{"meta":{"exportedAt":"2026-11-14T10:48:37.394Z","formatVersion":2,"selection":{"q":"face-swap","system":"","harm":"","context":"","country":"","role":"","relation":"core","evidence":"","year":"2025","response":"","severity":"","verification":"","view":"incidents","sort":"added"},"totalIncidents":3,"coverage":{"cases":3,"countries":4,"languages":4,"unknownLocation":0,"locationPending":0,"unknownLanguage":0,"unknownDate":0,"lawsuits":1,"regulatory":0,"minors":0,"coreRelations":3,"contextualRelations":0,"mixedRelations":0,"unknownRelations":0,"relationPending":0,"relationUnknown":0},"countingNote":"Distinct public cases in this selection. People counts apply within individual cases only; cross-case person overlap has not been resolved. No population incidence estimate.","affectedCountNote":"Interpret person counts with affectedCountStatus and the reported effects. Unquantified zeros are placeholders, not a measured zero.","source":"AI incidents","publisher":"NOPE","url":"https://nope.net/incidents","license":"CC BY 4.0"},"incidents":[{"id":"2025-malaysia-based-ring-used-ai-deepfake-face-swap-to-pose-as-japanese-police-in-video-calls-eight-victims-prosecutors-say","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'佯稱被害人手機欠費，需要接受檢警調查，當被害人要求視訊查證時，即由' ... '利用AI變臉技術假冒日警進行視訊，致被害人陷於錯誤，將款項匯入指定金融帳戶'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'佯稱手機欠費並須配合檢警調查，再由本國籍成員操作AI深偽技術，假冒日本警察與被害人進行視訊對談'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"Taichung prosecutors say members of a Kuala Lumpur-based ring phoned people in Japan, said their phone bills were unpaid and they had to cooperate with a police and prosecutors' investigation, and when a victim asked for a video check, a member used AI deepfake face-swapping to appear as a Japanese police officer, leading victims to transfer money.","causal_attribution":"The investigating prosecutors' account, relayed by two outlets; one origin."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'不法利得共計日幣1865萬3667元'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'致使8名日籍被害人受騙匯款，金額高達1865萬日圓'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"Prosecutors say eight Japanese victims were deceived into transferring about 18.65 million yen (18,653,667 yen in illegal gains).","causal_attribution":"Prosecutors' figures; the count is from the Liberty Times relay of the same account."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'利用 ChatGPT 撰寫詐欺腳本，並以 AI Deepfake（深偽） 技術冒充日本警察'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Prosecutors say the ring's fraud scripts were written with ChatGPT.","causal_attribution":"Prosecutors' account as relayed by Minbao."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'馬來西亞警方在現場查扣了日本警察制服及偽造警察徽章' ... '不僅派員赴日取得被害人筆錄，更前往馬來西亞針對扣案電子設備進行數位採證' ... '犯後至今均未賠償被害人損失'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'馬來西亞警方去年8月間在吉隆坡查獲並逮捕10名機房成員'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"Malaysian police raided the base and arrested ten members in August 2025, seizing Japanese police uniforms and forged badges; prosecutors took victim statements in Japan, examined seized devices and indicted four defendants, who they say have not compensated the victims.","causal_attribution":"Prosecutors' account of the investigation; the August 2025 date is the Liberty Times relay (published June 2026, 'August last year')."},{"id":"c5","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'大阪府警の警察官を名乗り、東京都内の70代男性とビデオ通話を実施。捜査対象になっていると脅し、現金500万円を騙し取ったとして起訴された。' ... '生成AIを使い、制服姿の人物の顔を警察手帳の写真に即時変換する「リアルタイムディープフェイク（※）」を導入' ... 'グループは2025年6月以降、日本人8人から計約1900万円をだまし取った疑いがあり'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"Japanese reporting says members claiming to be Osaka police held a video call with a Tokyo man in his 70s and took 5 million yen, that the group used generative AI to convert a uniformed person's face in real time into the photo on a fake police ID, and that it is suspected of taking about 19 million yen from eight Japanese people since June 2025.","causal_attribution":"PlusWeb3's summary of Japanese reports; the underlying reports and the Japanese authorities' statements were not read."}],"effects":[{"label":"eight people in Japan transferred about 18.65 million yen after video calls with callers shown as Japanese police through AI face-swapping","claim_id":"c2","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.peoplenews.tw/articles/anti-fraud-alert/14492","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"zh-TW","translation_note":"Read in Chinese by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-28; English renderings are the agent's own translation. Minbao report of 29 Jan 2026 relaying the Taichung District Prosecutors Office's account of the indictment; HTTP 200.","independence_group":"taichung-prosecutors-account"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/society/breakingnews/5461268","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"zh-TW","translation_note":"Read in Chinese by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-28; English renderings are the agent's own translation. Liberty Times report of 4 Jun 2026 on an award to the prosecutors, restating the prosecutors' account of the case; HTTP 200.","independence_group":"taichung-prosecutors-account"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://plus-web3.com/media/latestnews_1010_7552/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"ja","translation_note":"Read in Japanese by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-28; English renderings are the agent's own translation. PlusWeb3 article of 4 Feb 2026 summarising Japanese reports of 30 Jan 2026 on the Japanese side of the case; the underlying reports were not read; HTTP 200.","independence_group":"japan-reports-30-jan-2026"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["finance","justice"],"unknowns":["Which face-swapping tool was used and how many calls used it.","Whether every one of the eight victims saw a deepfake officer.","The outcome of the Taiwanese indictment and of the Japanese charges.","Whether the Japanese-side reports summarised by PlusWeb3 concern exactly the same set of victims as the Taiwanese indictment (both give eight)."],"geography":{"basis":"Prosecutors and the Liberty Times say the call centre was in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and targeted people in Japan; PlusWeb3 places one victim in Tokyo. Prosecutors describe the victims as Japanese. The indictment was brought by prosecutors in Taiwan; no court ruling is reported, so no court country is recorded.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":["MY","JP"],"affected_person_countries":["JP"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published as a core case (depicted_or_impersonated): investigating prosecutors say a Malaysia-based ring used AI deepfake face-swapping in video calls to impersonate Japanese police toward people it had phoned, and eight victims transferred about 18.65 million yen. The attribution rests on the prosecutors' indictment account and is described separately in Japanese reporting; no verdict is reported.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-28"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The Taichung District Prosecutors Office, which took victim statements in Japan and examined devices seized in Malaysia, says a ring member used AI deepfake face-swapping in video calls to appear as a Japanese police officer when victims asked to verify the call, and that victims then transferred money. Japanese reporting relayed by PlusWeb3 separately describes the group's real-time AI face replacement in video calls. The prosecutors' technical findings beyond this description are not disclosed and the tool is not identified.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"Prosecutors say Malaysia-based ring used AI face-swapping to pose as Japanese police in video calls; eight victims lost about 18.65 million yen","summary":"Taiwan's Taichung District Prosecutors Office said in January 2026 that it had indicted members of a fraud ring that operated from a base in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from 2025. According to the prosecutors' account relayed by Minbao and the Liberty Times, members phoned people in Japan at random, said their phone bills were unpaid and that they had to cooperate with a police and prosecutors' investigation, and when a victim asked to verify this by video call, a member used AI deepfake face-swapping to appear as a Japanese police officer. Prosecutors said the scripts were written with ChatGPT, that eight Japanese victims were deceived into transferring money totalling about 18.65 million yen, and that the defendants had not compensated them. Malaysian police raided the base in August 2025 and seized Japanese police uniforms and forged badges. Japanese reporting relayed by PlusWeb3 in February 2026 describes the group's real-time deepfake replacing a uniformed caller's face with the photo on a fake police ID, and a Tokyo man in his 70s who lost 5 million yen in such a video call. No verdict is reported in the sources read.","incidentDate":"2025-06-01","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"month","exposurePattern":"single_interaction","reportedDate":"2026-01-29","aiSystem":"Real-time AI deepfake face-swapping software used in live video calls to show a caller as a Japanese police officer; tool not identified. Prosecutors also say the fraud scripts were written with ChatGPT.","aiProduct":"Unidentified video tool","severity":"medium","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["financial_loss"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"Taichung prosecutors say eight people in Japan transferred about 18.65 million yen after members of a Malaysia-based ring, phoning about unpaid bills and an investigation, appeared in video calls as Japanese police officers through AI deepfake face-swapping; Japanese reporting describes a Tokyo man in his 70s who lost 5 million yen this way.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":8,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"Eight Japanese victims who transferred money, per the Taichung prosecutors' account (Liberty Times); PlusWeb3's Japanese reporting also gives eight.","victimAgeRange":"unknown","jurisdiction":"TW","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"criminal_charges","outcomeStatus":"ongoing","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.peoplenews.tw/articles/anti-fraud-alert/14492","primarySourceLabel":"Minbao, 29 Jan 2026: ChatGPT scripts and AI deepfake Japanese police; Taiwanese ring defrauds Japanese victims","firstPublishedAt":"2026-10-28T03:09:56.451732+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-28T03:09:56.451732+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["deepfake-video-call","police-impersonation","real-time-face-swap","fraud","malaysia","japan","taiwan","depicted-or-impersonated"]},{"id":"2025-beijing-internet-court-short-drama-maker-used-ai-face-swap-resembling-well-known-actress-portrait-infringement","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'2025年4月，有网友质疑一部网络短剧疑似把演员AI换脸成知名女演员' ... '大量网友误认为' ... '参演了该剧，相关话题在多个社交平台引发讨论。'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"In April 2025 internet users questioned whether an online short drama had used AI face-swapping to make a performer look like a well-known actress, and many believed she had appeared in it.","causal_attribution":"Report drawing on Beijing Daily."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'法院认定，短剧制作方A公司擅自使用深度合成技术生成与某知名演员高度相似的形象，侵害其肖像权；短剧播出方B公司未尽合理审查义务，同样承担相应责任。'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'法院认定，短剧制作方擅自使用深度合成技术生成与某演员高度相似的形象，侵害其肖像权；短剧播出方未尽合理审查义务，同样承担相应责任。'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"On 20 March 2026 the Beijing Internet Court announced that the production company had used deep-synthesis technology without permission to generate a likeness highly similar to the actress, infringing her portrait rights, and that the broadcaster had failed its duty of reasonable review.","causal_attribution":"The court's notice as reported; a court finding."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'法庭上，A公司辩称，涉案形象系通过AI生成，未输入与原告相关指令，也难以预见生成形象会与原告产生关联。' ... '法院查明，涉案短剧共44集、总时长约90分钟，其中两个片段使用AI换脸技术，换脸后的演员面部与原告外貌具有一定相似度。' ... 'A公司虽提交创作过程说明，但未能按法庭要求复现换脸过程，其证据未被采信。'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The court found that two segments of the 44-episode, roughly 90-minute drama used AI face-swapping; the maker argued the image was AI-generated without any prompt relating to the actress but could not reproduce the face-swap process in court.","causal_attribution":"Court findings and the maker's argument as reported."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'最终，法院判决A公司、B公司分别在其运营的涉案视频账号向原告发布书面致歉声明并赔偿经济损失。双方均未上诉，一审判决已生效。'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'要求其公开致歉并赔偿经济损失。双方均未上诉，判决现已生效。'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"The court ordered the production company and the broadcaster to post written apologies on their video accounts and pay economic damages; neither appealed and the judgment took effect.","causal_attribution":"The judgment as reported by two outlets relaying the court notice."}],"effects":[{"label":"well-known actress's likeness generated by AI face-swap in a commercial short drama without permission","claim_id":"c2","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://finance.sina.com.cn/wm/2026-03-20/doc-inhrrzus0628987.shtml","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"zh","translation_note":"Read in Chinese on 2026-10-24 (HTTP 200); quoted passages are kept in Chinese and the English sense was rendered by the research agent (an AI), not a human translator. Sina Finance report credited to Beijing Daily and earlier reporting, 20 March 2026.","independence_group":"beijing-internet-court-notice-20-mar-2026"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://news.bjd.com.cn/2026/03/20/90079784.shtml","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"zh","translation_note":"Read in Chinese on 2026-10-24 (HTTP 200); quoted passages are kept in Chinese and the English sense was rendered by the research agent (an AI), not a human translator. Beijing Daily report of the court's 20 March 2026 notice; the captured page carries only the lead paragraph.","independence_group":"beijing-internet-court-notice-20-mar-2026"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://www.jiemian.com/article/14185974.html","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"zh","translation_note":"Read in Chinese on 2026-10-24 (HTTP 200); quoted passages are kept in Chinese and the English sense was rendered by the research agent (an AI), not a human translator. Jiemian page of 31 March 2026 carrying a Yule Ziben Lun column on the case and the companies involved.","independence_group":"beijing-internet-court-notice-20-mar-2026"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["work","justice"],"unknowns":["Which AI tool was used.","The amount of economic damages awarded.","When the drama was released and how many people saw it."],"geography":{"basis":"The drama was distributed on Chinese social and video platforms and the case was decided by the Beijing Internet Court (Sina, BJD). The actress's country is not stated in the sources and is left empty.","court_countries":["CN"],"event_countries":["CN"],"affected_person_countries":[]},"publication":{"basis":"Published as a core case (depicted_or_impersonated): the Beijing Internet Court found that a short-drama maker used AI face-swap (deep-synthesis) technology to generate an identifiable likeness of a well-known actress without permission and held it and the broadcaster liable for infringing her portrait rights; the maker itself said the image was AI-generated.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-24"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The Beijing Internet Court, as reported by Beijing Daily and Sina Finance, found that two segments of the short drama used AI face-swap technology and that the production company used deep-synthesis technology to generate a likeness highly similar to the actress; the company itself told the court the image was AI-generated. The generated face depicts the actress (depicted_or_impersonated) and is the infringement the court found. No tool is named.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"Beijing Internet Court finds a short-drama maker used AI face-swapping to give a performer a well-known actress's likeness, infringing her portrait rights","summary":"On 20 March 2026 the Beijing Internet Court announced a portrait-rights judgment over an online short drama in which, it found, the production company used deep-synthesis (AI face-swap) technology to generate an image highly similar to a well-known actress, according to Beijing Daily and a Sina Finance report drawing on it. In April 2025 internet users had questioned whether the drama had face-swapped a performer into the actress, and many believed she had appeared in it. The court found that two segments of the 44-episode, roughly 90-minute drama used AI face-swapping and that the face resembled the actress closely enough for the public to identify her. The maker argued that the image was generated by AI without any prompt relating to her and could not reproduce its process in court. The court held the maker liable for portrait-rights infringement and the broadcaster liable for failing to review the content, and ordered both to post written apologies on their video accounts and pay economic damages; neither appealed. The amount is not reported in the sources read.","incidentDate":"2025-04-01","incidentKind":"single_event","incidentDatePrecision":"month","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2026-03-20","aiSystem":"Deep-synthesis (AI face-swap) technology used by the production company in two segments of an online short drama, as found by the court (tool not identified)","aiProduct":"Unidentified video tool","severity":"low","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["exploitation_or_abuse"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"The Beijing Internet Court found that a short-drama maker used AI face-swapping to generate a well-known actress's identifiable likeness without permission, infringing her portrait rights; many viewers believed she had appeared in the drama.","frameworkFacets":[],"pathwayDirection":"outward","causationStatus":"established","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":1,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"One person: the actress whose portrait rights the court found infringed. Viewers who believed she appeared are an audience and are not counted.","victimAgeRange":"adult","jurisdiction":"CN","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"lawsuit_filed","outcomeStatus":"resolved","primarySourceUrl":"https://finance.sina.com.cn/wm/2026-03-20/doc-inhrrzus0628987.shtml","primarySourceLabel":"Sina Finance (from Beijing Daily), 20 March 2026: court rules on AI face-swap of a well-known actress in a short drama","firstPublishedAt":"2026-10-24T03:17:28.483888+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-24T03:17:28.483888+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["ai-face-swap","deep-synthesis","short-drama","portrait-rights","court-ruling","china","depicted-or-impersonated"]},{"id":"2025-queens-prosecutors-say-council-candidate-used-ai-to-fake-endorsements-and-news-reports-about-opponent","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"documented","evidence":[{"locator":"'was arraigned today on a criminal complaint charging him with three counts of forgery in the third degree and 15 counts of criminal possession of a forged instrument in the third degree.'; 'was arrested on June 24 by members of the Queens District Attorney’s Detective Bureau.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The Queens District Attorney charged a former New York City Council candidate in District 29 with three counts of third-degree forgery and 15 counts of third-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument; he was arrested on 24 June 2026 and arraigned on a criminal complaint.","causal_attribution":"The district attorney's own record of the charges; the charges are accusations."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Court-authorized subpoena records and search warrants revealed that, between January 17 and November 4, 2025,'; 'routinely and deliberately created and posted AI-generated images on his official social media accounts – primarily Facebook and Instagram – that falsely depicted endorsements from individuals and organizations that had not backed his candidacy and in fact, backed the opposition.'; 'allegedly used specific AI prompts to manufacture fraudulent news articles, using the logo and branding of legitimate news organizations'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Prosecutors allege that subpoena records and search warrants showed that between 17 January and 4 November 2025 the candidate created and posted AI-generated images on his campaign's Facebook and Instagram accounts that falsely depicted endorsements, and used AI prompts to make fake news articles carrying the branding of real news organisations.","causal_attribution":"The prosecutors' allegation, based on records their investigation obtained; not yet tested in court."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'on October 4, 2025,'; 'The article depicted a photograph of the defendant shaking hands with former New York City Council Member Robert Holden under the title,'; 'He then allegedly prompted an AI platform to: “Take the first image and face swap the man in the left on the second image”'; 'The generated image fictitiously depicted the defendant shaking hands with the former council member'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Prosecutors say that on 4 October 2025 the candidate prompted an AI platform to face-swap his own face into a photo, producing an image of him shaking hands with former council member Robert Holden, which he placed in a fake New York Post article claiming Holden had endorsed him.","causal_attribution":"The prosecutors' account of the prompts recovered in their investigation."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'“It's a fake, AI-generated image and Holden did not endorse Rinaldi,” said Holden’s longtime Chief of Staff Daniel Kurzyna, whose name is used as the byline on the story.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"In October 2025 the former council member's chief of staff told the Queens Daily Eagle that the handshake image was a fake, AI-generated image and that the former member had not endorsed the candidate.","causal_attribution":"The chief of staff's statement to the Eagle; he does not say how he knew the image was AI-generated."},{"id":"c5","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'prompted Google Gemini to place that image onto a fictious Amsterdam News article.'; 'The fake article generated by his prompts, titled “Mamdani supporter Councilwoman … questioned by police for hacking,”'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Prosecutors say that in October 2025 the candidate prompted Google Gemini to place a photo taken from the official Instagram account of his opponent, incumbent Council Member Lynn Schulman, onto a fake Amsterdam News article whose headline said a councilwoman who supported Mamdani had been questioned by police for hacking, and posted it to Instagram.","causal_attribution":"The prosecutors' account of the prompts recovered in their investigation."},{"id":"c6","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'On October 24, 2025,'; 'published a fictitious video to his Facebook account that was generated with Sora, an OpenAI application, with the caption, “!!!!Breaking news!!!! Lynn Schulman drops out of race for city council !!!”'; 'two additional videos were manufactured to mimic fictious broadcast segments.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Prosecutors say that on 24 October 2025 the candidate posted a video generated with OpenAI's Sora in which a purported news anchor announced that his opponent had ended her campaign, and posted further fake articles and videos saying she had dropped out.","causal_attribution":"The prosecutors' allegation."},{"id":"c7","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'public institutions that do not allow political endorsements, were AI-generated videos that depicted what appeared to be police officers and children making statements in support of'; 'None of the officers or children depicted worked at the precinct or attended P.S. 101.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Prosecutors say the candidate also posted AI-generated videos of what appeared to be police officers and children endorsing him on behalf of a police precinct and an elementary school, public institutions that do not allow political endorsements; none of the people shown worked at the precinct or attended the school.","causal_attribution":"The prosecutors' allegation."},{"id":"c8","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'In a recorded call that occurred several days after the image was posted, the head of QJA spoke with'; 'The manipulated QJA endorsement was taken down but then subsequently re-posted to the defendant’s Facebook and Instagram accounts on October 29, 2025.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Prosecutors say the head of the Queens Jewish Alliance spoke with the candidate in a recorded call to ask about an altered copy of the alliance's endorsement sheet, and that the post was taken down and then re-posted on 29 October 2025.","causal_attribution":"The prosecutors' account; they describe this sheet as altered and do not say which tool altered it."},{"id":"c9","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'“My opponent has decided that his best path to victory is by lying about me and creating fake news to divide our community.”'; '“Any person who would stoop to creating and publishing fake news and AI videos to divide the community is wholly unfit to serve in elected office,” the councilmember added.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"In October 2025 the opponent said in a statement that her opponent was lying about her and creating fake news to divide the community, and that anyone who would create and publish fake news and AI videos was unfit for office.","causal_attribution":"The opponent's own statement to the Eagle."},{"id":"c10","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'“My accounts have definitely been hacked and I’m looking into it,” he said.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'He said he would not confirm or deny that he made the posts or generated the images at issue.'; '“This is an issue that strikes at the heart of our First Amendment freedoms — not just for me, but for everybody.”'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"In October 2025 the candidate told the Queens Daily Eagle that his accounts had been hacked, and in June 2026 he told the Associated Press he would not confirm or deny making the posts or generating the images and called the case a free-speech issue.","causal_attribution":"The accused's own statements, recorded as counterevidence; the Eagle notes the accounts had posted apparently AI-created images since April 2025."},{"id":"c11","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'including some of his Democratic opponent, Lynn Schulman, appearing to wear a shirt that read “Hot Girls for Zohran.”'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"},{"locator":"'also posted doctored images of his opponent Schulman, standing next to Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani and wearing branded “Hot Girls for Zohran” T-shirts.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"According to the Associated Press's account of the complaint, prosecutors allege the candidate used AI to make doctored photos of his opponent appearing to wear a shirt reading “Hot Girls for Zohran”; the Queens Daily Eagle reported on 6 October 2025 that his campaign accounts had posted doctored images of her wearing such T-shirts.","causal_attribution":"The AI use is the prosecutors' allegation as relayed by the AP; the Eagle describes the images as doctored without naming a tool."}],"effects":[{"label":"the opponent said in October 2025 that her opponent was lying about her and creating fake news","claim_id":"c9","direction":"negative"},{"label":"an AI face-swapped image showed a former council member endorsing a candidate he did not back; his office called it fake","claim_id":"c4","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://queensda.org/former-city-council-candidate-charged-with-forgery-for-disseminating-altered-political-endorsements-and-phony-news-reports/","kind":"press_release","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Queens County District Attorney press release, 24 June 2026, summarising the criminal complaint and the investigation's subpoena and search-warrant records; read in full (HTTP 200).","independence_group":"queens-da-complaint-jun-2026"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://queenseagle.com/all/2025/10/6/queens-council-candidate-flaunts-fake-endorsements-and-doctored-news-articles","kind":"original_news_reporting","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Queens Daily Eagle, 6 October 2025, contemporaneous report with its own statements from the opponent, a state assembly member, the former council member's chief of staff and the candidate; read in full (HTTP 200).","independence_group":"queens-eagle-6-oct-2025"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/politics/new-york-city-council-candidate-is-accused-of-forgery-over-ai-generated-posts/6517926/","kind":"wire_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Associated Press report published by NBC New York, 25 June 2026, with the AP's own phone interview of the accused; its account of the charges relays the district attorney's complaint; read in full (HTTP 200).","independence_group":"ap-24-jun-2026"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["elections","public_life","justice"],"unknowns":["Which AI platform produced the face-swapped handshake image; the prosecutors quote the prompt but do not name the platform.","How many people saw the posts, and whether any voter acted on them.","The outcome of the criminal case."],"geography":{"basis":"The posts concerned a 2025 New York City Council race in Queens District 29, the depicted officials are Queens elected officials, and the charges were brought by the Queens District Attorney in Queens Criminal Court (district attorney release, Queens Daily Eagle).","court_countries":["US"],"event_countries":["US"],"affected_person_countries":["US"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published as a core case (depicted_or_impersonated): the Queens District Attorney alleges, from subpoena records and search warrants, that a council candidate used an AI face swap, Google Gemini and OpenAI's Sora to make images, a fake article and a newscast video depicting a former council member's endorsement and his opponent's withdrawal; the opponent and the former member's office objected in October 2025. The charges are accusations and the accused has not admitted the posts.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-19"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The Queens District Attorney, citing court-authorised subpoena records and search warrants, alleges the specific AI use: a prompt to an AI platform to face-swap the candidate into a photo, producing an image of him shaking hands with a former council member; prompts to Google Gemini that produced a fake newspaper article about his opponent; and a video generated with OpenAI's Sora announcing that she had quit. The former council member's chief of staff separately told the Queens Daily Eagle in October 2025 that the handshake image was fake and AI-generated. The accused said his accounts were hacked and has not confirmed or denied making the posts; the charges are untested.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"Queens prosecutors say a City Council candidate used AI to fake endorsements and news reports, including a video saying his opponent quit","summary":"The Queens District Attorney charged a former candidate for New York City Council District 29 with forgery in June 2026, alleging that from January to November 2025 he posted AI-generated images, fake news articles and videos on his campaign's Facebook and Instagram accounts. Prosecutors say subpoena records and search warrants show he prompted an AI platform to face-swap himself into a photo shaking hands with former Council Member Robert Holden for a fake New York Post endorsement story, used Google Gemini to make a fake Amsterdam News article saying his opponent, Council Member Lynn Schulman, was questioned by police, and posted a Sora-generated newscast announcing that she had dropped out. They also allege AI videos of apparent police officers and children endorsing him. In October 2025 Holden's chief of staff told the Queens Daily Eagle the handshake image was fake and AI-generated, and Schulman said her opponent was lying about her and creating fake news. The accused said his accounts were hacked and later told the AP he would not confirm or deny making the posts.","incidentDate":"2025-01-17","incidentEndDate":"2025-11-04","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"day","exposurePattern":"repeated_interactions","reportedDate":"2025-10-06","aiSystem":"Google Gemini and OpenAI's Sora, plus an unnamed AI platform used for a face swap, as identified by Queens prosecutors from the candidate's prompts","aiProduct":"Gemini and Sora (reported)","aiCompany":"Google; OpenAI","severity":"low","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["reputational_harm"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"Prosecutors allege AI-made posts falsely showed a former council member endorsing a candidate and falsely reported that the candidate's opponent had dropped out and been questioned by police; the opponent said on 6 October 2025 that her opponent was lying about her and creating fake news, and the former member's office called the image fake.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":2,"affectedCountStatus":"partial","affectedCountEvidence":"Two depicted officials whose objections are reported are counted: the opponent (her statement to the Queens Daily Eagle) and the former council member (his chief of staff's statement that the image was fake and AI-generated). Other officials, organisations, the depicted institutions and voters are not counted.","victimAgeRange":"adult","jurisdiction":"US-NY","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"criminal_charges","outcomeStatus":"pending","primarySourceUrl":"https://queensda.org/former-city-council-candidate-charged-with-forgery-for-disseminating-altered-political-endorsements-and-phony-news-reports/","primarySourceLabel":"Queens District Attorney, 24 June 2026: former City Council candidate charged with forgery over altered endorsements and phony news reports","firstPublishedAt":"2026-10-19T03:05:46.305704+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-19T03:05:46.305704+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["election","deepfake","ai-generated-image","ai-generated-video","fake-news-article","forgery-charge","public-figure","depicted"]}]}