's response could not be read."],"geography":{"basis":"Posts on the X account of the Texas lieutenant governor concerning a Texas election; complaint filed with the Travis County Sheriff's Office in Austin, Texas (Tribune, KUT, KXAN). No court proceeding exists.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":["US"],"affected_person_countries":["US"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published under the 2026-09-15 charter as an impersonation case involving a public figure: a candidate depicted by AI-generated video in an opponent's ads, with a sworn complaint filed and the posts removed. Four bodies read across three reporting chains (the affidavit via the Tribune and KXAN, the sheriff's confirmation via KUT, the opposing campaign via the Times). The depiction is undisputed; deception and illegality are disputed and recorded as such. Both principals are public officials.","reviewed_on":"2026-09-22"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The Texas Tribune, KUT and KXAN describe the two ads as AI-generated videos of Goodwin; her affidavit says the person in the video appears to be her but is not; the Patrick campaign does not deny the videos were generated and describes them as parody. The tool is not identified and the videos are no longer online.","status":"supported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"Texas: State Rep. Vikki Goodwin, the Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor, filed a sworn complaint with the Travis County Sheriff's Office on 19 September 2026 alleging that two campaign ads posted on Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick's X account used AI-generated video of her saying things she never said; the posts were deleted the next day, her campaign says, and Patrick's campaign calls them obvious parody","summary":"On Saturday 19 September 2026 Vikki Goodwin, an Austin state representative running against Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, filed a complaint with a notarised affidavit at the Travis County Sheriff's Office accusing Patrick of violating Texas's 2019 election deepfake law, after his campaign posted two ads (5 and 12 September, on his non-government X account) containing AI-generated videos of her. In the affidavit she stated: 'I did not personally do or say the things depicted in the video; although the \"person\" in the video appears to be me, it was not actually me', and that the video was posted 'with the intent to deceive Texans, injure a candidate, or influence the result of an election'. She told KUT the ads made it look as though she favoured raising taxes, which she says she opposes in every campaign speech. The sheriff's office confirmed receipt of the complaint without further comment. Patrick's campaign spokesman told the New York Times the material was 'an obvious parody produced to entertain' and that none of it was published within 30 days of the election; the posts were taken down the day after the complaint, according to Goodwin's communications director. Goodwin said she doubted the sheriff's office would follow up now that the posts were removed. A conviction under the law is a class A misdemeanour.","incidentDate":"2026-09-05","incidentEndDate":"2026-09-20","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"range","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2026-09-19","aiSystem":"AI-generated video (deepfake) of the candidate in two campaign ads; tool not identified","aiProduct":"Unidentified video tool","severity":"low","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["reputational_harm"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"A candidate was depicted in AI-generated campaign videos saying things she did not say, which she says misrepresented her position on taxes to voters; she filed a sworn criminal complaint and the posts were removed the next day. The depiction is undisputed (the Patrick campaign calls the videos parody); whether it was deceptive or unlawful is disputed and unresolved.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"disputed","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":1,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"One depicted person, the candidate who filed the complaint. Exact 1. Voters said to have been misled are not counted.","victimAgeRange":"adult","jurisdiction":"US-TX","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"media_coverage","outcomeStatus":"ongoing","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.texastribune.org/2026/09/21/texas-goodwin-patrick-ad-police-complaint/","primarySourceLabel":"The Texas Tribune, 21 September 2026: In lieutenant governor race, Vikki Goodwin says Dan Patrick ads are illegal AI deepfakes","firstPublishedAt":"2026-09-22T03:45:53.964979+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-09-30T01:17:56.666615+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["deepfake","ai-generated-video","election","political-advertising","texas","travis-county","public-figure","depicted"]}]}