{ "meta": { "exportedAt": "2026-09-22T16:45:32.908Z", "formatVersion": 2, "selection": { "q": "instagram", "system": "", "harm": "", "context": "", "country": "", "role": "", "relation": "", "evidence": "", "year": "unknown", "response": "", "severity": "", "verification": "", "view": "incidents", "sort": "added" }, "totalIncidents": 3, "coverage": { "cases": 3, "countries": 1, "languages": 2, "unknownLocation": 0, "locationPending": 0, "unknownLanguage": 0, "unknownDate": 3, "lawsuits": 0, "regulatory": 1, "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": "NOPE Incident Tracker", "url": "https://nope.net/incidents", "license": "CC BY 4.0" }, "incidents": [ { "id": "2026-varanasi-chaubepur-ai-deepfake-images-wedding-sabotage", "caseFacts": { "claims": [ { "id": "c1", "status": "reported", "evidence": [ { "locator": "'एक युवती का आरोप है कि अज्ञात व्यक्ति ने एआई की मदद से उसकी आपत्तिजनक डीपफेक तस्वीरें तैयार कीं और उन्हें उसके होने वाले ससुराल वालों के इंस्टाग्राम अकाउंट पर भेज दिया'; 'एक अज्ञात मोबाइल नंबर से उसे लगातार फोन कर परेशान किया जा रहा था'; 'आरोपी ने इंस्टाग्राम पर उसके नाम से मिलता-जुलता एक फर्जी प्रोफाइल बनाया'; 'आरोपी ने एआई टूल की मदद से उसका चेहरा किसी अन्य युवक की तस्वीर पर लगाकर आपत्तिजनक तस्वीरें तैयार कीं'", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s1" } ], "assertion": "The complainant alleges that an unknown person who harassed her with repeated calls created a fake Instagram profile resembling her name, used an AI tool to place her face on another young man's photograph to make objectionable images, and sent them to her prospective in-laws' and prospective brother-in-law's Instagram accounts to break off her marriage.", "causal_attribution": "Complainant's allegation as reported; under police investigation." }, { "id": "c2", "status": "reported", "evidence": [ { "locator": "'चौबेपुर पुलिस ने जनसुनवाई संदर्भ संख्या 1621/26 के आधार पर अज्ञात के खिलाफ मामला दर्ज किया है'; 'साइबर विशेषज्ञों की मदद से आरोपी की पहचान और लोकेशन से संबंधित तकनीकी साक्ष्य जुटाने का प्रयास किया जा रहा है'; 'जांच में आरोपी की भूमिका स्पष्ट होने के बाद नियमानुसार कार्रवाई की जाएगी'", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s1" } ], "assertion": "Chaubepur police registered a case against unknown persons on public-hearing reference 1621/26; the station in-charge said digital details of the number and the fake account were being gathered with cyber experts to identify and locate the accused, with action to follow.", "causal_attribution": "Police statement as reported." } ], "effects": [ { "label": "AI-made objectionable images of the complainant were sent to her prospective in-laws to break off her marriage, after repeated harassing calls", "claim_id": "c1", "direction": "negative" } ], "sources": [ { "id": "s1", "url": "https://www.bhaskar.com/local/uttar-pradesh/varanasi/chiraigaon/news/varanasi-deepfake-case-girl-wedding-sabotage-chaubepur-ai-police-probe-139078997.html", "kind": "news_report", "access": "read", "language": "hi", "translation_note": "Read live in Hindi on 2026-09-20 (HTTP 200). Local report of the complaint with the station in-charge quoted; quotations translated by the reviewer.", "independence_group": "dainik-bhaskar-varanasi-2026-09-19" } ], "version": 1, "ai_roles": [ "others_use" ], "contexts": [ "relationships", "everyday_life", "privacy" ], "unknowns": [ "The dates of the calls, the images and the complaint are not stated.", "The AI tool and the number of images are not stated.", "No arrest is reported and the accused is unidentified.", "Whether the marriage arrangement was affected is not reported." ], "geography": { "basis": "Chaubepur police-station area, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh (Dainik Bhaskar). No court proceeding.", "court_countries": [], "event_countries": [ "IN" ], "affected_person_countries": [ "IN" ] }, "publication": { "basis": "Published under the 2026-09-15 charter as a harmful-artifact case affecting one identified (unnamed) woman, with a registered police case. One Hindi local report read; claims recorded as reported and attributed to the complaint and the station in-charge. No names; no image description beyond 'objectionable'.", "reviewed_on": "2026-09-20" }, "ai_involvement": { "basis": "The complainant alleges that the accused used an AI tool to place her face on another man's photograph to create objectionable images (Dainik Bhaskar, reporting her complaint); police have registered a case and are investigating. No police or technical confirmation of the AI element is reported and the tool is unnamed.", "status": "reported" }, "person_relations": [ "depicted_or_impersonated" ] }, "name": "Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh: a young woman reported that an unknown person made AI deepfake images placing her face on another man's photo and sent them to her future in-laws' Instagram accounts to break off her marriage; police registered a case against unknown persons", "summary": "Dainik Bhaskar reported on 19 September 2026 that a young woman in the Chaubepur police-station area of Varanasi complained that an unknown person, who had been calling her repeatedly from an unknown number, created a fake Instagram profile resembling her name, used an AI tool to place her face on another young man's photograph to produce objectionable images, and sent them to the Instagram accounts of her prospective in-laws and her prospective brother-in-law with the aim of breaking off her prospective marriage. Chaubepur police registered a case against unknown persons on the basis of a public-hearing reference (1621/26); the station in-charge said digital information about the phone number and the fake account was being gathered with cyber experts to identify and locate the accused, and that action would follow once the accused's role was clear. The report is a single local account of the complaint; the dates of the images and the complaint are not stated.", "incidentKind": "single_event", "incidentDatePrecision": "unknown", "exposurePattern": "single_interaction", "reportedDate": "2026-09-19", "aiSystem": "AI face-swap or image-editing tool (not identified)", "severity": "medium", "verificationStatus": "credible", "harmCategories": [], "harmOutcomes": [ "exploitation_or_abuse", "reputational_harm", "psychological_distress" ], "harmOutcomeSummary": "A woman's face was used in AI-made objectionable images sent to her prospective in-laws with the reported aim of breaking off her prospective marriage, after repeated harassing calls; the harm is attributed by the complainant to an unknown person and is under police investigation.", "frameworkFacets": [], "causationStatus": "alleged", "participantUsersAffectedMin": 0, "otherPeopleHarmedMin": 1, "affectedCountStatus": "exact", "affectedCountEvidence": "One complainant whose face was used (Dainik Bhaskar). Exact 1. The in-laws who received the images are recipients, not counted as harmed.", "victimAgeRange": "adult", "jurisdiction": "IN", "platformType": "other", "outcomeType": "investigation_opened", "outcomeStatus": "ongoing", "primarySourceUrl": "https://www.bhaskar.com/local/uttar-pradesh/varanasi/chiraigaon/news/varanasi-deepfake-case-girl-wedding-sabotage-chaubepur-ai-police-probe-139078997.html", "primarySourceLabel": "Dainik Bhaskar (Varanasi), 19 September 2026: चिरईगांव में AI से युवती की डीपफेक तस्वीरें बनाकर भेजीं: शादी तुड़वाने की कोशिश, पुलिस ने केस दर्ज कर शुरू की जांच", "firstPublishedAt": "2026-09-20T03:28:21.482053+00:00", "scopeVersion": "facts-v3", "tags": [ "deepfake", "non-consensual-imagery", "ai-face-swap", "instagram", "harassment", "marriage", "varanasi", "uttar-pradesh", "india" ] }, { "id": "2026-delhi-ai-obscene-images-college-acquaintance-discord", "caseFacts": { "claims": [ { "id": "c1", "status": "reported", "evidence": [ { "locator": "'the 22-year-old woman approached the Cyber Police Station in North Delhi and alleged that unknown persons had created and circulated AI-generated obscene photographs and videos using her facial images'; 'her morphed photographs and videos were being circulated through Discord servers'; 'threatening messages were being sent to her with the intention of humiliating and harassing her'", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s1" }, { "locator": "'Police received a complaint from the 22-year-old woman telling that unknown persons had created and circulated obscene AI-generated photographs and videos using her facial images'", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s2" } ], "assertion": "The 22-year-old complainant reported to the Cyber Police Station in North Delhi that AI-generated obscene photographs and videos using her facial images were being created and circulated through Discord servers and fake Instagram accounts, and that threatening messages were being sent to humiliate and harass her.", "causal_attribution": "Police account of the complaint (one chain)." }, { "id": "c2", "status": "reported", "evidence": [ { "locator": "'A 22-year-old man was arrested for allegedly using photographs of a college acquaintance taken from her private social media account to create obscene AI-generated images and circulate them through fake social media accounts, police said on Wednesday'; 'He obtained photographs of the complainant from her private account and used AI-based image-generation and editing technology to create obscene morphed images'; 'after the initial content was uploaded, unknown online users created more explicit AI-generated images and videos, which he subsequently reposted on the platform'; 'allegedly operated multiple fake Instagram, Discord and Facebook accounts and used several Gmail IDs to maintain anonymity'", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s1" }, { "locator": "'used AI-based tools to create obscene images, which he uploaded on anonymous Discord servers'; 'later reposted more explicit AI-generated images and videos created by other users'", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s2" } ], "assertion": "Police arrested a 22-year-old BTech graduate from East Punjabi Bagh, saying he took her photographs from her private account, used AI image-generation and editing tools to create obscene morphed images, uploaded them to anonymous Discord servers and reposted more explicit AI-generated material made by other users, operating multiple fake accounts to stay anonymous.", "causal_attribution": "Police statement; the accused is untried." }, { "id": "c3", "status": "reported", "evidence": [ { "locator": "'he knew the complainant from college and that personal resentment had developed between them following repeated insults'; 'police recovered a mobile phone, two SIM cards'; 'Further investigation is under way'", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s1" }, { "locator": "'he allegedly told police that he knew the woman from college and was resentful of her after repeated insults'", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s2" } ], "assertion": "Police say the accused told them he knew the complainant from college and had developed personal resentment after repeated insults; a mobile phone, two SIM cards and other digital evidence were recovered, and investigation continues.", "causal_attribution": "Police account of the interrogation." } ], "effects": [ { "label": "AI-generated obscene images and videos of the complainant circulated on Discord servers and fake Instagram accounts, with threatening messages sent to humiliate and harass her", "claim_id": "c1", "direction": "negative" } ], "sources": [ { "id": "s1", "url": "https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/delhi/delhi-man-held-for-circulating-obscene-ai-generated-photos-of-college-acquaintance/", "kind": "news_report", "access": "read", "language": "en", "translation_note": "Read live in English on 2026-09-20 (HTTP 200). PTI report quoting a senior police officer.", "independence_group": "delhi-police-2026-09-09" }, { "id": "s2", "url": "https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/resentment-leads-techie-to-circulate-fake-obscene-images-of-woman-online/articleshow/133980172.cms", "kind": "news_report", "access": "read", "language": "en", "translation_note": "Read live in English on 2026-09-20 (HTTP 200). Times of India Delhi report of the same police account.", "independence_group": "delhi-police-2026-09-09" } ], "version": 1, "ai_roles": [ "others_use" ], "contexts": [ "everyday_life", "privacy", "relationships" ], "unknowns": [ "The dates of the circulation and of the complaint are not stated; only the arrest announcement (9 September 2026) is dated.", "The AI tools used are not identified.", "The other online users who made further images and videos are unidentified.", "No charge sheet or court proceeding is reported." ], "geography": { "basis": "Complaint at the Cyber Police Station, North Delhi; accused resident of East Punjabi Bagh, Delhi (police statement in both reports). No court proceeding reported.", "court_countries": [], "event_countries": [ "IN" ], "affected_person_countries": [ "IN" ] }, "publication": { "basis": "Published under the 2026-09-15 charter as a harmful-artifact and harassment case with one identified (unnamed) depicted person, a police complaint and an arrest. Two English reports read, both carrying the Delhi Police account; claims recorded as reported. The complainant is unnamed in the sources; the accused, named by police, is not named here because the case is untried; no image content is described beyond 'obscene AI-generated images'.", "reviewed_on": "2026-09-20" }, "ai_involvement": { "basis": "Delhi Police state that the accused used AI-based image-generation and editing technology to create obscene morphed images from photographs taken from the complainant's private account, and that other users then made more explicit AI-generated images and videos which he reposted. The tools are not identified. Both inspected reports carry the police account.", "status": "reported" }, "person_relations": [ "depicted_or_impersonated" ] }, "name": "Delhi: a 22-year-old engineering graduate was arrested for turning a college acquaintance's private social-media photographs into AI-generated obscene images uploaded to anonymous Discord servers, and for reposting more explicit AI-generated images and videos that other users made; the complainant also reported threatening messages from anonymous accounts", "summary": "Delhi Police announced on Wednesday 9 September 2026 the arrest of a 22-year-old BTech graduate from East Punjabi Bagh after a 22-year-old woman complained to the Cyber Police Station in North Delhi that unknown persons had created and circulated AI-generated obscene photographs and videos using her facial images. She had received messages from anonymous Instagram accounts telling her that morphed photographs and videos of her were being circulated on Discord servers; she also alleged that fake Instagram accounts were posting the material and that threatening messages were being sent to her to humiliate and harass her. Police traced linked Instagram, Discord and Gmail accounts to the accused, who they say obtained her photographs from her private account, used AI image-generation and editing tools to create the images, uploaded them to anonymous Discord servers and later reposted more explicit AI-generated images and videos made by other users. Police say he told them he knew her from college and had developed personal resentment after repeated insults. A mobile phone and two SIM cards were recovered; investigation continues. The period over which the material circulated is not stated.", "incidentKind": "bounded_series", "incidentDatePrecision": "unknown", "exposurePattern": "repeated_interactions", "reportedDate": "2026-09-09", "aiSystem": "AI-based image-generation and editing tools (not identified)", "severity": "high", "verificationStatus": "credible", "harmCategories": [], "harmOutcomes": [ "exploitation_or_abuse", "psychological_distress", "reputational_harm" ], "harmOutcomeSummary": "A woman's face was used in AI-generated obscene images and videos circulated on Discord servers and fake Instagram accounts, and she reported threatening messages intended to humiliate and harass her. Police attribute the initial images and the reposting to the arrested acquaintance and the more explicit images and videos to unidentified users; neither inspected report attributes the threatening messages to any identified person.", "frameworkFacets": [], "causationStatus": "supported", "participantUsersAffectedMin": 0, "otherPeopleHarmedMin": 1, "affectedCountStatus": "exact", "affectedCountEvidence": "One complainant whose facial images were used (police statement). Exact 1. The accused used the AI tools, so she is counted as another person harmed.", "victimAgeRange": "adult", "jurisdiction": "IN", "platformType": "other", "outcomeType": "criminal_charges", "outcomeStatus": "ongoing", "primarySourceUrl": "https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/delhi/delhi-man-held-for-circulating-obscene-ai-generated-photos-of-college-acquaintance/", "primarySourceLabel": "The Tribune (PTI), 9 September 2026: Delhi: Man held for circulating obscene AI-generated photos of college acquaintance", "firstPublishedAt": "2026-09-20T03:28:19.105091+00:00", "scopeVersion": "facts-v3", "tags": [ "deepfake", "non-consensual-imagery", "ai-generated", "discord", "instagram", "harassment", "delhi", "india", "arrest" ] }, { "id": "2026-surat-mp-dholakia-deepfake-old-coin-fraud", "caseFacts": { "claims": [ { "id": "c1", "status": "reported", "evidence": [ { "locator": "'used artificial intelligence to manipulate publicly available videos and photographs of Dholakia, replacing the original audio with a voice-over'; 'created multiple fake Facebook profiles using the name \"Old Coin Company\"'; 'his organisation, SRK, to approach the Surat Cyber Crime Police'.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s1" } ], "assertion": "A publicly available video of MP Govind Dholakia was manipulated with AI and re-voiced to promote high-value old-coin deals; fake 'Old Coin Company' Facebook profiles used his images; his organisation SRK complained to Surat Cyber Crime Police after members of the public contacted him.", "causal_attribution": "Police account reported by India Today; single chain." }, { "id": "c2", "status": "reported", "evidence": [ { "locator": "'Victims were then asked to transfer amounts ranging from Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,500 through UPI'; 'Nine complaints registered on the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP) across the country have been linked to these accounts, with the total fraud amount reported at approximately Rs 9.84 crore'; 'arresting the two men'.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s1" } ], "assertion": "Victims were asked to pay Rs 1,000 to 1,500 by UPI as fees; police arrested two men from Nuh, Haryana, linked ten bank accounts to them and connected nine NCRP complaints totalling about Rs 9.84 crore to those accounts.", "causal_attribution": "Police account reported by India Today; the Rs 9.84 crore figure is the police total for the linked complaints, not necessarily the coin scheme alone." } ], "effects": [ { "label": "people paid UPI 'fees' to an old-coin fraud fronted by an AI-manipulated video of an MP; nine cybercrime complaints linked to the accused's accounts", "claim_id": "c2", "direction": "negative" } ], "sources": [ { "id": "s1", "url": "https://www.indiatoday.in/cities/other-cities/story/surat-mp-deepfake-scam-govindbhai-dholakia-old-coin-fraud-two-arrested-2996319-2026-09-16", "kind": "news_report", "access": "read", "language": "en", "translation_note": "Read in English on 2026-09-18 via the MSN content API copy of the India Today report (16 Sep 2026), which names the source URL; it carries the Surat Cyber Crime Police account.", "independence_group": "india-today" } ], "version": 1, "ai_roles": [ "others_use" ], "contexts": [ "finance", "everyday_life", "justice" ], "unknowns": [ "How much of the Rs 9.84 crore came from the coin scheme versus other frauds through the same accounts is not stated.", "When the video began circulating is not stated.", "Whether the two men have been charged and the case number are not reported.", "The AI tools used are not identified." ], "geography": { "basis": "Complaint and investigation in Surat, Gujarat; arrests in Nuh, Haryana; complainants 'across the country' on the NCRP (India Today). No court proceeding reported yet.", "court_countries": [], "event_countries": [ "IN" ], "affected_person_countries": [ "IN" ] }, "publication": { "basis": "Published under the 2026-09-15 charter as an impersonation-fraud case with reported financial harm to identified complainants and a police investigation with arrests. One reputable news chain carrying the police account was read; all claims are recorded as reported. Complainants unnamed; the MP is a public figure named in the police complaint.", "reviewed_on": "2026-09-18" }, "ai_involvement": { "basis": "Surat police say the accused used artificial intelligence to manipulate the MP's videos and photographs and replace the audio with a voice-over; no forensic detail is published. The artifact depicted and impersonated a public figure; victims dealt with the fraudsters through fake profiles and UPI payments.", "status": "reported" }, "person_relations": [ "depicted_or_impersonated" ] }, "name": "Surat, India: a deepfake video of Rajya Sabha MP Govind Dholakia was used to run an 'old coin' buying fraud; two men arrested and nine cybercrime complaints linked to their accounts", "summary": "Surat Cyber Crime Police said a publicly available video of Rajya Sabha MP and diamond industrialist Govind Dholakia was manipulated with AI, its audio replaced by a voice-over in which he appeared to say that people holding old coins or currency notes could contact a number and receive lakhs or crores of rupees. The video circulated on Facebook and Instagram alongside fake 'Old Coin Company' profiles using his photos; people who responded were asked to pay Rs 1,000 to 1,500 by UPI as processing or registration fees and were told of a fabricated Reserve Bank of India warning to win their trust. After members of the public contacted Dholakia, his organisation SRK complained to police. Investigators traced the operation to Nuh in Haryana and arrested two men, aged 25 and 30, from Thathaula village; ten bank accounts were linked to them, and nine complaints on the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal from across India, totalling about Rs 9.84 crore, were connected to those accounts.", "incidentKind": "bounded_series", "incidentDatePrecision": "unknown", "exposurePattern": "repeated_interactions", "reportedDate": "2026-09-16", "aiSystem": "AI video manipulation with a replaced voice-over impersonating MP Govind Dholakia (tools not named)", "severity": "medium", "verificationStatus": "credible", "harmCategories": [], "harmOutcomes": [ "financial_loss", "reputational_harm" ], "harmOutcomeSummary": "People who responded to an AI-manipulated video of an MP paid fees to fraudsters; police linked nine cybercrime complaints totalling about Rs 9.84 crore to the accused's bank accounts. The MP's identity and likeness were misused, prompting his organisation to complain.", "frameworkFacets": [], "causationStatus": "supported", "participantUsersAffectedMin": 0, "otherPeopleHarmedMin": 9, "affectedCountStatus": "documented_minimum", "affectedCountEvidence": "Police linked nine complaints on the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal to the accused's bank accounts (India Today). Each complaint is treated as one complainant; the reported Rs 9.84 crore total may include other frauds through the same accounts, and people who paid small fees without complaining are uncounted. Documented minimum of nine.", "victimAgeRange": "unknown", "jurisdiction": "IN", "platformType": "other", "outcomeType": "criminal_charges", "outcomeStatus": "ongoing", "primarySourceUrl": "https://www.indiatoday.in/cities/other-cities/story/surat-mp-deepfake-scam-govindbhai-dholakia-old-coin-fraud-two-arrested-2996319-2026-09-16", "primarySourceLabel": "India Today, 16 Sep 2026: Deepfake of Surat MP used to promote fake coins, two arrested in Rs 9.8 crore fraud (Surat Cyber Crime Police account)", "firstPublishedAt": "2026-09-18T03:25:12.535823+00:00", "scopeVersion": "facts-v3", "tags": [ "deepfake", "voice-over", "public-figure-impersonation", "fraud", "india", "gujarat", "surat", "haryana", "facebook", "instagram", "upi" ] } ] }