{"meta":{"exportedAt":"2026-09-30T05:35:51.222Z","formatVersion":2,"selection":{"q":"evidence","system":"","harm":"","context":"","country":"","role":"","relation":"core","evidence":"","year":"","response":"","severity":"","verification":"","view":"incidents","sort":"added"},"totalIncidents":10,"coverage":{"cases":10,"countries":5,"languages":3,"unknownLocation":3,"locationPending":0,"unknownLanguage":0,"unknownDate":5,"lawsuits":1,"regulatory":1,"minors":2,"coreRelations":10,"contextualRelations":0,"mixedRelations":0,"unknownRelations":0,"relationPending":0,"relationUnknown":0},"countingNote":"Distinct public cases in this selection. People counts apply within individual cases only; cross-case person overlap has not been resolved. No population incidence estimate.","affectedCountNote":"Interpret person counts with affectedCountStatus and the reported effects. Unquantified zeros are placeholders, not a measured zero.","source":"AI incidents","publisher":"NOPE","url":"https://nope.net/incidents","license":"CC BY 4.0"},"incidents":[{"id":"2025-montana-carter-county-man-charged-ai-child-abuse-material-case","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"On August 21, 2025, prosecutors in the Montana Attorney General’s Office charged a Carter County man with three felony counts of sexual abuse of children","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"for possession of explicit images and videos that depict a child under the age of 12","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"the Montana Attorney General’s Office charged","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"On 21 August 2025 the Montana Attorney General's Office charged a Carter County man with three felony counts of sexual abuse of children for possessing explicit images and videos that depict a child under the age of 12.","causal_attribution":"Charges are allegations. Both outlets relay the Attorney General's statement."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"In at least one of the counts, Attorney General Austin Knudsen said artificial intelligence was used to digitally alter the image of a Montana child.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"captured images of a child from the parents’ public social media account and used AI to create manipulated content with the photos","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"In at least one of those charges, prosecutors say","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"Prosecutors say that in at least one count AI was used to digitally alter the image of a Montana child, using photos taken from the parents' public social media account.","causal_attribution":"Prosecutors allegation. No court finding, image or AI tool is cited."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"received multiple cyber tips that CSAM was uploaded to a wireless cloud backup from","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"CSAM was uploaded to a wireless cloud backup","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"The investigation began after NCMEC received multiple cyber tips that child sexual abuse material was uploaded to a wireless cloud backup from the accused's devices.","causal_attribution":"Attorney General's account of how the investigation started."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"House Bill 82 was passed and signed into law during the 2025 Legislative Session, and allows for the prosecution of sex predators utilizing artificial intelligence to digitally alter images","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"is being held on a $250,000 bond","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"he's being prosecuted under Montana’s new AI exploitation law","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"Reports say Montana House Bill 82 (2025) allows prosecutors to charge people who use AI to digitally alter images, and NBC Montana says the man is being prosecuted under Montana's new AI exploitation law. The accused was held on a $250,000 bond.","causal_attribution":"Attorney General's statement as relayed. Later court outcomes were not found."}],"effects":[{"label":"Images of a child altered with AI into child sexual abuse material (prosecutors' account)","claim_id":"c2","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://newstalkkgvo.com/montana-ai-child-abuse/","kind":"local_news","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"","independence_group":"montana-ag-statement"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://nbcmontana.com/news/local/montana-man-charged-after-allegedly-using-ai-to-create-child-sexual-abuse-material","kind":"local_news","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"","independence_group":"montana-ag-statement"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["justice","privacy"],"unknowns":["When the images were made (only the 21 August 2025 charge and arrest date is reported).","Whether the AI-altered image is one of the three counts or additional to them (the sources say \"at least one\").","The AI tool used, and any court finding on the AI use.","Case outcome after the arraignment scheduled for 9 September 2025.","The Department of Justice press release was blocked (HTTP 403). Both inspected outlets relay the Attorney General statement, so they form one independence group.","No harm to the child beyond the charged conduct is reported."],"geography":{"basis":"The sources name Carter County, Montana and a Montana state District Court judge. They do not state a country, and no country is inferred from the state or from the outlets.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":[],"affected_person_countries":[]},"publication":{"basis":"Prosecutors' public statement of charges in which an AI tool was used to alter images of a real child. The prosecution of the maker is the only event and the depicted child the only reported harmed person, so the harm evidence is limited to the charged conduct. Undated because conduct dates are unreported. Identities of the child and the accused are withheld.","reviewed_on":"2026-09-29"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The Attorney General states that the accused used AI to create manipulated content from photos of a child. The AI tool, the images and the court documents were not inspected.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"Montana prosecutors charge a Carter County man in a case involving AI-altered images of a Montana child","summary":"On 21 August 2025 the Montana Attorney General's Office charged a Carter County man with three felony counts of sexual abuse of children for possessing child sexual abuse material. Prosecutors state that in at least one count an AI tool was used to alter images of a Montana child that were taken from the child's parents' public social media account. The investigation began with cyber tips about uploads to a cloud backup. The charges are allegations. The child and the accused are not named here. The only reported harmed person is the depicted child and the sources report no other consequence, so the harm evidence is weak: it rests on the prosecutors' description of the charged conduct. The date of the conduct is not reported.","incidentKind":"single_event","incidentDatePrecision":"unknown","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2025-08-27","aiSystem":"Unspecified generative AI tool (not identified in the sources)","aiProduct":"Unidentified image tool","severity":"low","verificationStatus":"unverified","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["exploitation_or_abuse"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"Prosecutors state that images of a Montana child taken from the parents' public social media account were altered with AI into child sexual abuse material (allegation, charges pending). No other consequence to the child is reported.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":1,"affectedCountStatus":"documented_minimum","affectedCountEvidence":"The Attorney General states that in at least one count AI was used to alter the image of a Montana child. One depicted child is counted. The sources do not say whether other children are depicted in the other counts.","victimAgeRange":"minor","platformType":"other","primarySourceUrl":"https://newstalkkgvo.com/montana-ai-child-abuse/","primarySourceLabel":"Newstalk KGVO, 27 August 2025","firstPublishedAt":"2026-09-29T13:29:07.937186+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-09-30T01:17:10.565079+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":[]},{"id":"2026-queensland-school-teacher-charged-over-alleged-ai-images-of-staff-and-students","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"Police allege the man used AI software to generate explicit images of staff and students.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"used a work-issued laptop and AI software to generate explicit images depicting staff members and students.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"the AI content was found in a former secondary teacher's school digital account.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"Police allege that a former secondary school teacher used AI software on a work-issued laptop to generate explicit images depicting staff members and students of the school.","causal_attribution":"The allegation comes from a police statement and a school letter to parents, both relayed by one outlet. The images and the software were not seen by the reviewer and the charges are unproven."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"had been charged with four counts relating to generating and possessing child exploitation material, possessing child abuse material, and the misuse of a restricted computer","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"commenced in October after police were notified of explicit AI-generated content on a school employee's laptop.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The teacher was charged with four counts relating to generating and possessing child exploitation material, possessing child abuse material and misuse of a restricted computer, after an investigation that began in October when police were notified of the material on a school employee's laptop.","causal_attribution":"The charges establish only that police allege offences. No court outcome is reported in the inspected sources."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"There was no evidence to indicate that the AI-generated material had been distributed or shared by the staff member,","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"resulted in the teacher being immediately dismissed","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"Queensland Police are in the process of contacting some members of our community as part of their ongoing investigation.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"to secure the alleged explicit AI material, report it to police and terminate the teacher's employment.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"The school said it had also notified the Queensland College of Teachers and the Office of the eSafety Commissioner.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The school reports that it secured the material, dismissed the teacher and notified the police, the Queensland College of Teachers and the eSafety Commissioner, and that there is no evidence the material was distributed or shared. Police are contacting some members of the school community.","causal_attribution":"These are the school's own statements about its response, relayed by the outlet. The absence of sharing is the school's statement and does not describe what police found."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"the misuse of AI to create child exploitation material was a serious criminal offence that causes real harm to victims.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"A police officer stated in general terms that misuse of AI to create child exploitation material causes real harm to victims.","causal_attribution":"The statement is general and does not describe any individual depicted person's experience or any specific harm in this case."}],"effects":[{"label":"Staff members and students reportedly depicted in AI-generated explicit images made on a school laptop","claim_id":"c1","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-07-24/school-teacher-charged-over-child-exploitation-material/106954930","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"","independence_group":"abc-gold-coast-school-letter-and-police-statement"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-07-23/police-investigate-ai-generated-explicit-images/106950646","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"","independence_group":"abc-gold-coast-school-letter-and-police-statement"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["education","privacy"],"unknowns":["When the images were created is not stated. Only the October 2025 discovery and dismissal are dated, so the event start date is unknown.","The number of staff members and students depicted is not stated.","The AI software is not named.","No source reports how any depicted person was affected. The adverse consequence is the reported creation of the images and the resulting police contact with some community members.","The school states there is no evidence of sharing. Police have not published a finding on that point in the inspected sources.","The charges are allegations and the court outcome is not reported."],"geography":{"basis":"Sources name Queensland Police, the Gold Coast, the Queensland College of Teachers and a Southport Magistrates Court appearance. The affected people are members of that school community.","court_countries":["AU"],"event_countries":["AU"],"affected_person_countries":["AU"]},"publication":{"basis":"Two ABC reports (23 and 24 July 2026) relay one school letter to parents and one police statement. All claims are reported allegations. The accused, students and staff are not named, no image detail is given, and the school is not named because the depicted students belong to it. The evidence of harm to depicted people is thin (no reported distribution), so severity is low. The creation date is unknown, so the case is published undated and outside the 2025 event-year count.","reviewed_on":"2026-09-29"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"Police allege the former teacher used AI software to generate the images. The school says AI-generated material was found in the teacher's school digital account. No product is named and the material was not seen by the reviewer.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"Queensland school teacher charged over alleged AI-generated explicit images of staff and students","summary":"ABC reported on 23 and 24 July 2026 that police in Queensland, Australia charged a former secondary school teacher at a school there with child exploitation and computer misuse offences. Police allege the teacher used AI software on a work-issued laptop to generate explicit images depicting staff members and students. Police say a nine-month investigation began in October after they were notified of the material, and the school says it dismissed the teacher in October 2025, notified police and regulators, and that there is no evidence the material was shared. The number of people depicted and the creation date are not stated.","incidentKind":"single_event","incidentDatePrecision":"unknown","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2026-07-23","aiSystem":"Unspecified AI image-generation software","aiProduct":"Unidentified image tool","aiCompany":"Unknown","severity":"low","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["exploitation_or_abuse"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"Police allege AI-generated explicit images depicting staff members and students were made on a school laptop. The school says there is no evidence they were shared. No individual experience of harm is reported, and a police officer said in general terms that such material causes real harm to victims.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":2,"affectedCountStatus":"documented_minimum","affectedCountEvidence":"The police statement (s1) says the images depict staff and students, and the ABC lede says staff members and students, both plural, which supports at least two depicted people. The actual number is not stated and no source reports how any depicted person was affected.","victimAgeRange":"unknown","platformType":"other","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-07-24/school-teacher-charged-over-child-exploitation-material/106954930","primarySourceLabel":"ABC News, 24 July 2026, school teacher charged over child exploitation material allegedly created using AI","firstPublishedAt":"2026-09-29T13:28:35.598593+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-09-30T01:17:50.144809+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":[]},{"id":"2026-sdny-heppner-claude-defense-strategy-documents-ruled-not-privileged","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"documented","evidence":[{"locator":"[Page 1] 'At a pretrial conference in this matter held on February 10, 2026, the Court, after hearing the arguments of counsel, granted from the bench the Government's motion for a ruling that certain written exchanges that defendant Bradley Heppner had with a generative artificial intelligence (\"AI\") platform were not protected from Government inspection by either the attorney-client privilege or the work product doctrine.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"[Page 12] 'Because Heppner's use of Claude fails to satisfy either of these rules, the AI Documents do not merit the protections Heppner has claimed.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'But the judge said that protections for conversations between clients and their attorneys did not apply: Claude is not a lawyer, and the executive's attorneys did not ask him to talk to the chatbot.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"On 10 February 2026 the court granted from the bench the Government's motion for a ruling that Heppner's written exchanges with a generative AI platform were not protected from Government inspection by either attorney-client privilege or the work product doctrine; a memorandum of reasons followed on 17 February 2026.","causal_attribution":"Established by the court's own memorandum."},{"id":"c2","status":"documented","evidence":[{"locator":"[Page 3] 'In connection with Heppner's arrest on November 4, 2025, agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation executed a search warrant at Heppner's home and seized numerous documents and electronic devices.'; 'Heppner's counsel later represented to the Government that among the seized materials were approximately thirty-one documents that memorialize communications that Heppner had with the generative AI platform \"Claude,\" which is operated by the private company Anthropic.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'A criminal suspect consulted the Claude artificial intelligence tool, opening 31 separate chats and entering sensitive details about his case, including information he had received from his attorneys. The FBI later raided his home and seized printouts of the conversations.'","relation":"context","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"FBI agents seized about thirty-one documents memorialising Heppner's communications with Claude when they executed a search warrant at his home in connection with his arrest in November 2025 (the memorandum gives 4 November on page 3 and the day after the 4 November unsealing on page 2).","causal_attribution":"Court record of counsel's representation; not a claim about AI behaviour."},{"id":"c3","status":"documented","evidence":[{"locator":"[Page 3] 'Without any suggestion from counsel that he do so, Heppner \"prepared reports that outlined defense strategy, that outlined what he might argue with respect to the facts and the law that we anticipated that the government might be charging.\"'; [Page 4] 'Heppner's counsel conceded, however, that counsel \"did not direct [Heppner] to run Claude searches.\"'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"According to his counsel, Heppner used Claude in 2025, after receiving a grand jury subpoena, to prepare reports outlining defence strategy, without any suggestion from counsel.","causal_attribution":"The memorandum records counsel's own statements."},{"id":"c4","status":"documented","evidence":[{"locator":"[Page 5] 'Because Claude is not an attorney, see ECF No. 23-6, that alone disposes of Heppner's claim of privilege.'; [Page 6] 'Second, the communications memorialized in the AI Documents were not confidential.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The court held that the documents were not privileged because Claude is not an attorney and the exchanges were not confidential.","causal_attribution":"Established by the court's reasoning."},{"id":"c5","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'In May, Heppner was convicted of securities fraud and wire fraud, among other charges.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"Heppner was convicted in May 2026 of securities fraud and wire fraud, among other charges.","causal_attribution":"No inspected source attributes the conviction to the Claude documents or says they were used at trial."}],"effects":[{"label":"the defendant's self-prepared defence-strategy documents, written with Claude, were ruled open to Government inspection","claim_id":"c1","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.652137/gov.uscourts.nysd.652137.27.0.pdf","kind":"court_record","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Scanned PDF without a text layer; the 12 page images were read on 2026-09-29 and the passages relied on were transcribed manually (bodies/law-heppner-memo27-transcribed.txt).","independence_group":"sdny-memo"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/confided-chatgpt-secrets-ended-court-090000568.html","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Washington Post, 27 August 2026, read in full via its Yahoo News syndication on 2026-09-29. Its account of the ruling derives from the court record; the conviction report is its own.","independence_group":"washington-post"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/international/technology-science/artc-courtroom-hallucinations-lawyers-cite-precedents-dreamt-up-by-ai-as-clients-sabotage-their-own-cases","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read via a Wayback capture (2026-09-10) on 2026-09-29; the live page is a JavaScript shell. The article does not name the defendant; the identification rests on the matching court, platform and ruling.","independence_group":"i24news"},{"id":"s4","url":"https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-09-10/christopher-duff-to-stand-trial-over-nsw-ai-court-data-breach/107135032","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"ABC News (Australia), 10 September 2026, read in full; mentions the New York ruling only as a precedent cited by a police prosecutor.","independence_group":"abc-au"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["own_use"],"contexts":["justice"],"unknowns":["Whether the Government used the Claude documents at trial or in plea or sentencing proceedings.","What the documents contained beyond counsel's description as defence-strategy reports.","Whether any appeal challenges the privilege ruling."],"geography":{"basis":"The ruling was made by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, and the memorandum places his arrest in the Northern District of Texas. Where he used Claude and his country of residence are not stated.","court_countries":["US"],"event_countries":["US"],"affected_person_countries":[]},"publication":{"basis":"Published as a documented legal consequence of a person's AI use: a federal court ruled that a defendant's self-prepared defence documents written with Claude were open to Government inspection. The record rests on the court's memorandum; the conviction is recorded as context and is not attributed to the AI use.","reviewed_on":"2026-09-29"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The court memorandum records counsel's representation that the seized documents memorialise Heppner's communications with Claude and that he used it to prepare defence-strategy reports.","status":"supported"},"person_relations":["communicated_with"]},"name":"S.D.N.Y.: Judge Rakoff rules that a fraud defendant's written exchanges with Claude about his defence, seized by the FBI, are protected by neither attorney-client privilege nor work product","summary":"Bradley Heppner, a corporate executive charged in the Southern District of New York with securities fraud, wire fraud and related offences, used Anthropic's Claude in 2025, after receiving a grand jury subpoena, to prepare reports outlining his defence strategy. His counsel had not directed him to do so. FBI agents seized about thirty-one documents memorialising those exchanges when they searched his home in connection with his arrest in November 2025. Heppner claimed privilege over them. On 10 February 2026 Judge Jed S. Rakoff granted from the bench the Government's motion for a ruling that the documents were not protected from Government inspection by either the attorney-client privilege or the work product doctrine, and a memorandum filed 17 February 2026 gave the reasons: Claude is not an attorney, and the communications were not confidential under Anthropic's privacy policy. The court described the question as one of first impression nationwide. Heppner was convicted in May 2026 of securities fraud, wire fraud and other charges; no inspected source says whether the Claude documents were used at trial.","incidentDate":"2026-02-10","incidentKind":"single_event","incidentDatePrecision":"day","exposurePattern":"repeated_interactions","reportedDate":"2026-02-17","aiSystem":"Claude (Anthropic), a publicly available generative AI platform the defendant used on his own to prepare defence-strategy reports","aiProduct":"Claude","aiCompany":"Anthropic","severity":"low","verificationStatus":"verified","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["legal_harm"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"The defendant's self-prepared defence-strategy documents, written with Claude, lost the protection he claimed and were ruled open to Government inspection in his criminal case (court memorandum). Whether they were used at his trial is not reported.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"established","participantUsersAffectedMin":1,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":0,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"One person: Heppner, the Claude user whose documents were ruled unprotected (court memorandum). No other person's harm from the AI use is reported; investors' fraud losses are the subject of the charges and are not counted here.","victimAgeRange":"adult","jurisdiction":"US-NY","platformType":"assistant","outcomeType":"criminal_charges","outcomeStatus":"resolved","primarySourceUrl":"https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.652137/gov.uscourts.nysd.652137.27.0.pdf","primarySourceLabel":"United States v. Heppner, S.D.N.Y. 25 Cr. 503 (JSR), Memorandum (ECF No. 27), filed 17 February 2026","firstPublishedAt":"2026-09-29T09:10:12.292608+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-09-30T01:17:52.181801+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["justice","privilege","evidence","claude","anthropic","own-use","criminal-case","sdny","first-impression"]},{"id":"2026-lewes-rape-trial-stayed-complainant-ai-cross-examination-prep","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"documented","evidence":[{"locator":"'The download revealed two documents which contained a summary record of what C had recalled of events on the night in question, followed by a series of questions in the form of a cross-examination of C’s account, together with suggested answers.'; 'C was asked who they had been communicating with, to which C responded: \"I had put stuff into AI to help me prepare myself for the court\".'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'There then follows several pages of text containing the promised summary, together with 24 highly pertinent questions and suggested answers'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"A download of the complainant's phone during the Lewes trial revealed two documents containing a summary of the complainant's recollection of the night in question and a series of cross-examination questions with suggested answers, and the complainant said 'I had put stuff into AI to help me prepare myself for the court'.","causal_attribution":"Established by the judgment's account of the trial record."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'this appeal has proceeded on the basis that the documents were generated by AI in response to prompts from C. We do not know the nature of those prompts.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'Although the defence did not accept that the documented questions and answers were generated by AI, as opposed to being contained in a communication from a real person'","relation":"context","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'Please make sure someone is with you or available to you today.'","relation":"context","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The documents were generated by AI in response to the complainant's prompts.","causal_attribution":"The complainant's statement, accepted as the working basis of the appeal; the defence did not accept it and the court made no finding on the product or prompts."},{"id":"c3","status":"documented","evidence":[{"locator":"'It is a prosecution appeal against the Recorder’s ruling, part-way through trial, staying proceedings as an abuse. Upon the prosecution giving notice of its intention to appeal, accompanied by the usual prosecution undertaking, the jury was discharged.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'this is evidence of coaching, whether or not done by AI or someone else.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'The ruling stayed proceedings after the complainant was found to have used AI to help prepare for court.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"The Recorder held that the documents amounted to witness coaching, that the defendant could not have a fair trial, and stayed the proceedings as an abuse of process part-way through the trial; the jury was discharged when the prosecution gave notice of appeal.","causal_attribution":"The judgment records that the stay was granted because of the documents the complainant attributed to AI."},{"id":"c4","status":"documented","evidence":[{"locator":"'Date: Thursday 4th June 2026'; 'Accordingly, we give leave, we allow the appeal and reverse the ruling below.'; 'As the allegations are now of some age, the re-trial should be listed at the earliest opportunity.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'Hay’s decision has been reversed, and a retrial has been ordered for listing “at the earliest opportunity,” per the Gazette.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"On 4 June 2026 the Court of Appeal reversed the stay, holding that the trial process could deal with any prejudice, and directed that the retrial be listed at the earliest opportunity because the allegations were now of some age.","causal_attribution":"Established by the judgment."},{"id":"c5","status":"documented","evidence":[{"locator":"'All witnesses, whether for the prosecution or defence, should be firmly discouraged from resorting to the use of AI to prepare for giving evidence.'; 'their use of AI may open up further lines of enquiry, exposing their online activity to an unwelcome, wider-ranging and potentially more intrusive investigation and examination for the purposes of disclosure'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The Court of Appeal said witnesses should be firmly discouraged from using AI to prepare their evidence, and that for sexual-offence complainants such use may expose their online activity to wider and potentially more intrusive investigation.","causal_attribution":"General guidance in the judgment; it does not describe a further consequence to this complainant."}],"effects":[{"label":"the trial was stayed part-way through as an abuse of process and the jury discharged after the complainant's AI-prepared cross-examination documents were treated as witness coaching","claim_id":"c3","direction":"negative"},{"label":"a retrial of allegations described as now of some age was required after the stay was reversed","claim_id":"c4","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://caselaw.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ewca/crim/2026/918","kind":"court_record","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Full judgment text read by curl on 2026-09-29 from the National Archives Find Case Law service. The court excluded identifying detail and anonymised both parties.","independence_group":"fgd-judgment"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.lawgazette.co.uk/news/court-of-appeal-calls-for-ai-regulation-in-criminal-proceedings-after-trial-collapses/5127513.article","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Law Society Gazette report of 28 July 2026 (Bianca Castro), read by curl on 2026-09-29. It reports the judgment and is grouped with it.","independence_group":"fgd-judgment"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://www.canadianlawyermag.com/news/international/uk-trial-halts-over-witness-ai-use-court-of-appeal-judges-flag-regulation-concerns/394434","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Canadian Lawyer, read by curl on 2026-09-29; attributes its account to the Law Society Gazette.","independence_group":"fgd-judgment"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["own_use"],"contexts":["justice"],"unknowns":["When the trial and the Recorder's stay took place (before the 4 June 2026 appeal hearing).","Which AI product was used and what the complainant's prompts were.","Whether the retrial has taken place and its outcome.","The complainant's own account of the effect of the stay; no statement from the complainant was read."],"geography":{"basis":"The trial took place at Lewes Crown Court and the appeal at the Royal Courts of Justice in London (judgment). Where the complainant lives, and where the AI was used, is not stated.","court_countries":["GB"],"event_countries":["GB"],"affected_person_countries":[]},"publication":{"basis":"Published from the Court of Appeal judgment as a concrete adverse consequence of a person's AI use: the complainant's trial was stayed and must be retried. The judgment and all press coverage are one reporting chain. The complainant and defendant are anonymous by law and no identifying detail is recorded; the complainant's pronouns follow the judgment's neutral usage.","reviewed_on":"2026-09-29"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The complainant told the court the material came from putting things into AI, and the Court of Appeal proceeded on the basis that the documents were AI-generated in response to the complainant's prompts. The defence did not accept that they were AI-generated rather than written by a real person, and the product and prompts are unknown.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["communicated_with"]},"name":"Lewes Crown Court, England: a rape trial was stayed part-way through and the jury discharged after documents on the complainant's phone, which the complainant said came from putting material into AI to prepare for court, were treated as witness coaching; the Court of Appeal reversed the stay on 4 June 2026 and ordered a retrial","summary":"During a rape trial at Lewes Crown Court, a download of the complainant's phone revealed two documents containing a summary of the complainant's recollection of the night in question and 24 questions in the form of a cross-examination, with suggested answers. Asked about them, the complainant said: 'I had put stuff into AI to help me prepare myself for the court'. The trial judge (a Recorder) held that this was witness coaching, found that the defendant could not have a fair trial and stayed the proceedings as an abuse of process; the jury was discharged when the prosecution gave notice of appeal. On 4 June 2026 the Court of Appeal (R v FGD [2026] EWCA Crim 918) reversed the stay, holding that the trial process could deal with any prejudice, and directed a retrial at the earliest opportunity because the allegations were 'now of some age'. The defence did not accept that the documents were AI-generated; the appeal proceeded on that basis. The court warned that witnesses should be firmly discouraged from using AI to prepare their evidence and that, for complainants in sexual-offence cases, doing so may expose their online activity to wider and more intrusive investigation.","incidentKind":"single_event","incidentDatePrecision":"unknown","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2026-07-28","aiSystem":"An unidentified AI chatbot; the complainant told the court 'I had put stuff into AI to help me prepare myself for the court'. The judgment does not name the product and says the court does not know the prompts used.","aiProduct":"Unidentified chatbot","severity":"medium","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["legal_harm"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"The complainant's rape trial was stayed part-way through and the jury discharged because documents the complainant said came from AI preparation were treated as witness coaching; the Court of Appeal reversed the stay and ordered a retrial of allegations it described as 'now of some age' (R v FGD [2026] EWCA Crim 918).","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"supported","participantUsersAffectedMin":1,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":0,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"One person: the complainant, whose trial was stayed and must be retried (judgment). The defendant is not counted; the stay was in the defendant's favour and no harm to the defendant from the AI use is reported. Exact 1.","victimAgeRange":"unknown","jurisdiction":"GB","platformType":"chatbot","outcomeType":"media_coverage","outcomeStatus":"pending","primarySourceUrl":"https://caselaw.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ewca/crim/2026/918","primarySourceLabel":"R v FGD [2026] EWCA Crim 918, Court of Appeal (Criminal Division), judgment of 4 June 2026","firstPublishedAt":"2026-09-29T09:00:29.036322+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-09-30T01:17:44.047133+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["witness-coaching","criminal-trial","court-of-appeal","lewes-crown-court","england","sexual-offence-complainant","trial-stayed","communicated-with"]},{"id":"2026-yoona-ai-pregnancy-composite-images-sm-criminal-complaint","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'앞서 온라인 커뮤니티와 SNS 등에는 윤아의 얼굴을 무단으로 합성한 사진이 급속도로 퍼졌다.'; '해당 게시물에는 윤아가 배가 부른 모습으로 등장하며, 얼굴은 모자이크 처리된 한 남성이 윤아의 배 위에 손을 얹는 모습이 연출돼 논란이 일었다.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'최근 윤아의 초상을 무단으로 합성한 불법 AI 생성 이미지와 이를 바탕으로 한 허위사실이 무분별하게 제작·유포되고 있는 상황을 추가적으로 확인했다'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'특히 해당 이미지 게시자가 윤아의 실제 SNS 계정을 태그해 사진을 게재하기도 했다'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"AI-generated images synthesising the face of YoonA (Im Yoon-ah) of Girls' Generation, showing her apparently pregnant with a man touching her belly, spread on social media and online communities together with false claims based on them.","causal_attribution":"The images are described by her agency as illegal AI-generated composites; their creators are not identified."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'이를 바탕으로 이미 형사고소를 진행하였고, 어떠한 선처나 합의 없이 강경하게 대응할 예정입니다.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'이를 바탕으로 이미 형사고소를 진행했고, 어떠한 선처나 합의 없이 강경하게 대응할 예정'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"Her agency SM Entertainment said on 28 September 2026 that it had already filed a criminal complaint on the basis of evidence gathered from fan reports and monitoring, and would respond without leniency or settlement.","causal_attribution":"Agency statement; no police action or suspect is reported."}],"effects":[{"label":"fabricated AI images depicting her as pregnant spread online with false claims about her","claim_id":"c1","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.starnewskorea.com/star/2026/09/28/2026092819154494314","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"ko","translation_note":"Read live in Korean on 2026-09-29 (Star News, 28 September 2026); reproduces the full SM Entertainment statement. Researcher translation.","independence_group":"sm-entertainment-statement"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.segye.com/newsView/20260928517569","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"ko","translation_note":"Read live in Korean on 2026-09-29 (Segye Ilbo, 28 September 2026); relays the same statement. Researcher translation.","independence_group":"sm-entertainment-statement"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://www.spotvnews.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=1010237","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"ko","translation_note":"Read live in Korean on 2026-09-29 (29 September 2026); relays the statement and adds career background. Researcher translation.","independence_group":"sm-entertainment-statement"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["privacy","everyday_life"],"unknowns":["When the images first appeared and on which platforms.","Who made them and with what tool.","The police agency handling the complaint and any investigation outcome."],"geography":{"basis":"YoonA is a Korean singer and actor with a Korean drama and film career (SPOTV News) represented by SM Entertainment, whose statement cites Korean statutes (Star News). Where the images were made or first posted is not stated, and the authority receiving the complaint is not named, so no event or court country is recorded.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":[],"affected_person_countries":["KR"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published under the 2026-09-15 charter as a core case (AI-generated images depicting a real, named public figure in a fabricated pregnancy, circulated with false claims). The account rests on her agency's statement, relayed by several Korean outlets; YoonA is a public figure and the subject of the statement. The images are not reproduced or described beyond the agency's description.","reviewed_on":"2026-09-29"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"SM Entertainment's statement describes the images as illegal AI-generated images synthesising her likeness (Star News; Segye Ilbo). No tool is named and no forensic analysis is reported.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"South Korea: AI-generated images depicting Girls' Generation's YoonA as pregnant spread online with false claims; her agency SM Entertainment says it has already filed a criminal complaint","summary":"SM Entertainment said on 28 September 2026 that illegal AI-generated images synthesising the likeness of YoonA (Im Yoon-ah), singer and actor of Girls' Generation, and false claims built on them had been made and spread on social media and online communities. Korean outlets describe images showing her apparently pregnant with a man placing a hand on her belly (his face blurred, per Star News). The agency said it had collected evidence from fan reports to its KWANGYA 119 channel and monitoring, had already filed a criminal complaint, and would respond without leniency or settlement, warning that making, posting or re-sharing the images could breach Korean defamation, portrait-rights and sexual-crime (false video) provisions.","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"unknown","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2026-09-28","aiSystem":"Unnamed generative-AI image tool used to synthesise her likeness (per SM Entertainment's statement)","aiProduct":"Unidentified image tool","severity":"low","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["reputational_harm"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"Fabricated AI images of YoonA as pregnant, with false claims about her, circulated online; her agency filed a criminal complaint (SM Entertainment via Star News and Segye Ilbo).","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":1,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"One depicted person, YoonA (SM Entertainment via Star News). The unidentified man in the image is not counted. Exact 1.","victimAgeRange":"adult","jurisdiction":"KR","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"media_coverage","outcomeStatus":"ongoing","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.starnewskorea.com/star/2026/09/28/2026092819154494314","primarySourceLabel":"Star News, 28 September 2026: 소녀시대 윤아, 악의적 임신 AI 합성 피해..SM \"이미 형사고소\"[전문]","firstPublishedAt":"2026-09-29T03:22:06.71184+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-09-30T01:17:59.374935+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["deepfakes","ai-generated-images","k-pop","girls-generation","sm-entertainment","south-korea","criminal-complaint","depicted-or-impersonated"]},{"id":"2026-portland-tennessee-ai-child-faces-sexual-images-traded-canada-30-year-sentence","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'placed the faces of children onto images and videos of nude people and people engaged in sexual acts.'; 'Investigators said he then exchanged the AI-generated material with a Canadian resident for real child sexual abuse material.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'had been placing the faces of children on nude individuals, as well as individuals who were engaging in sexual acts.'; 'would exchange the content with someone in Canada in exchange for real child sexual abuse material.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"According to the district attorney's office, he used AI to place the faces of children onto images and videos of nude people and of people engaged in sexual acts, and exchanged the AI-generated material with a Canadian resident for real child sexual abuse material.","causal_attribution":"Prosecutors' account via one release; the source images, the children and the AI tool are not described."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Canadian authorities alerted U.S. law enforcement after arresting the person who'; 'charged with tampering with evidence after investigators alleged he deleted some material before officers entered his home to execute a search warrant.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'was arrested in November 2025 after a joint investigation by Portland Police, the US Department of Homeland Security, the FBI and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"Canadian authorities alerted US law enforcement after arresting the person he was communicating with; a joint investigation led to his arrest in November 2025, and he was also charged with tampering with evidence after investigators said he deleted material before officers entered his home.","causal_attribution":"DA release as relayed."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Judge Dee David Gay imposed the 30-year sentence, which the district attorney’s office said must be served without probation, parole or early release under Tennessee law.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'On Thursday, Sept. 24, a judge sentenced'; 'to serve 30 years in the custody of the Tennessee Department of Correction'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'A Sumner County judge imposed the 30-year sentence Thursday.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"A Sumner County Criminal Court judge sentenced him to 30 years in the Tennessee Department of Correction, to be served without probation, parole or early release.","causal_attribution":"DA release as relayed; WSMV gives the day as Friday, WKRN and WZTV as Thursday 24 September. The court record was not inspected."}],"effects":[{"label":"children's faces were placed onto AI-made sexual images and videos that were traded for real child sexual abuse material, according to prosecutors","claim_id":"c1","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.wsmv.com/2026/09/25/middle-tennessee-man-sentenced-30-years-using-ai-create-trade-child-pornography/","kind":"local_tv_news","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-28 (WSMV, 25 September 2026). Relays the DA's release. WVLT carries the same Gray text.","independence_group":"sumner-county-da-release"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/portland-man-sentenced-using-ai-162610165.html","kind":"local_tv_news_syndicated_copy","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-28: Yahoo's syndicated copy of WKRN's report (25 September 2026); wkrn.com returned 403 to this host. Quotes the DA's release.","independence_group":"sumner-county-da-release"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://newschannel9.com/news/local/tennessee-sumner-county-man-gets-30-years-for-trading-ai-generated-child-abuse-images-with-canadian-man","kind":"local_tv_news","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-28: WZTV (FOX 17) report of 25 September 2026 as carried by sister station WTVC.","independence_group":"sumner-county-da-release"},{"id":"s4","url":"https://fox17.com/news/local/after-30-year-sentence-in-tn-ai-child-abuse-case-former-fbi-agent-warns-more-are-coming","kind":"local_tv_news","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-28 (WZTV/FOX 17, 26 September 2026). Case facts from the DA; adds a former FBI agent's general comments, not used as case evidence.","independence_group":"sumner-county-da-release"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["justice","privacy"],"unknowns":["Which offences he was convicted of, and whether by plea or at trial.","Which AI tool was used, where the children's images came from, and whether any depicted child has been identified or notified.","How many children's faces were used.","When the images were made and traded (the arrest was in November 2025).","The exact sentencing date (24 or 25 September 2026)."],"geography":{"basis":"He lived in Portland, Sumner County, Tennessee, where officers searched his home, and was sentenced in Sumner County Criminal Court. The other party was a Canadian resident arrested by Canadian authorities; where the exchanges took place beyond that is not stated. The children's countries are not reported.","court_countries":["US"],"event_countries":["US"],"affected_person_countries":[]},"publication":{"basis":"Published under the 2026-09-15 charter as a depiction case: prosecutors say AI was used to place the faces of children onto sexual images and videos that were traded internationally, and a court imposed a 30-year sentence. One DA release chain; all claims reported. The children are unidentified and uncounted, and the defendant is not named here.","reviewed_on":"2026-09-28"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The district attorney's release says he used artificial intelligence to place children's faces onto sexual images and videos (via WSMV, WKRN, WZTV). The tool, the source images and the identity of the children are not reported. The depicted_or_impersonated relation rests on the prosecutors' description of the faces of children being placed onto the images and videos.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"Portland, Tennessee: a man who prosecutors say used AI to put children's faces onto sexual images and videos and traded them with a Canadian resident for real child sexual abuse material was sentenced to 30 years in Sumner County in September 2026","summary":"The Sumner County (18th Judicial District) District Attorney's Office said a 30-year-old Portland, Tennessee man was sentenced in Sumner County Criminal Court in September 2026 to 30 years in the Tennessee Department of Correction, to be served without probation, parole or early release. According to the prosecutors, he used artificial intelligence to place the faces of children onto images and videos of nude people and of people engaged in sexual acts, then exchanged the material with a Canadian resident for real child sexual abuse material. Canadian authorities found messages and material connected to him after arresting the person he was communicating with and alerted US law enforcement; a joint investigation by Portland police, Homeland Security Investigations, the FBI and the TBI led to his arrest in November 2025. He was also charged with tampering with evidence after investigators said he deleted material before officers entered his home to execute a search warrant. The children whose faces were used are not identified, their number is not reported, and the reports do not say which AI tool was used or which offences he was convicted of.","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"unknown","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2026-09-25","aiSystem":"Unnamed AI tool or tools that prosecutors say he used to place children's faces onto sexual images and videos; the tool is not identified in any inspected report","aiProduct":"Unidentified image and video tool","severity":"high","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["exploitation_or_abuse"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"Prosecutors say children's faces were placed onto AI-made sexual images and videos that were traded internationally in exchange for real child sexual abuse material (Sumner County DA release via WSMV, WKRN and WZTV). The children are not identified.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"supported","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":0,"affectedCountStatus":"unquantified","affectedCountEvidence":"The prosecutors refer to 'children' whose faces were used but give no number, and none is identified; children depicted in the real material he received are not counted because that material is not AI-made and is not described. Unquantified, with zero placeholders.","victimAgeRange":"minor","jurisdiction":"US-TN","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"criminal_charges","outcomeStatus":"resolved","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.wsmv.com/2026/09/25/middle-tennessee-man-sentenced-30-years-using-ai-create-trade-child-pornography/","primarySourceLabel":"WSMV, 25 September 2026: Middle Tennessee man sentenced to 30 years for using AI to create, trade child pornography","firstPublishedAt":"2026-09-28T03:31:23.326395+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-09-30T01:17:49.53008+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["ai-csam","deepfake","child-sexual-abuse-material","sentencing","tennessee","sumner-county","canada","others-use","depicted-or-impersonated"]},{"id":"2026-jeju-middle-school-student-filmed-teachers-deepfake-composites-referred","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'제주동부경찰서는 도내 모 중학교 재학생 A군을 성폭력범죄의 처벌 등에 관한 특례법 위반(카메라 등 이용 촬영) 혐의로 지난 17일 불구속 송치했다고 23일 밝혔다.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'제주동부경찰서는 성폭력범죄의 처벌 등에 관한 특례법상 카메라 등을 이용한 촬영 혐의로 A 군을 불구속 송치했다고 23일 밝혔다.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"Jeju Dongbu Police Station announced on 23 September 2026 that a student at a Jeju middle school had been referred to prosecutors without detention on 17 September for violating the Sexual Violence Punishment Act (filming using a camera or similar device).","causal_attribution":"Police announcement carried by both outlets (one origin)."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'경찰은 A군의 휴대전화를 보호자 측으로부터 임의제출받아 디지털 포렌식을 진행했다. 포렌식 과정에서 일부 교사와 관련된 촬영물과 일부 성적 합성물이 확인됐으며, A군은 범행을 인정하고 자백한 것으로 파악됐다.'; '포렌식 결과 일부 선정적인 합성물이 확인됐고, 수치심을 유발할 정도의 자료는 범죄 혐의에 포함해 수사했다'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The student's phone was voluntarily submitted by his guardians and forensically examined; the examination found footage relating to some teachers and some sexual composites, the student admitted the conduct, and police say suggestive composites causing shame were included in the charged conduct.","causal_attribution":"Police account to Seoul Shinmun."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'처음 신고된 피해 교사 외에도 피해 교사가 더 있는 것은 맞지만 몇 명인지는 밝히기 어렵다'; '일부에서 학생 피해자가 있다는 이야기가 있었지만 확인 결과 해당 학교 재학생 피해자는 없었다'; '피해교사들이 현재도 해당 학교에서 학생들을 가르치고 있어 피해 사실이 알려질 경우 2차 피해로 이어질 수 있다는 이유에서다.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'피해자가 다수 있는 것을 확인했다'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"Police say there are more victim teachers than the one first reported but withheld the number because the teachers still teach at the school and disclosure could cause secondary harm, and that no student at the school was a victim.","causal_attribution":"Police official quoted by Seoul Shinmun."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'특히 피해교사들이 직접 여러 학생과 관련된 촬영물을 확인했는데도 별도의 강제 압수수색 없이 사건이 마무리되는 것 아니냐는 우려를 제기했다.'; '임의제출받은 휴대전화에 대한 포렌식으로 필요한 증거를 확보했다'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The Jeju teachers' union questioned whether the full scope of harm was established, saying the victim teachers had themselves seen footage involving several students yet no compulsory seizure was made; police replied that forensics of the voluntarily submitted phone secured the necessary evidence.","causal_attribution":"Union and police positions as reported."},{"id":"c5","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'피해교사들은 사건이 드러난 지 두 달이 지나도록 병원 치료와 심리상담을 받으면서도 매일 학교에 출근해 수업하고 있다.'; '지난 14일에는 변호사 조력 없이 경찰 피해자 조사를 받았고, 17일에는 교육청과 학교안전공제회의 조력 없이 지역교권보호위원회에 출석했다. 형사고소장도 피해교사들이 직접 작성해 제출했다고 노조는 주장했다.'; '대체교사를 구하기 어려워 사용할 수 있는 특별휴가 16일 가운데 3~4일 정도만 사용하고 있다는 게 노조 측 설명이다.'; '노조는 학교안전공제회가 형사고소 변호사비를 피해교사 개인별이 아닌'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"According to the union, two months after the case came to light the victim teachers are receiving hospital treatment and counselling while going to school every day; on 14 September they gave police statements without a lawyer and on 17 September attended the regional teachers' rights protection committee without institutional support; they wrote the criminal complaint themselves; they have used only three or four of 16 days of special leave because substitute teachers cannot be found; and the school safety mutual-aid association proposes legal fees of 3.3 million won for all victim teachers combined, payable after the case ends.","causal_attribution":"The union's account as reported; not independently confirmed."},{"id":"c6","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'교육청에도 치료비나 휴식, 병가 등 피해교사에 대한 지원이 필요하다는 취지로 이야기했다'; '피해교사들은 지난 1일과 3일 두 차례 교육감 면담을 요청했지만 받아들여지지 않았고'; '노조는 오는 10월 2일까지 전국 교사·시민을 대상으로 가해자 엄벌 탄원과 피해교사 지원을 요구하는 서명운동을 벌인다.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Police said they had told the education office that the teachers need support such as treatment costs, rest and sick leave; the victim teachers requested meetings with the superintendent on 1 and 3 September without success and a third written request was sent to the superintendent's office on 21 September; the union is collecting signatures until 2 October 2026 for severe punishment and victim support.","causal_attribution":"Police and union statements as reported; the meeting requests are described in a passage introduced by reference to the union side."},{"id":"c7","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'A 군은 7월 중순쯤 모 중학교 현장체험학습 도중 교사의 신체를 휴대전화로 촬영한 혐의로 입건됐다.'; '경찰은 휴대전화 조사 과정에서 범행이 수개월간 이어졌으며 피해자가 다수 있는 것을 확인했다.'; '다만 경찰은 합성물을 유포한 정황은 발견하지 못했다고 전했다.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"News1 reports that the student was booked for filming a teacher's body with his phone during a school field trip around mid-July 2026, that the phone examination showed the offending had continued for several months with multiple victims, and that police found no indication the composites were distributed.","causal_attribution":"Police account as reported by News1."}],"effects":[{"label":"teachers secretly filmed by a student, with some footage turned into sexual deepfake composites","claim_id":"c2","direction":"negative"},{"label":"victim teachers in hospital treatment and counselling for two months while teaching daily; questioned without a lawyer, attended the protection committee without support and wrote the complaint themselves","claim_id":"c5","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.seoul.co.kr/news/society/accident/2026/09/23/20260923500094","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"ko","translation_note":"Read live in Korean on 2026-09-23 (Seoul Shinmun, 강동삼, published 11:18 KST 23 September 2026): police announcement, the paper's own call to a police official, the Jeju teachers' union's statements. Model reading; no human bilingual review.","independence_group":"seoul-shinmun"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.news1.kr/local/jeju/6300227","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"ko","translation_note":"Read in Korean on 2026-09-23 through the r.jina.ai reader proxy (live page 403); News1 Jeju, 고동명, 23 September 2026: the police announcement of the referral, the mid-July field-trip filming for which he was booked, several months of offending with multiple victims, and no indication of distribution of the composites. Model reading; no human bilingual review.","independence_group":"news1"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["education","work","justice"],"unknowns":["The number of victim teachers (police confirm more than one).","The filming for which the student was booked took place around mid-July 2026 during a school field trip (News1); police say the offending continued for several months, so the start date is unknown; the record uses July 2026 with month precision.","The tool used and whether the composites are separately charged.","The student's age and grade.","Whether prosecutors indict and how the juvenile case is handled.","Korean bodies were read by the model without human bilingual review."],"geography":{"basis":"A middle school on Jeju, South Korea; investigated by Jeju Dongbu Police Station; the teachers work there (Seoul Shinmun, News1). Referred to prosecutors; no court proceeding yet.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":["KR"],"affected_person_countries":["KR"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published under the 2026-09-15 charter as a harmful-artifact case in a school with an ongoing adverse experience for the victim teachers, documented by a police announcement and the paper's own police and union interviews; the student admitted the conduct per police. Single origin for each claim, so all are recorded as reported. No teacher, student or school is named; the student is a minor.","reviewed_on":"2026-09-23"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"Police say forensic examination of the student's phone found sexual composites made from footage of teachers; both outlets describe them as deepfake composites and News1 describes the suspected method as deepfake; the tool is not named. The primary charge is illegal filming, and police told News1 they found no indication the composites were distributed.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"Jeju: a middle-school student who secretly filmed teachers at his school and turned some of the footage into sexual deepfake composites was referred to prosecutors without detention on 17 September 2026; police say the victims are teachers (more than one, number withheld) and no students at the school, the teachers' union questions whether the full scope of harm was confirmed, and the union says the victim teachers have been in treatment for two months while teaching daily, were questioned without a lawyer and wrote the criminal complaint themselves","summary":"Jeju Dongbu police announced on 23 September 2026 that a student at a middle school on Jeju had been referred to prosecutors without detention on 17 September for violating the Sexual Violence Punishment Act (filming with a camera or similar device). The student's phone was voluntarily submitted by his guardians and forensically examined; the examination found footage relating to some teachers and some sexual composites, and the student admitted the conduct. News1 reported that the student was booked for filming a teacher's body with his phone during a school field trip around mid-July 2026, that police found the offending had continued for several months with multiple victims, and that police found no indication the composites had been distributed. Police told Seoul Shinmun that there are more victim teachers than the one first reported but declined to give a number because the teachers are still teaching at the school and disclosure could cause secondary harm; that some suggestive composites were found and material causing shame was included in the charges; and that, contrary to earlier suggestions, no student at the school was a victim. The Jeju teachers' union questioned whether the full extent of the harm had been established, saying the victim teachers had themselves seen footage involving several students yet no compulsory seizure was made; police say the voluntary submission and forensic examination secured the necessary evidence. According to the union, two months after the case came to light the victim teachers are receiving hospital treatment and counselling while going to school every day; on 14 September they gave police victim statements without a lawyer and on 17 September attended the regional teachers' rights protection committee without support from the education office or the school safety mutual-aid association; they wrote and filed the criminal complaint themselves; substitute teachers are hard to find so they have used only three or four of 16 days of special leave; and the mutual-aid association proposes 3.3 million won in legal fees for all victim teachers together, payable after the case ends. The victim teachers requested meetings with the superintendent on 1 and 3 September without success, and a third written request was sent to the superintendent's office on 21 September; the union is running a petition until 2 October for severe punishment and support. Police said they had told the education office that the teachers need support such as treatment costs, rest and sick leave.","incidentDate":"2026-07-01","incidentKind":"ongoing_experience","incidentDatePrecision":"month","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2026-09-23","aiSystem":"AI image-compositing ('deepfake') tool; not named in the police announcement","aiProduct":"Unidentified image tool","severity":"high","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["exploitation_or_abuse","psychological_distress","professional_harm"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"Teachers were secretly filmed by a student and some footage was turned into sexual deepfake composites; two months on, per the union, the victim teachers are in hospital treatment and counselling while continuing to teach at the same school and handled the police statement, the protection committee and the criminal complaint without legal or institutional support. The filming and composites are admitted per police; the teachers' situation is the union's account.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"supported","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":2,"affectedCountStatus":"documented_minimum","affectedCountEvidence":"Police told Seoul Shinmun there are victim teachers beyond the one first reported but withheld the number, and told News1 the examination confirmed multiple victims; two is the documented minimum. No student victims at the school per police. Documented minimum 2.","victimAgeRange":"adult","jurisdiction":"KR","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"criminal_charges","outcomeStatus":"ongoing","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.seoul.co.kr/news/society/accident/2026/09/23/20260923500094","primarySourceLabel":"Seoul Shinmun, 23 September 2026: police say there were no student victims; middle-school student who secretly filmed teachers and made deepfakes referred to prosecutors without detention","firstPublishedAt":"2026-09-23T03:45:58.820151+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-09-30T01:17:41.8046+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["deepfake","south-korea","jeju","teachers","school","illegal-filming","prosecutor-referral","depicted-or-impersonated"]},{"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)","aiProduct":"Unidentified image tool","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","updatedAt":"2026-09-30T01:17:52.80899+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["deepfakes","south-korea","non-consensual-imagery","university","criminal-charges","grok"]},{"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","aiProduct":"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","updatedAt":"2026-09-30T01:17:24.769959+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)","aiProduct":"Unidentified image tool","severity":"high","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["psychological_distress","reputational_harm","exploitation_or_abuse"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"Some 20 to 30 women had indecent and deepfake images of themselves generated with AI from their social-media photos; victims reported distress and had to share classes with the accused, and the criminal investigation was closed for insufficient evidence, leaving them without redress.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"supported","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":20,"affectedCountStatus":"documented_minimum","affectedCountEvidence":"CBS and Hong Kong Free Press report 20 to 30 women affected; NBC reports 'more than a dozen'; the PCPD (December 2025) referred to 20 to 30 victims. Documented minimum of 20; the ~700 figure counts images (deepfakes plus unedited saved photos), not people, and is not used as a person count.","victimAgeRange":"adult","jurisdiction":"HK","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"investigation_opened","outcomeStatus":"resolved","primarySourceUrl":"https://hongkongfp.com/2025/07/14/hku-student-who-allegedly-made-700-ai-generated-indecent-images-inc-of-classmates-gets-warning-letter/","primarySourceLabel":"Hong Kong Free Press, 13-14 July 2025: HKU student who allegedly made 700 AI-generated indecent images, inc. of classmates, gets warning letter","firstPublishedAt":"2026-01-29T09:52:32.902523+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-09-30T01:17:04.827976+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["deepfakes","hong-kong","university","ncii","sexual-images","legal-gap","investigation","east-asia","depicted-or-impersonated"]}]}