{"meta":{"exportedAt":"2026-10-23T08:09:13.253Z","formatVersion":2,"selection":{"q":"kr","system":"","harm":"","context":"","country":"","role":"","relation":"","evidence":"","year":"2026","response":"","severity":"","verification":"","view":"incidents","sort":"added"},"totalIncidents":13,"coverage":{"cases":13,"countries":6,"languages":8,"unknownLocation":5,"locationPending":0,"unknownLanguage":0,"unknownDate":0,"lawsuits":1,"regulatory":3,"minors":0,"coreRelations":11,"contextualRelations":1,"mixedRelations":0,"unknownRelations":1,"relationPending":1,"relationUnknown":0},"countingNote":"Distinct public cases in this selection. People counts apply within individual cases only; cross-case person overlap has not been resolved. No population incidence estimate.","affectedCountNote":"Interpret person counts with affectedCountStatus and the reported effects. Unquantified zeros are placeholders, not a measured zero.","source":"AI incidents","publisher":"NOPE","url":"https://nope.net/incidents","license":"CC BY 4.0"},"incidents":[{"id":"2026-hungary-prime-minister-shared-ai-video-of-von-der-leyen-phoning-opposition-leader-who-called-it-fake","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"A fiktív videóban Ursula von der Leyen hívja fel egy vezetékes telefonon Magyar Pétert. ... Magyar a videóban készségesen engedelmeskedik, majd hozzáteszi, ... persze előbb választást kell nyerni, aztán mindent lehet.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"Orbán Viktor új AI-kampányvideóval jelentkezett, a kitalált történet szerint Ursula von der Leyen egy piros vezetékes telefonon hívja fel Magyar Pétert, és azt mondja neki, az a feladata, hogy Ukrajnának pénzt küldjön. ... Az AI rajzolta Magyar azt válaszolja a filmben, hogy először választást kell nyerni, aztán mindent lehet.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"In it, Ursula von der Leyen is shown speaking Hungarian and calling Magyar on a red landline phone, instructing him to send financial support to Ukraine.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"Viktor Orbán shared on his Facebook page a video in which Ursula von der Leyen, speaking Hungarian, phones Péter Magyar on a landline and tells him his task is to send money to Ukraine, and the depicted Magyar agrees and adds that the election must be won first.","causal_attribution":"none"},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"Ez most még csak a mesterséges intelligencia műve, de rossz döntés esetén április 12. után valósággá válna! ... Ezt írta Orbán Viktor miniszterelnök egy mesterséges intelligenciával készült videó alá, amelyet a Facebook-oldalán osztott meg.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"„Ez most még csak a mesterséges intelligencia műve, de rossz döntés esetén április 12. után valósággá válna” – ezt pedig már maga Orbán Viktor írta a kitalált videóhoz.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"“For now, this is only the work of artificial intelligence, but after 12 April, following a bad decision, it could become reality.”","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"Orbán's caption to the video said that for now it was only the work of artificial intelligence, but that after 12 April, following a bad decision, it could become reality.","causal_attribution":"none"},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"shared a video made using AI that depicts a phone call between European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Péter Magyar discussing sending money to Ukraine. ... NEM did not disclose the video had been made using AI. ... the video had already been shared widely by pro-government media as well as Fidesz politicians, including the prime minister. ... We asked NEM why they had posted the AI video and whether they had made it, but they did not comment.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s5"}],"assertion":"The BBC reports that the National Resistance Movement (NEM), a pro-Fidesz activist group, shared the video without disclosing that it was made with AI, that when Magyar called it fake it had already been shared widely by pro-government media and Fidesz politicians including the prime minister, and that NEM did not answer the BBC's questions about whether it made the video.","causal_attribution":"none"},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"Mint írja posztjában, a kormányfő szerinte megint a jogszabályokat megsértve próbálja kamuvideókkal félrevezetni a magyarokat.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"},{"locator":"In a social media post, he accused Orbán of misleading voters with “fake videos” and claimed the prime minister was once again violating legal and platform rules.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"},{"locator":"Magyar called it out as fake","relation":"supports","source_id":"s5"}],"assertion":"Magyar responded on social media that the prime minister was again trying to mislead Hungarians with fake videos in breach of the rules.","causal_attribution":"reported"},{"id":"c5","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"hozzátéve, hogy megindítja a szükséges jogi eljárásokat. Emellett arra kérte követően, hogy jelentsék Orbán posztját a Meta felé.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"},{"locator":"Magyar announced that he would initiate legal proceedings and urged supporters to report Orbán’s post to Meta.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"Magyar said he would start the necessary legal proceedings and asked his followers to report Orbán's post to Meta.","causal_attribution":"none"},{"id":"c6","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"Unlike covert deepfake content, the video does not hide the fact that it was created using AI.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"},{"locator":"In his post, Orbán stated that the video had been AI-generated but warned it could become a reality.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s5"}],"assertion":"Daily News Hungary notes that, unlike covert deepfake content, the video as Orbán posted it did not hide that it was made with AI; the BBC says Orbán stated in his post that it was AI-generated.","causal_attribution":"none"}],"effects":[{"label":"opposition leader depicted in a fabricated call taking Brussels instructions before an election; he called it fake and announced legal steps","claim_id":"c4","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://24.hu/belfold/2026/02/04/orban-viktor-magyar-peter-brusszel-ai-video/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"hu","translation_note":"Read in Hungarian by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-23 (HTTP 200) and translated by that agent; no human translator or reviewer read it. 24.hu report dated 4 Feb 2026 quoting the prime minister's Facebook caption.","independence_group":"24hu-feb-2026"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://hvg.hu/itthon/20260204_orban-viktor-ursula-von-der-leyen-magyar-peter-ai-brusszel-kampany","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"hu","translation_note":"Read in Hungarian by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-23 (HTTP 200) and translated by that agent; no human translator or reviewer read it. HVG report dated 4 Feb 2026 describing the video and quoting the caption.","independence_group":"hvg-feb-2026"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://www.economx.hu/mesterseges-intelligencia/2026/02/04/orban-viktor-ursula-von-der-leyen-823395/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"hu","translation_note":"Read in Hungarian by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-23 (HTTP 200) and translated by that agent; no human translator or reviewer read it. Economx report dated 4 Feb 2026 quoting the caption and the opposition leader's Facebook response.","independence_group":"economx-feb-2026"},{"id":"s4","url":"https://dailynewshungary.com/orban-ai-video-von-der-leyen-magyar-ukraine/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-23 (HTTP 200); no translation was involved. Daily News Hungary report published 4 Feb 2026 and updated 5 Feb 2026; its quotations of the Hungarian posts are the outlet's own English renderings.","independence_group":"daily-news-hungary-feb-2026"},{"id":"s5","url":"https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5yj97yd6v5o","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-23 (HTTP 200); no translation was involved. BBC report dated 4 Apr 2026 on AI videos in the Hungarian election campaign, including questions it put to the group it says shared this video.","independence_group":"bbc-apr-2026"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["public_life"],"unknowns":["Who made the video and with which tool.","When the video was first posted: the BBC places the group's post in the month before its 4 April article, while the reports of the prime minister's post are dated 4 February.","Whether Magyar filed any proceeding and with what result, and whether Meta acted on the post.","Whether von der Leyen or the Commission responded to this video."],"geography":{"basis":"The video was campaign material in Hungary's parliamentary election, shared by Hungary's prime minister and, per the BBC, by a Hungarian pro-government group; the depicted person leads a Hungarian opposition party. No court proceeding is reported.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":["HU"],"affected_person_countries":["HU"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published as a core case (depicted_or_impersonated): the prime minister who shared the video described it in his own caption as the work of artificial intelligence, the video depicted the opposition leader agreeing to Brussels instructions to send money to Ukraine, and the opposition leader objected that it was fake and announced legal steps. The open labelling in the prime minister's post and the unlabelled NEM post are both recorded.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-23"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The prime minister who shared the video stated in his own caption that it was for now only the work of artificial intelligence, as 24.hu, HVG and Daily News Hungary quote, and the BBC reports that the video was made using AI and that Orbán stated it was AI-generated. That generated depiction of Magyar, shown agreeing to von der Leyen's instruction to send money to Ukraine, is what Magyar objected to as a fake video. No examination of the file is reported, and the tool and maker are not established; the group the BBC says posted it did not comment.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"Hungary: prime minister shared an AI video of von der Leyen ordering opposition leader Péter Magyar to fund Ukraine; Magyar called it fake and vowed legal steps","summary":"In early February 2026, two months before Hungary's 12 April parliamentary election, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán shared on Facebook a video in which European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, speaking Hungarian, phones opposition leader Péter Magyar and tells him to send money to Ukraine, and the depicted Magyar answers that the election must be won first. Orbán's caption said the scene was for now only the work of artificial intelligence but could become reality after 12 April. The BBC reports that a pro-Fidesz activist group shared the video without disclosing that it was made with AI. Magyar said the prime minister was misleading Hungarians with fake videos, announced that he would start legal proceedings and asked followers to report the post to Meta. No outcome of those steps is reported in the sources read.","incidentDate":"2026-02-01","incidentKind":"single_event","incidentDatePrecision":"month","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2026-02-04","aiSystem":"An AI-generated video, described by Viktor Orbán in his own caption as the work of artificial intelligence and by the BBC as made using AI; the tool and its maker are not established","aiProduct":"Unidentified video tool","severity":"low","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["reputational_harm"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"A video that the prime minister's own caption called the work of artificial intelligence depicted the opposition leader agreeing to Brussels instructions to send money to Ukraine before an election; the opposition leader called it fake and announced legal steps.","frameworkFacets":[],"pathwayDirection":"outward","causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":1,"affectedCountStatus":"partial","affectedCountEvidence":"One counted person: Magyar, who is depicted and who objected that the video was fake and announced legal steps. Von der Leyen is also depicted, but no response by her or the Commission is reported, so she is left uncounted. Views and shares are not counted.","victimAgeRange":"adult","jurisdiction":"HU","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"media_coverage","outcomeStatus":"unknown","primarySourceUrl":"https://24.hu/belfold/2026/02/04/orban-viktor-magyar-peter-brusszel-ai-video/","primarySourceLabel":"24.hu, 4 Feb 2026: Orbán Viktor új AI-videójában Brüsszelből utasítják Magyar Pétert, hogy küldjön pénzt Ukrajnába","firstPublishedAt":"2026-10-23T03:04:42.874206+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-23T03:04:42.874206+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["video_generation","public_figures","elections","social_media"]},{"id":"2026-oberbergischer-kreis-police-say-romance-scammers-ai-made-images-and-voice-messages-woman-paid-four-figure-sum","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"stand seit Mitte Mai dieses Jahres in Kontakt mit einer unbekannten Person, die sich als verwitweter Arzt aus der Ukraine und Vater eines achtjährigen Kindes ausgab.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"From mid-May 2026 a woman was in contact with an unknown person who claimed to be a widowed doctor from Ukraine and the father of a child.","causal_attribution":"Police account of the persona."},{"id":"c5","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"Auf eine Freundschaftsanfrage in den sozialen Medien folgten zahlreiche Chats, der Austausch von Bildern und Sprachnachrichten über einen Messengerdienst. Dann wurde um Geld gebeten.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"A friend request on social media was followed by many chats and an exchange of pictures and voice messages over a messaging service, and then a request for money.","causal_attribution":"Police account of the contact."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Am 23. Juni bat der angebliche Arzt um einen mittleren vierstelligen Eurobetrag zur Freilassung aus dem Arbeitercamp, in welchem er sich befinden würde. Der geforderte Betrag wurde dann von der'; 'Love-Scamming: Vierstelligen Betrag an Internetbekanntschaft überwiesen'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"On 23 June the supposed doctor asked for a mid four-figure sum to be released from a labour camp, and she transferred it.","causal_attribution":"Police account of the payment."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"Aufmerksame Bankmitarbeiter verhinderten Schlimmeres - hielten die Überweisung mit einem hohen vierstelligen Betrag zurück","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"At the end of June bank staff held back a further transfer of a high four-figure sum and told her it was probably fraud.","causal_attribution":"Police account of the stopped transfer."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"Erste polizeiliche Ermittlungen ergaben, dass die empfangenen Bilder und Sprachnachrichten augenscheinlich mit künstlicher Intelligenz erstellt wurden.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The police say first investigations showed that the pictures and voice messages she received were apparently created with artificial intelligence.","causal_attribution":"The investigating police's own finding, worded as apparent; they do not disclose how they reached it or name a tool."}],"effects":[{"label":"woman paid a romance scammer whose pictures and voice messages police found apparently AI-made","claim_id":"c2","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.presseportal.de/blaulicht/pm/65843/6318686","kind":"official_statement","access":"read","language":"de","translation_note":"Read in German by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-20 and translated by the research agent (an AI) into English; no human translator or reviewer was involved. Oberbergischer Kreis police press release on presseportal.de, 21 July 2026; HTTP 200.","independence_group":"oberberg-police-21-jul-2026"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["relationships","finance"],"unknowns":["How the police established that the pictures and voice messages were apparently AI-made, and which tools were used.","The exact amount transferred (the police give a mid four-figure sum) and whether it was recovered.","Whether a perpetrator has been identified."],"geography":{"basis":"The release of the Oberbergischer Kreis police (North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany) describes the woman as living in that district, so the affected person's country is Germany. The contact took place online and the release does not say where the perpetrator acted, so no event country is recorded. No court proceeding is reported.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":[],"affected_person_countries":["DE"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published as a core case (depicted_or_impersonated): the investigating Oberbergischer Kreis police say first investigations showed that the pictures and voice messages a romance scammer posing as a widowed doctor sent a woman were apparently created with AI; she transferred a mid four-figure sum and her bank stopped a second transfer. The technical basis of the police finding is undisclosed. No name, age or town of residence appears in the public text.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-20"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The investigating Oberbergischer Kreis police say their first investigations showed that the pictures and voice messages the woman received from the supposed widowed doctor were apparently created with artificial intelligence; those messages presented the fictitious person who asked her for the money she transferred. The police word the finding as apparent and do not disclose its basis or name a tool.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"Oberbergischer Kreis police say a romance scammer sent a woman apparently AI-made images and voice messages; she paid a mid four-figure sum","summary":"The Oberbergischer Kreis police reported on 21 July 2026 that a woman had been in contact since mid-May with an unknown person posing as a widowed doctor from Ukraine, who exchanged chats, pictures and voice messages with her through a messaging service. On 23 June she transferred a mid four-figure sum the supposed doctor requested; bank staff held back a second, high four-figure transfer at the end of June. She reported the fraud on 20 July, and the police say first investigations showed that the pictures and voice messages she had received were apparently created with artificial intelligence.","incidentDate":"2026-05-01","incidentEndDate":"2026-06-30","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"month","exposurePattern":"repeated_interactions","reportedDate":"2026-07-21","aiSystem":"Pictures and voice messages that, according to first investigations by the Oberbergischer Kreis police, were apparently created with artificial intelligence (tool not identified)","aiProduct":"Unidentified image and voice tool","severity":"medium","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["financial_loss"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"According to the Oberbergischer Kreis police, a woman transferred a mid four-figure sum to an online contact posing as a widowed doctor, whose pictures and voice messages first police investigations found were apparently AI-made; a second transfer was stopped by her bank.","frameworkFacets":[],"pathwayDirection":"inward","causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":1,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"One woman, the person who sent the money (police release). No other person is described.","victimAgeRange":"elderly","jurisdiction":"DE","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"investigation_opened","outcomeStatus":"unknown","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.presseportal.de/blaulicht/pm/65843/6318686","primarySourceLabel":"Kreispolizeibehörde Oberbergischer Kreis (presseportal), 21 July 2026: Love-Scamming: Vierstelligen Betrag an Internetbekanntschaft überwiesen","firstPublishedAt":"2026-10-20T03:13:47.39844+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-20T03:13:47.39844+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["romance_fraud","ai_generated_images","ai_generated_voice","fictitious_persona","germany"]},{"id":"2026-sweden-fact-checkers-say-clickbait-network-spread-false-posts-with-ai-generated-images-claiming-mp-confessed-to-election-fraud","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"corroborated","evidence":[{"locator":"'Politikern Mohamed Abdukardir Ali påstås ha erkänt valfusk och gripits under dramatiska former, men påståendena som nu sprids på Facebook är falska'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'Bilderna som fått dem att reagera handlar om V-ledamoten Mohamed Ali, och påstår att han nu erkänner valfusk och har gripits av polis. Men bakom dessa falska uppgifter ligger ingen svensk nyhetssajt'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'Andra inlägg innehåller osanna uppgifter om att Ali gripits, erkänt brott eller hållit presskonferenser.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"Facebook posts falsely claimed that the MP had confessed to election fraud and had been arrested by police.","causal_attribution":"Two separate reviews (Källkritikbyrån and SVT Verifierar) describe the posts and call them false; Omni relays the first."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Mellan den 10:e och 15:e oktober har sidan publicerat tolv inlägg med Mohamed Ali i fokus, som tillsammans genererat omkring fyratusen reaktioner.'; 'I den artikeln påstås att polisen utfört en husrannsakan mot en lokal kopplad till Ali och i ett kassaskåp hittat'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Between 10 and 15 October 2026 the page Dagens Fina Stund published twelve posts focused on the MP that drew about four thousand reactions, and linked articles claimed police had found foreign currency and false identity documents in a search of premises connected to him.","causal_attribution":"Källkritikbyrån's own count and description."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'påståendena som nu sprids på Facebook är falska och bilderna AI-genererade'; 'använder sedan AI-verktyg för att generera fejkinnehåll som spinner vidare på dessa'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Källkritikbyrån states that the images in the posts were AI-generated.","causal_attribution":"The fact-checker does not describe its method for identifying the images as AI-generated."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'publicerad av den vietnamesiska klickbetesfabriken BeeUp'; 'Gemensamt för dessa sajter har varit ett återkommande adminkonto vid namn Hupchao, som vi kunnat knyta till BeeUp:s vd'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'Utåt sett presenterar sig bolaget som en viral marknadsföringsbyrå, men i själva verket pumpar det ut AI-genererat innehåll i stor skala, säger Jonathan Lundberg, journalist vid Källkritikbyrån.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"Källkritikbyrån links the page through a recurring administrator account to BeeUp, a Vietnamese company that presents itself as a viral marketing agency and, according to the fact-checker, produces AI-generated fake content at scale.","causal_attribution":"One origin: Källkritikbyrån's review, relayed in SVT as a quotation."},{"id":"c5","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'”Utvisa honom!”, ryter kommentar efter kommentar på Facebook. Bilderna som fått dem att reagera handlar om V-ledamoten Mohamed Ali'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"Facebook commenters reacted to the images about the MP with demands such as 'Utvisa honom!' (deport him).","causal_attribution":"SVT's observation of the comments; their number is not stated."},{"id":"c6","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Därefter följde uppgifter om misstänkt valfusk i samband med hans personvalskampanj.'; 'Mohamed Ali dementerar detta'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"The posts followed reports of suspected election fraud connected with the MP's personal-vote campaign, which he denies.","causal_attribution":"Context reported by SVT; it bears on why the fabricated stories drew attention, not on the AI images."},{"id":"c7","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Drivkrafterna verkar vara ekonomiska snarare än någon vilja att påverka det svenska politiska landskapet.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"SVT says the drivers behind the page appear to be economic rather than an attempt to influence Swedish politics.","causal_attribution":"SVT's assessment of motive."}],"effects":[{"label":"falsely depicted as arrested and confessing to election fraud, drawing hostile comments","claim_id":"c5","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://kallkritikbyran.se/klicksajt-sprider-falska-pastaenden-om-mohamed-abdukardir-ali-v/","kind":"fact_check","access":"read","language":"sv","translation_note":"Read in Swedish by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-18 and translated by the research agent (an AI) into English; no human translator or reviewer was involved. Källkritikbyrån review published 16 October 2026, HTTP 200, full article read.","independence_group":"kallkritikbyran-review-oct-2026"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.svt.se/nyheter/inrikes/fejkade-nyheter-om-v-ledamoten-mohamed-ali-sprids","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"sv","translation_note":"Read in Swedish by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-18 and translated by the research agent (an AI) into English; no human translator or reviewer was involved. SVT Verifierar article published 17 October 2026, HTTP 200; the article text was read, the accompanying video was not viewed. Its AI wording is a quotation of a Källkritikbyrån journalist.","independence_group":"svt-verifierar-review-oct-2026"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://omni.se/sajt-i-vietnam-sprider-falska-pastaenden-om-mohamed-ali/a/aOLpWa","kind":"news_relay","access":"read","language":"sv","translation_note":"Read in Swedish by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-18 and translated by the research agent (an AI) into English; no human translator or reviewer was involved. Omni summary published 16 October 2026 of Källkritikbyrån's review, HTTP 200; it derives from the fact-checker and is not independent of it.","independence_group":"kallkritikbyran-review-oct-2026"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["public_life","elections"],"unknowns":["Which tool produced the images and how Källkritikbyrån identified them as AI-generated.","The MP's own response to the fabricated posts and whether he or his party reported them to Facebook or police.","How many people saw or believed the posts; reactions and followers do not establish this.","Whether Facebook removed the page or posts."],"geography":{"basis":"The depicted MP is a member of the Swedish Riksdag from Borlänge (Källkritikbyrån, SVT). The fabricated posts were published on Facebook, and Källkritikbyrån attributes the page to a company in Vietnam; no source states where the posts were made or read, so no event country is inferred from the posts' language or intended audience.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":[],"affected_person_countries":["SE"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published on Källkritikbyrån's review, which states that the images in posts falsely claiming the MP confessed to election fraud and was arrested were AI-generated, and on SVT Verifierar's separate review of the same posts, which reports Facebook commenters reacting to the images with calls for his deportation. The AI attribution is the fact-checker's, with its technical basis undisclosed.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-18"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"Källkritikbyrån, which reviewed the posts, states that the claims are false and the images AI-generated, and that the network behind the page uses AI tools to generate fake content; SVT quotes a Källkritikbyrån journalist on the firm's AI-generated content. The fact-checker does not describe how it identified the images as AI-generated or name a tool, so the technical basis of the attribution is undisclosed. The generated images depicting the MP are part of the fabricated posts that drew the hostile reactions SVT reports.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"Swedish fact-checkers say a clickbait network spread false posts with AI-generated images claiming MP Mohamed Ali confessed to election fraud and was arrested","summary":"Between 10 and 15 October 2026 a Swedish-language Facebook page published twelve posts about Mohamed Abdukardir Ali, a Left Party (V) member of the Riksdag, including claims that he had confessed to election fraud and that police had detained him in the middle of a press conference. The fact-checking site Källkritikbyrån reported on 16 October that the claims are false and the images AI-generated, and linked the page through a shared administrator account to BeeUp, a Vietnamese firm that presents itself as a viral marketing agency. SVT Verifierar reported on 17 October that the images claim he confesses to election fraud and has been arrested, and that comment after comment on Facebook reacted with demands such as 'Utvisa honom!' (deport him). The posts built on real reports of suspected election irregularities connected with his personal-vote campaign in Borlänge, which he denies. No source names the image tool, describes how the images were identified as AI-generated, or reports his response to the fabricated posts.","incidentDate":"2026-10-10","incidentEndDate":"2026-10-15","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"day","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2026-10-16","aiSystem":"Unidentified AI image generation used to produce images in fabricated Facebook posts and articles about the MP, according to Källkritikbyrån","aiProduct":"Unidentified image tool","severity":"low","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["reputational_harm"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"Fabricated Facebook posts with images that fact-checkers say were AI-generated falsely presented the MP as having confessed to election fraud and been arrested; SVT reports Facebook commenters reacting with demands for his deportation.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":1,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"One person: the depicted MP, falsely presented as arrested and confessing (Källkritikbyrån, SVT), with hostile comments reported in reaction (SVT). The page's followers, reactions and readers are not counted.","victimAgeRange":"adult","jurisdiction":"SE","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"media_coverage","outcomeStatus":"ongoing","primarySourceUrl":"https://kallkritikbyran.se/klicksajt-sprider-falska-pastaenden-om-mohamed-abdukardir-ali-v/","primarySourceLabel":"Källkritikbyrån, 16 October 2026: clickbait site spreads false claims about Mohamed Abdukardir Ali (V)","firstPublishedAt":"2026-10-18T03:08:02.727327+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-18T03:08:02.727327+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["ai-generated-images","disinformation","politics","sweden","facebook","clickbait-network","depicted-or-impersonated","fact-check"]},{"id":"2026-lviv-region-prosecutors-say-dating-scam-call-centre-used-ai-voice-changer-at-least-80-victims","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Схема виглядала так: зловмисники створювали фейкові жіночі акаунти на сервісах знайомств та в месенджерах. Для переконливості використовували програмне забезпечення з нейромережею, яка в реальному часі змінювала чоловічий голос на жіночий.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'Для того, щоб спілкування було більш переконливим, хлопці використовували спеціальну нейромережу, яка змінює чоловічий голос на жіночий у реальному часу, додають у ОГПУ.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'Для общения использовали нейросеть, которая в режиме реального времени меняла мужской голос на женский.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"Prosecutors say the group created fake women's accounts on dating services and messengers and, to make conversations convincing, used software with a neural network that changed a male voice to a female one in real time.","causal_attribution":"Prosecutors' account (Lviv regional prosecutor's office and Office of the Prosecutor General) from a joint investigation; the outlets relay the same statements, one origin."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Коли жертва повідомляла, що знімки не відкриваються, її переконували увімкнути демонстрацію екрана мобільного та виконати певні налаштування. У цей момент шахраї фіксували паролі розблокування та доступи до онлайн-банкінгу.'; 'У Нацполіції додали, що надісланий жертвам файл містив прихований ратник (RAT – засіб віддаленого контролю).'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'Коли підозрювані отримували доступ до банкінгу, вони переказували кошти потерпілих на свої рахунки або переводили у готівку через нелегальний пункт обміну валют, використовуючи криптоактиви.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"Victims were persuaded to open a file disguised as photographs that contained remote-access malware and to share their screens; the group then gained access to their online banking and moved their money to accounts it controlled or into cryptocurrency.","causal_attribution":"Law-enforcement statements relayed by the outlets; one origin."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'За даними слідства, жертвами стали щонайменше 50 українців та 30 іноземців, зокрема з Польщі, Німеччини та Грузії.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'Серед людей, які стали жертвами шахрайського кол-центру, щонайменше 50 громадян України та 30 іноземців, зокрема жителі Польщі, Німеччини та Грузії.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'По информации прокуратуры, среди пострадавших — не менее 50 граждан Украины и 30 иностранцев, в частности из Польши, Германии и Грузии.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"On preliminary data, prosecutors say at least 50 Ukrainian citizens and 30 foreigners, including people in Poland, Germany and Georgia, were victims of the group.","causal_attribution":"Prosecutors' preliminary figure, relayed by all three outlets; one origin."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Кіберфахівці СБУ затримали одразу трьох основних організаторів схеми \"на гарячому\" у приміщенні кол-центру.'; 'Фігурантам повідомили про підозру за кількома статтями ККУ, зокрема вперше на новою статтею 255-4'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'Всем троим избрали меру пресечения в виде содержания под стражей с правом внесения залога в размере 998 400 грн для каждого. Работу колл-центра прекратили.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"SBU officers detained the three main organisers at the call centre's premises; they were notified of suspicion, including for the first time under the new article 255-4 on electronic-communication fraud groups, and remanded in custody with bail.","causal_attribution":"Law-enforcement statements; the suspects are presumed innocent and no court has ruled."}],"effects":[{"label":"money taken from victims' bank accounts after dating-service conversations","claim_id":"c2","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://portal.lviv.ua/news/2026/10/14/pershi-v-ukraini-orhanizatoram-kol-tsentru-zi-stryia-zahrozhuie-do-15-rokiv-za-novoiu-statteiu","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"uk","translation_note":"Read in Ukrainian by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-15 and translated by the research agent (an AI) into English; no human translator or reviewer was involved. Regional news report relaying the Lviv regional prosecutor's office, the National Police and the SBU, 14 October 2026; HTTP 200.","independence_group":"lviv-call-centre-law-enforcement-statements-14-oct-2026"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://amp.dw.com/uk/cerez-fejkovi-zinoci-akaunti-policia-zatrimala-organizatoriv-kolcentriv-na-lvivsini/a-79662781","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"uk","translation_note":"Read in Ukrainian by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-15 and translated by the research agent (an AI) into English; no human translator or reviewer was involved. DW Ukrainian service report relaying the SBU and Office of the Prosecutor General press services, 14 October 2026 (AMP page); HTTP 200.","independence_group":"lviv-call-centre-law-enforcement-statements-14-oct-2026"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://glavnoe.in.ua/ru/novosti/znakomstva-v-ynternete-zakanchyvalys-poterej-deneh-vo-lvovskoj-oblasty-dejstvoval-moshennycheskyj-call-czentr","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"ru","translation_note":"Read in Russian by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-15 and translated by the research agent (an AI) into English; no human translator or reviewer was involved. National news site relaying the Lviv regional prosecutor's office, 14 October 2026; HTTP 200.","independence_group":"lviv-call-centre-law-enforcement-statements-14-oct-2026"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["finance","relationships","privacy"],"unknowns":["When the call centre began operating; the record's year rests on the statements that the suspects were caught at the premises and charged under an article in force since September 2026.","How many victims spoke with the altered voice and how much each lost.","Which voice-changing software was used and how investigators established it.","The outcome of the criminal proceedings."],"geography":{"basis":"The statements place the call centre in the Lviv region of Ukraine and the suspicion and custody decisions in Ukraine. Prosecutors name Ukraine, Poland, Germany and Georgia as victims' countries; other foreign victims' countries are not stated.","court_countries":["UA"],"event_countries":["UA"],"affected_person_countries":["UA","PL","DE","GE"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published as a core case (communicated_with): Ukrainian prosecutors say the group spoke to dating-service contacts through a neural-network voice changer that presented a female persona in real time, and connect those conversations to the malware that let the group take money from at least 80 victims. The suspects are not named; the count is the prosecutors' preliminary minimum.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-15"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"Ukrainian prosecutors, who investigated the group with the SBU and the National Police, say it used software with a neural network that changed a male voice to a female one in real time to make conversations with dating-service contacts convincing; in those conversations the contacts were persuaded to open malware disguised as photographs and share their screens, which gave the group access to their banking. The statements do not name the software, say how prosecutors established its use, or say how many victims heard the altered voice.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["communicated_with"]},"name":"Lviv region, Ukraine: prosecutors say a dating-scam call centre used a neural network to turn male voices female in real time; at least 80 victims","summary":"Ukrainian prosecutors, the SBU security service and the National Police announced on 14 October 2026 that they had shut down a fraudulent call centre in the Lviv region of Ukraine. According to the Lviv regional prosecutor's office and the Office of the Prosecutor General, the group created fake women's accounts on dating services and messengers and, to make the conversations more convincing, used software with a neural network that changed a male voice to a female one in real time. Victims were persuaded to download a file disguised as a photograph that contained remote-access malware and to share their screens; the group then took control of their banking apps and moved the money to accounts it controlled or into cryptocurrency. Prosecutors say that, on preliminary data, at least 50 Ukrainian citizens and 30 foreigners, including people in Poland, Germany and Georgia, were victims. Three men were notified of suspicion, including under a new criminal-code article on fraudulent call centres in force since September 2026, and were remanded in custody with the option of bail. The statements do not say how many victims heard the altered voice or how much each lost.","incidentDate":"2026-01-01","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"year","exposurePattern":"repeated_interactions","reportedDate":"2026-10-14","aiSystem":"Unidentified voice-changing software with a neural network that, according to Ukrainian prosecutors, changed a male voice to a female one in real time during conversations with dating-service contacts; no product is named","aiProduct":"Unidentified voice-changing tool","severity":"medium","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["financial_loss"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"Prosecutors say money was taken from the bank accounts of at least 80 people (50 Ukrainian citizens and 30 foreigners) after malware gave the group control of their phones; no amounts per victim are given.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":80,"affectedCountStatus":"documented_minimum","affectedCountEvidence":"Prosecutors' preliminary figure of at least 50 Ukrainian citizens and 30 foreigners who were victims of the group (Lvivskyi Portal, DW, Glavnoe). The statements describe the voice changer as part of the group's method but do not say how many of these victims heard the altered voice, so the count is of the scheme's reported victims, not of people shown to have spoken with it.","victimAgeRange":"unknown","jurisdiction":"UA","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"criminal_charges","outcomeStatus":"pending","primarySourceUrl":"https://portal.lviv.ua/news/2026/10/14/pershi-v-ukraini-orhanizatoram-kol-tsentru-zi-stryia-zahrozhuie-do-15-rokiv-za-novoiu-statteiu","primarySourceLabel":"Lvivskyi Portal, 14 October 2026: first in Ukraine, call-centre organisers face up to 15 years under the new article","firstPublishedAt":"2026-10-15T03:01:25.335912+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-15T03:01:25.335912+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["voice_changer","dating_fraud","call_centre","malware","bank_fraud","ukraine"]},{"id":"2026-boone-county-missouri-sheriff-says-ai-copy-of-daughters-voice-used-in-fake-kidnapping-ransom-call","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Officials are investigating a suspected AI-generated scam incident that occurred on Friday.'; 'They initially believed they were speaking with their daughter, who claimed she had been kidnapped at gunpoint, before another subject demanded a ransom over the phone, according to a press release.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'The caller said she had been kidnapped at gunpoint, and then another voice came on the phone and demanded money from the victim, according to the post.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'the victim received a call Friday that showed their daughter's contact name and number. The caller allegedly had the daughter’s voice and told the victim she had been kidnapped at gunpoint before another voice demanded money, essentially asking for a ransom.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"According to the Boone County Sheriff's Office, a Boone County resident received a call on Friday 17 July 2026 whose caller ID showed their daughter's number; a voice like the daughter's said she had been kidnapped at gunpoint, and another voice then demanded ransom.","causal_attribution":"One origin: the sheriff's office statement (Facebook post and press release) relayed by three outlets."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Although the caller ID appeared to be their daughter's, officials determined that the voice was an AI-generated replication that sounded like her.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'it was later determined that the person the victim was speaking to was actually an AI-generated voice that sounded like their daughter, according to the post.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'\"It was later determined the person they were speaking with was not the daughter but rather an AI generated voice that sounded like their daughter,\" the post says.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"The sheriff's office said it later determined that the voice on the call was not the daughter but an AI-generated voice that sounded like her; it has not said how this was established.","causal_attribution":"The investigating sheriff's office's own determination, relayed by three outlets; one origin. No technical basis is published."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'The parents reported the call to deputies, and officials launched a coordinated response to locate the daughter in Jefferson City. She was found safe, unharmed and unaware of what had occurred.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'A coordinated law enforcement response found the real daughter in Jefferson City, unaware of the scam.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"After the call was reported to deputies, a coordinated law-enforcement response found the daughter safe in Jefferson City, unaware of the call.","causal_attribution":"The sheriff's office statement as relayed; one origin."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'BCSD stated that this is the first incident of this type they have encountered, in which scammers used AI to make the victim believe they were speaking on the phone with their loved one.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'The post added that this is the first incident the Sheriff's Office has encountered where a suspect has used AI technology to make the victim believe they're speaking to a loved one over the phone.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'BCSO Captain Brian Leer said that this is the first time the department has encountered a call using AI voice impersonation.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"The sheriff's office said this was the first call it had encountered in which AI voice impersonation was used to make a victim believe they were speaking with a loved one.","causal_attribution":"The sheriff's office post and its captain's interview; one institutional origin."},{"id":"c5","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Adding that this call generated a large law enforcement response and attempted to extort someone.'; 'A suspect hasn't been identified or arrested, according to the Boone County Sheriff’s Office.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"Captain Brian Leer said the call generated a large law-enforcement response and was an attempt to extort, and the office said no suspect had been identified or arrested.","causal_attribution":"ABC17's interview with the captain and its account of the office's statement; single source."}],"effects":[{"label":"told by an AI imitation of their daughter's voice that she had been kidnapped at gunpoint, then asked for ransom","claim_id":"c1","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://krcgtv.com/news/local/boone-county-investigates-ai-voice-scam-to-demand-ransom","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-10-15 by the research agent (an AI); no translation was needed. KRCG report published Saturday 18 July 2026, 10:28 CDT (HTTP 200), relaying the sheriff's office press release.","independence_group":"boone-county-sheriffs-office-jul-2026"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.komu.com/news/midmissourinews/boone-county-sheriffs-office-reports-its-first-incident-involving-ai-voice-impersonation/article_dfe7e951-68b3-46bf-b985-7dc088e072c1.html","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-10-15 by the research agent (an AI); no translation was needed. KOMU 8 report published 18 July 2026, relaying the sheriff's office Facebook post. The live page returned HTTP 429 to the fetcher; the text was read from an Internet Archive capture of the same URL (HTTP 200).","independence_group":"boone-county-sheriffs-office-jul-2026"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://abc17news.com/news/boone/2026/07/19/boone-county-sheriffs-office-warns-residents-after-ai-swatting-call/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-10-15 by the research agent (an AI); no translation was needed. ABC17 News report published 19 July 2026 (HTTP 200), quoting the sheriff's office Facebook post and an interview with Captain Brian Leer of the same office; one institutional origin with s1 and s2.","independence_group":"boone-county-sheriffs-office-jul-2026"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["relationships","finance","everyday_life"],"unknowns":["How the sheriff's office established that the voice was AI-generated (no source says whether a recording of the call was examined), and which tool was used","Whether one or both parents took the call, and their reaction beyond initially believing it","Whether any money was paid","Who made the call; no suspect had been identified by 19 July 2026"],"geography":{"basis":"Event: the sheriff's office says the scam 'has hit Boone County' after a resident reported the call (s3), and KRCG describes it as a Boone County investigation (s1); Boone County is in Missouri. Affected person: described as a Boone County resident (s3). No court is involved.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":["US"],"affected_person_countries":["US"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published as a reported case: the Boone County Sheriff's Office, which investigated the call, says the voice that told a resident their daughter had been kidnapped at gunpoint was an AI-generated imitation of the daughter, and a second voice demanded ransom. All claims rest on the office's statement relayed by three local outlets; its technical basis is undisclosed. No payment is reported, so severity is low.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-15"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The Boone County Sheriff's Office, which investigated the call, said it later determined that the voice the resident heard was 'an AI generated voice that sounded like their daughter' (its Facebook post as quoted by ABC17 News and KOMU; KRCG relays the press release: 'officials determined that the voice was an AI-generated replication'). That generated voice told the resident the daughter had been kidnapped at gunpoint before a second voice demanded ransom, so the AI output spoke to the resident (communicated_with) and imitated the daughter toward the resident (depicted_or_impersonated). The office has not published how it established that the voice was AI-generated, and no tool is identified.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["communicated_with","depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"Boone County, Missouri: sheriff's office says a fake-kidnapping ransom call used an AI-generated copy of a resident's daughter's voice","summary":"The Boone County Sheriff's Office in Missouri said that on Friday 17 July 2026 a resident received a call whose caller ID showed their daughter's number. A voice that sounded like the daughter said she had been kidnapped at gunpoint, and another voice then demanded ransom. The office said it later determined that the voice was AI-generated, without saying how. Deputies found the daughter safe in Jefferson City and unaware of the call. The office called it the first AI voice-impersonation call it had encountered. No suspect had been identified by 19 July, and no source reports whether any money was paid.","incidentDate":"2026-07-17","incidentKind":"single_event","incidentDatePrecision":"day","exposurePattern":"single_interaction","reportedDate":"2026-07-18","aiSystem":"AI-generated voice imitating the resident's daughter, as determined by the Boone County Sheriff's Office (tool not identified)","aiProduct":"Unidentified voice-cloning tool","severity":"low","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["psychological_distress"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"According to the Boone County Sheriff's Office, a resident was told by an AI-generated imitation of their daughter's voice that she had been kidnapped at gunpoint and was then asked for ransom; KRCG reports the parents initially believed it. The sources describe no further reaction and no payment; the believed kidnapping and the extortion attempt are the reported adverse experience.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"supported","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":1,"affectedCountStatus":"documented_minimum","affectedCountEvidence":"At least one person: the resident who received the call ('the victim' in the sheriff's post as relayed by KOMU and ABC17). KRCG says 'parents', which may mean two people, so one is a lower bound. The daughter whose voice was imitated is not counted because no harm to her is reported. The person called did not use the AI.","victimAgeRange":"unknown","jurisdiction":"US","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"investigation_opened","outcomeStatus":"unknown","primarySourceUrl":"https://krcgtv.com/news/local/boone-county-investigates-ai-voice-scam-to-demand-ransom","primarySourceLabel":"KRCG, 18 July 2026: Boone County investigates AI voice scam to demand ransom","firstPublishedAt":"2026-10-15T02:58:10.915736+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-15T02:58:10.915736+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["voice-clone","fake-kidnapping-call","ransom-demand","missouri","sheriffs-office"]},{"id":"2026-spokane-appliance-retailer-spokeswoman-ai-voice-edited-ads-without-consent-lawsuit","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'But in February, George noticed on social media that Fred’s, and production company Victory Media, had created a President’s Day advertisement' and 'They were using past footage and bits and pieces from different commercials.' and '“They never once told me what they were doing or asked for my consent.” she said.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'The lawsuit alleges that in February, George noticed that the company's President's Day ad was one that she had not recorded' and '‘This is not my voice! These are words I never spoke.''","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"In February 2026 George saw a Presidents' Day advertisement for the retailer that she had not recorded, made from past footage with words in her voice that she says she never spoke and was never asked about.","causal_attribution":"George's own account and her lawsuit's allegation; both outlets interviewed her, so it is one witness."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'We acknowledge that we used AI-assisted voice editing to make a limited number of updates to existing advertisements, primarily involving pricing and promotional changes.' and 'Victory Media did not create or publish AI-generated versions of her image or likeness'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'We believed those uses were authorized under our spokesperson agreement and were consistent with our contractual rights.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"Victory Media said it had used AI-assisted voice editing to make a limited number of updates to existing advertisements, mainly pricing and promotional changes, that it believed its spokesperson agreement authorised them, and that it denies creating or publishing AI-generated versions of her image or likeness.","causal_attribution":"The company's own statement, issued through its lawyer and quoted by both outlets; one origin."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'After she raised concerns, Victory Media and Fred’s offered her an addendum to her contract that would allow them to use artificial intelligence to create more advertisements.' and 'In response, George ended her work with Fred’s Appliance'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'the company attempted to introduce an \"AI Addendum\" to her contract, which she refused. She later ended her work with the companies.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"After George raised concerns, the companies proposed a contract addendum allowing AI use, which she refused, and she ended her work with the retailer.","causal_attribution":"George's account; KREM attributes the addendum to documents it saw."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'When they use AI, it diminishes my value as a spokeswoman. I can’t monitor or stop what words are coming out of my mouth.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"George said the AI use diminishes her value as a spokeswoman because she cannot control what words come out of her mouth.","causal_attribution":"George's own statement of the effect on her."},{"id":"c5","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'who filed a lawsuit in Spokane Superior Court on Tuesday.' and 'Defendants have engaged in unlawful commercial exploitation of Ms. George’s exclusive property rights involving her past work' and 'The suit names Fred’s Appliance' and 'along with Liberty Lake-based Victory Media and' and 'who is the CEO of Victory Media.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'George is seeking damages in an amount to be decided at trial, along with an injunction to prevent the companies from continuing to use her likeness.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"George sued Fred's Appliance, Victory Media and its chief executive in Spokane Superior Court, alleging unauthorised commercial use of her voice and likeness and seeking damages and an injunction.","causal_attribution":"Both outlets report the filing and quote the complaint; the complaint itself was not read, and its allegations remain allegations."},{"id":"c6","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'We proactively disclosed the AI-assisted voice edits' and 'Victory Media also noted that Fred's Appliance was unaware of the edits made.' and 'we offered to compensate our former spokesperson rather than engage in costly litigation. That offer was not accepted'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'Lam issued a statement later Wednesday indicating that the parties could be close to settling the matter out of court.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Victory Media said it disclosed the edits when questions were raised, that Fred's Appliance was unaware of the edits, and that it offered compensation that George did not accept; its lawyer later said the parties could be close to settling.","causal_attribution":"The company's statements; George's side of the compensation offer is not reported."}],"effects":[{"label":"advertisements carried AI-edited words in the spokeswoman's voice without her consent, she says","claim_id":"c1","direction":"negative"},{"label":"spokeswoman ended her work with the retailer after refusing an AI contract addendum","claim_id":"c3","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2026/jul/01/longtime-spokeswoman-sues-freds-appliance-over-use/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-10-12 from the publisher page (full article); no translation was needed and the research agent (an AI) read the text directly.","independence_group":"spokesman-review"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.krem.com/article/news/local/spokeswoman-freds-appliance-sues-company-ai/293-bf7aa1fd-0da0-403c-a363-7edf3101f558","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-10-12 from the MSN syndicated copy of the KREM article (assets.msn.com detail AA27mfrz, provider KREM-TV Spokane); no translation was needed and the research agent (an AI) read the text directly.","independence_group":"krem"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["institutional_use"],"contexts":["work"],"unknowns":["Which AI tool was used and how many advertisements carried edited words; the company refers to a list of known instances that is not published.","The exact dates the edited advertisements aired; the Presidents' Day spot places the first in February 2026.","Whether the contract authorised the edits, which is the dispute before the court.","Whether George's claims that her image or likeness was altered by AI, beyond the voice, are supported; the company denies them.","Whether the case settled."],"geography":{"basis":"The advertisements were for Fred's Appliance, which has stores in Spokane, Spokane Valley, Coeur d'Alene, Kennewick and Montana, and were produced by Liberty Lake-based Victory Media; George worked for the retailer in that market. The suit is in Spokane Superior Court, Washington.","court_countries":["US"],"event_countries":["US"],"affected_person_countries":["US"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published on the production company's own acknowledgement, quoted by The Spokesman-Review and KREM, that it used AI-assisted voice editing to change existing advertisements voiced by George, together with her account that the edits put words she never spoke in her voice without her consent and that she ended her work after refusing an AI addendum. The AI-edited voice is the described output and her loss of control over her voice and work is the reported harm. Claims stay reported because they rest on George's account, her complaint and the company's statement.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-12"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"Victory Media's statement, quoted by both outlets, acknowledges \"AI-assisted voice editing to make a limited number of updates to existing advertisements, primarily involving pricing and promotional changes\". George says the Presidents' Day advertisement used words in her voice that she never recorded (\"This is not my voice! These are words I never spoke.\"). The AI-edited voice is the output that presented her as saying words she had not said, and it is what her refusal of the AI addendum, the end of her work with the retailer and her lawsuit concern. The tool is not named, and the company denies any AI alteration of her image.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"Spokane: an appliance retailer's longtime spokeswoman sues after its ad agency admits AI voice edits to her ads; she says she never consented","summary":"Amber George was the spokeswoman for Fred's Appliance, a Spokane-area retailer, for 14 years. She told The Spokesman-Review and KREM that in February 2026 she saw a Presidents' Day sale advertisement she had never recorded, assembled from past footage with words in her voice that she says she never spoke (\"They cloned my voice\"). Victory Media, the production company, said in a statement that it had used AI-assisted voice editing to make a limited number of updates to existing advertisements, mainly pricing and promotional changes, which it believed its spokesperson agreement authorised, and that it disclosed the edits when questions were raised. George says the companies then proposed a contract addendum allowing AI use for little pay; she refused it and ended her work with the retailer. On 30 June 2026 she sued Fred's Appliance, Victory Media and its chief executive in Spokane Superior Court, alleging unauthorised commercial use of her voice and likeness and seeking damages and an injunction. Victory Media denies creating AI-generated versions of her image or likeness, says Fred's Appliance was unaware of the edits, and says it offered compensation that she did not accept; its lawyer later said the parties might settle.","incidentDate":"2026-02-01","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"month","exposurePattern":"single_interaction","reportedDate":"2026-07-01","aiSystem":"Unnamed AI-assisted voice editing used by the production company Victory Media to change words in existing Fred's Appliance advertisements voiced by the spokeswoman","aiProduct":"Unidentified voice-cloning tool","severity":"low","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["professional_harm"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"George says advertisements carried words in her voice that she never spoke and was never asked about, that the AI use diminishes her value as a spokeswoman because she cannot control what words come out of her mouth, and that she ended her 14-year work with the retailer after refusing an AI addendum. These are her own and her lawsuit's allegations; the companies say the edits were authorised by contract.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"supported","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":1,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"One person: Amber George, whose voice was edited in the advertisements and who brought the suit. Viewers of the advertisements are an audience and are not counted.","victimAgeRange":"adult","jurisdiction":"US-WA","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"lawsuit_filed","outcomeStatus":"pending","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2026/jul/01/longtime-spokeswoman-sues-freds-appliance-over-use/","primarySourceLabel":"The Spokesman-Review, 1 July 2026: Longtime spokeswoman sues Fred's Appliance over use of AI likeness","firstPublishedAt":"2026-10-12T03:13:14.78748+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-12T03:13:14.78748+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["voice-cloning","ai-voice-editing","advertising","spokesperson","consent","likeness","lawsuit","spokane","depicted-or-impersonated","institutional-use"]},{"id":"2026-delhi-police-dcp-ai-altered-video-falsely-showing-resignation-over-student-protests-fir","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"corroborated","evidence":[{"locator":"'A 44 second long video is doing the rounds on social media, where Delhi Police deputy commissioner Sumit Jha is seen declaring that he is resigning from his position in solidarity with the protesting students.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'A digitally altered video is circulating on social media with the false claim that it shows Delhi Deputy Commissioner of Police Sumit Jha resigning from the Indian Police force, alleging he was pressured to lie about student protesters'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"A video circulating on social media in late July 2026 showed Delhi Police DCP Sumit Jha appearing to announce his immediate resignation because the government had pressured him to implicate protesting students on false charges.","causal_attribution":"Two fact-checkers viewed the video independently."},{"id":"c2","status":"corroborated","evidence":[{"locator":"'This suggests that the viral clip was created using this original video, with the audio later manipulated.'; 'The result indicated a 67% possibility of the video being AI generated.'; 'The viral video claiming Delhi Police DCP Sumit Jha resigned over student protests is completely fake and AI generated.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'A reverse image search traced it back to the original video posted by the official Delhi Police X handle, on July 23.'; 'The clip shows a mismatch between the audio and Jha's lip movements, and running it through an AI detection tool confirmed it as synthetic.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'The video was later confirmed to be deepfake, with the Press Information Bureau (PIB) issuing a statement that it was AI-generated.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"The video was made with AI from genuine Delhi Police footage of 23 July; Delhi Police called it completely fake and AI generated, and two fact-checkers found an audio-to-lip mismatch or manipulated audio and reported AI-detection results flagging it.","causal_attribution":"Independent analyses by Alt News and BOOM plus official statements by Delhi Police and the PIB; detection-tool scores are probabilistic."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'We have registered a case against unknown persons under sections 353 of statements amounting to public mischief of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and 66 D for cheating by impersonation of the Information Technology Act,'; 'On July 31,'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"},{"locator":"'Police have registered an FIR against unknown persons under Section 353 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (statements causing public mischief) and Section 66D of the Information Technology Act'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"Maharashtra Cyber Police registered a case against unknown persons under BNS section 353 and IT Act section 66D after a complainant saw the video in a Congress leader's post on 31 July.","causal_attribution":"One police account relayed by two outlets; the FIR itself was not inspected."}],"effects":[{"label":"a named police officer falsely depicted announcing his resignation and accusing the government, in a video that Delhi Police and fact-checkers say was AI-generated","claim_id":"c1","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.altnews.in/delhi-dcp-resigned-to-support-students-protest-no-viral-video-is-a-deepfake/","kind":"fact_check","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-11; no translation needed. Alt News fact check, HTTP 200; its own keyframe and detection-tool analysis, plus a quoted Delhi Police X post of 26 July.","independence_group":"altnews-fact-check"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.boomlive.in/fact-check/video-of-delhi-dcp-quitting-over-framing-cjp-protesters-is-a-deepfake-31946","kind":"fact_check","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-11; no translation needed. BOOM fact check of 27 July 2026, HTTP 200; its own lip-sync and detection-tool analysis.","independence_group":"boom-fact-check"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/mumbai-news/fir-filed-over-ai-doctored-video-of-delhi-cop-101785613160911.html","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-11; no translation needed. Hindustan Times Mumbai, 2 August 2026, HTTP 200; quotes a Maharashtra Cyber Police officer and the FIR, and reports the PIB statement.","independence_group":"ht-mumbai-fir-report"},{"id":"s4","url":"https://thefederal.com/category/states/west/maharashtra/delhi-dcp-resignation-video-deepfake-police-fir-registered-maharashtra-252310","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-11; no translation needed. The Federal, 2 August 2026, HTTP 200; FIR details overlap the Hindustan Times account and part is credited to ANI, so it is not used as independent support for the FIR.","independence_group":"federal-fir-report"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["public_services","justice"],"unknowns":["Who made the video and with which tool.","Whether the depicted officer made any statement about the video or its effect on him.","Whether anyone has been identified or charged under the FIR."],"geography":{"basis":"The depicted officer serves with Delhi Police, the source footage was posted by Delhi Police, and the FIR was registered by Maharashtra Cyber Police; all in India. No court proceeding is reported.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":["IN"],"affected_person_countries":["IN"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published as a core depiction case: Delhi Police, the Press Information Bureau and two independent fact-checkers say a viral video falsely showing a named Delhi Police DCP resigning and accusing the government was AI-generated, and Maharashtra Cyber Police registered an FIR. The officer is named as a senior public official depicted in his official role; the complainant, the uploader and the sharing politician are not named.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-11"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"Delhi Police called the video \"completely fake and AI generated\" in a fact check quoted by Alt News and The Federal; Alt News traced it to genuine Delhi Police footage of 23 July and concluded the audio was manipulated, with a detection tool estimating a 67% AI likelihood; BOOM found an audio-to-lip mismatch and reported that AI-detection tools flagged it as synthetic; the Hindustan Times reports a Press Information Bureau statement that it was AI-generated. The AI output is a manipulated video in which a voice resembling the officer's speaks a fabricated resignation statement over his genuine footage (depicted_or_impersonated), which is the false depiction that circulated and led to the FIR.","status":"supported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"Delhi Police and fact-checkers say a viral video of a Delhi Police DCP resigning over student protests was AI-generated; FIR filed in Maharashtra","summary":"In late July 2026 a 44-to-47-second video circulated on social media in which Delhi Police Deputy Commissioner Sumit Jha appeared to announce that he was resigning \"immediately\" because the government had pressured him to implicate students protesting with the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on false charges. The fact-checkers Alt News and BOOM traced the frames to a genuine Delhi Police video of 23 July in which the officer warned about Pakistan-based social media handles spreading misinformation. BOOM found a mismatch between the audio and his lip movements and said Deepfake O Meter tools flagged the clip as AI-generated. Alt News reported a 67% likelihood of AI generation from Detectvideo.AI. Delhi Police posted a fact check calling the video \"completely fake and AI generated\", and the Hindustan Times reports that the Press Information Bureau also said it was AI-generated. After a member of the BJP social media team saw the video in a post by a Congress leader on 31 July, Maharashtra Cyber Police registered an FIR against unknown persons for public mischief and cheating by personation. The officer is named because he is a senior public official depicted in his official role and the fact checks name him; no statement from him is reported.","incidentDate":"2026-07-23","incidentEndDate":"2026-07-31","incidentKind":"single_event","incidentDatePrecision":"range","exposurePattern":"single_interaction","reportedDate":"2026-07-27","aiSystem":"An AI-altered video built from Delhi Police footage of 23 July 2026, with manipulated audio in a voice resembling the officer's, which The Federal calls \"the AI-generated voice\"; Delhi Police called it \"completely fake and AI generated\", the Press Information Bureau said it was AI-generated, and BOOM and Alt News ran it through AI-detection tools. No tool is named","aiProduct":"Unidentified video tool","severity":"low","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["reputational_harm"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"According to Delhi Police, the Press Information Bureau and two fact-checkers, an AI-altered video falsely showed a named Delhi Police DCP resigning and accusing the government of pressuring him to frame protesting students; it was shared widely and Maharashtra Cyber Police registered an FIR for public mischief and cheating by personation.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"supported","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":1,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"One person: the depicted officer. He did not use the tool, so he is counted as another person harmed. Viewers, likes and the complainant are not counted.","victimAgeRange":"adult","jurisdiction":"IN","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"investigation_opened","outcomeStatus":"ongoing","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.altnews.in/delhi-dcp-resigned-to-support-students-protest-no-viral-video-is-a-deepfake/","primarySourceLabel":"Alt News fact check, 29 July 2026: Delhi DCP resignation video is a deepfake","firstPublishedAt":"2026-10-11T03:16:16.977265+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-11T03:16:16.977265+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["deepfake","ai-generated-video","police","protest","delhi","india","reputational-harm","depicted-or-impersonated","fact-check"]},{"id":"2026-pubg-asia-stars-korean-streamer-deepfake-composites-krafton-legal-support","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'논란은 지난 17일 개막한 국가·지역 대항전 ‘PUBG 아시아 스타즈 2026’ 첫날 경기에서 시작됐다.'; '상대방 방송을 시청하며 플레이하는 이른바 ‘방플(스트림 스나이핑)’ 정황이 포착되면서 벌어졌다.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'사태는 1일차 경기에서 베트남 선수 2인이 운영정책 위반 행위를 저지르면서 비롯됐다.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"On the first day of PUBG Asia Stars 2026, which opened on 17 September 2026, two players on the Vietnam team were found to have used other participants' broadcasts to locate a Korean streamer in the game.","causal_attribution":"Context for the harassment; no AI is involved in this step."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'딥페이크 합성물 및 성희롱 악성 게시물에 대한 삭제 요청, 형사 고소 절차 전폭 지원을 약속했다.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'허위사실 유포와 조롱, 불법 합성 게시물에 대한 삭제·차단 요청과 법적 대응 협조에 나서기로 했다.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"The Korean streamer was targeted with posts that Hansbiz describes as deepfake composites and sexual-harassment posts; Krafton's statement, as relayed by DigitalToday, refers to false claims, mockery and illegal composite posts aimed at the streamer.","causal_attribution":"Hansbiz uses the word deepfake; the DigitalToday and Inven relays of Krafton's notice say illegal composite posts. The notice itself was not read. The makers are not identified."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'한국인을 욕하거나, 한국팀 스트리머 사진을 활용해 딥페이크 영상을 유포하는 행위로도 이어졌다.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"After the players' penalties and the suspension of Krafton's Vietnam league, parts of the Vietnamese gamer community abused Koreans and spread deepfake videos made from Korean team streamers' photos.","causal_attribution":"Newspost's own reporting; it does not name the streamers depicted or the posters."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'회사는 미흡한 운영과 대응으로 참가자 보호가 충분히 이뤄지지 못했고 이후 비난과 공격이 이어졌다며'; '23일 크래프톤은 배틀그라운드 공식 카페를 통해'; '크래프톤은 같은 날 별도 공지를 통해'; '진심으로 사과드린다'; '소속사와 협의해 법적 대응에도 최대한 협조하고'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'허위 사실 유포와 조롱, 불법 합성 게시물의 삭제·차단을 요청하고'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"On 23 September 2026 Krafton apologised to the streamer, said participant protection had been insufficient, and said it would request deletion and blocking of the posts and cooperate with legal action in consultation with the streamer's agency.","causal_attribution":"Publisher statement relayed by several outlets; no complaint filing is reported."},{"id":"c5","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'파트너 해지를 검토하고'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'피해 스트리머는 최근 방송에 복귀했다.'; '스트리밍 플랫폼 SOOP도 그의 복귀 방송에서 채팅 관리를 도왔다'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"The streamer was reported to be considering ending a partnership and later returned to broadcasting, with the platform SOOP helping manage chat.","causal_attribution":"Hansbiz does not say which partnership; the passage concerns streamers turning away from PUBG content. Neither source attributes the decision to the deepfakes alone."}],"effects":[{"label":"deepfake composites and sexual-harassment posts targeting the streamer circulated online","claim_id":"c2","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"http://www.hansbiz.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=868012","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"ko","translation_note":"Read live in Korean on 2026-10-04 (Hansbiz, 24 September 2026). Its account of Krafton's promises derives from Krafton's statements, so it shares their group; the DigitalToday and Inven relays of Krafton's notice do not use the word deepfake, and the notice itself was not read. Researcher translation.","independence_group":"krafton-statement-2026-09"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.digitaltoday.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=702882","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"ko","translation_note":"Read live in Korean on 2026-10-04 (DigitalToday, 23 September 2026); relays Krafton's notice to the streamer. Researcher translation.","independence_group":"krafton-statement-2026-09"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://www.inven.co.kr/webzine/news/?news=321428","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"ko","translation_note":"Read live in Korean on 2026-10-04 (Inven, 23 September 2026); relays the same Krafton notice. Researcher translation.","independence_group":"krafton-statement-2026-09"},{"id":"s4","url":"https://www.newspost.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=226062","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"ko","translation_note":"Read live in Korean on 2026-10-04 (Newspost, 2 October 2026, byline Kim Yun-jin); the outlet's own account of the aftermath. Researcher translation.","independence_group":"newspost-2026-10-02"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["work","privacy"],"unknowns":["What the composites and videos showed beyond the outlets' descriptions, and with what tool they were made.","Who made and posted them, and on which platforms.","Whether a criminal complaint was filed and any police response.","Whether other Korean team streamers were depicted in the videos Newspost describes."],"geography":{"basis":"Hansbiz describes the targeted person as a Korean streamer on the Korean team. Newspost attributes the deepfake videos to parts of the Vietnamese gamer community but does not say where they were made or posted, so no event country is recorded. No court or police authority is named.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":[],"affected_person_countries":["KR"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published under the 2026-09-15 charter as a core case (synthetic media depicting a real person, used for harassment). The account rests on Krafton's public statement as relayed by Korean outlets and on Newspost's separate reporting. The streamer is not named here and the content of the posts is not described.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-04"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"Hansbiz calls the material deepfake composites and Newspost reports deepfake videos made from Korean team streamers' photos. Krafton's statement, as relayed by DigitalToday and Inven, says illegal composite posts. No tool is named and no forensic analysis is reported.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"South Korea: deepfake composites and sexual-harassment posts target a Korean streamer after a PUBG tournament stream-sniping dispute; publisher Krafton promises takedown requests and legal support","summary":"At the PUBG Asia Stars 2026 tournament, which opened on 17 September 2026, two players on the Vietnam team were found to have used other participants' live broadcasts or outside information during play, including to locate a Korean streamer in game. Hansbiz reports that the streamer was then targeted with deepfake composites and sexual-harassment posts, and Newspost reports that members of the Vietnamese gamer community spread deepfake videos made from Korean team streamers' photos. On 23 September 2026 the publisher Krafton apologised to the streamer and said it would request deletion and blocking of false claims, mockery and illegal composite posts and would cooperate with legal action; Hansbiz reports the promised support as covering criminal complaint proceedings. No complaint filing or police action is reported in the sources read.","incidentDate":"2026-09-01","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"month","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2026-09-23","aiSystem":"Unnamed deepfake tool (Hansbiz describes deepfake composites aimed at the streamer; Newspost describes deepfake videos made with Korean team streamer photos; Krafton's statement, as relayed, calls them illegal composite posts)","aiProduct":"Unidentified video tool","severity":"low","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["reputational_harm"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"Hansbiz reports deepfake composites and sexual-harassment posts targeting a Korean streamer after a tournament dispute; Krafton said it would request deletion and blocking of illegal composite posts and cooperate with legal action (Hansbiz; DigitalToday; Inven).","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":1,"affectedCountStatus":"documented_minimum","affectedCountEvidence":"One Korean streamer is named by Krafton as the target of the composite posts (DigitalToday; Inven; Hansbiz). Newspost's phrase about Korean team streamers' photos does not state how many streamers were depicted, so the count is a documented minimum of 1.","victimAgeRange":"unknown","jurisdiction":"KR","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"internal_action","outcomeStatus":"ongoing","primarySourceUrl":"http://www.hansbiz.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=868012","primarySourceLabel":"Hansbiz (한스경제), 24 September 2026: Krafton PUBG Vietnam controversy and its response","firstPublishedAt":"2026-10-04T03:29:41.149619+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-04T03:29:41.149619+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["deepfakes","pubg","krafton","esports","streamer","harassment","south-korea","vietnam","depicted-or-impersonated"]},{"id":"2026-new-mexico-senate-republican-ai-images-ethics-complaint-stewart-fake-mugshot","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'posting a fake photo of Stewart made to look like a jail mugshot using artificial intelligence.'; 'Even though Stewart wasn't issued a citation'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'posted a mugshot-like image of Senate President Pro Tem Mimi Stewart (D-Albuquerque), mentioning criminal charges never faced.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"In September 2026 Sen. Jay Block posted on social media a mugshot-like image of Senate President Pro Tem Mimi Stewart that lists criminal charges she never faced.","causal_attribution":"The New Mexican's own reporting, including an interview in which Block confirmed and defended the post. KRQE's account comes from the Democratic Party's complaint (its image is credited to the party); the complaint text was not inspected, so its independence from the New Mexican's earlier report is not established. The month follows from the New Mexican's report that word of the 2024 incident got out in the week of its 24 September article."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Block's social media posts indicate the fake mugshot was AI-generated. On X, the post had been shared more than 100 times.'; 'ostensibly booked into the Bernalillo County jail on charges of \"hit and run\" and \"abusive behavior towards staff and other lawmakers\"'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"Block's posts indicate the fake mugshot was AI-generated; it showed Stewart ostensibly booked into the Bernalillo County jail on charges of 'hit and run' and 'abusive behavior towards staff and other lawmakers', and the X post had been shared more than 100 times.","causal_attribution":"One newspaper's description of the post; the AI tool is not named."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'much less booked into jail'; 'the incident didn't occur in Bernalillo County, as the fake image suggests'; 'He noted in an email the incident was \"not considered a hit and run crash\"'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"Stewart was not issued a citation or booked into jail, the 2024 incident did not occur in Bernalillo County, and Santa Fe's interim police chief said it was not considered a hit and run crash.","causal_attribution":"The New Mexican's account of police and court records; the police report itself was not inspected."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Stewart said Block's post with an AI-generated image of her \"staged as a mugshot\" manufactured answers by insinuation.'; 'take down the fabricated image, and stop with the falsehoods and insinuations'; 'Block said Wednesday he stands by the post and has no plans to take it down.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"Stewart said Block's post used an AI-generated image of her staged as a mugshot to manufacture answers by insinuation and asked Block and the Republican caucus to take down the fabricated image; Block said he stands by the post and has no plans to take it down.","causal_attribution":"Statements by the two senators as reported by one newspaper; the harm described is reputational and is alleged by Stewart."},{"id":"c5","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'\"Everything on there was accurate with the information we were provided,\" Block said in an interview.'; 'The Senate Republican caucus shared the post on its social media accounts'; 'We now acknowledge that Senator Stewart did not appear to leave the scene'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"Block told the New Mexican that everything on the post was accurate with the information provided to him; the Senate Republican caucus shared the post and later issued a corrected news release acknowledging that Stewart did not appear to leave the scene.","causal_attribution":"The poster's and the caucus's own position as reported by one newspaper."},{"id":"c6","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Senate Republican leader Bill Sharer (R-Farmington) and the Senate Republicans shared an image on Facebook last month, showing House Speaker Javier Martinez (D-Albuquerque) wearing a Soviet Union pin, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Deb Haaland with her arm around a man in an orange jumpsuit, and former state Rep. Joseph Hernandez naked'; 'The Democratic Party said both images are \"misleading AI generated images\"'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Senate Republican leader Bill Sharer and the Senate Republicans shared on Facebook in September 2026 an image showing House Speaker Javier Martinez wearing a Soviet Union pin, gubernatorial candidate Deb Haaland with her arm around a man in an orange jumpsuit, and former state Rep. Joseph Hernandez naked; the Democratic Party of New Mexico says it is a misleading AI-generated image.","causal_attribution":"One station's account of the party's complaint; the AI-generated character of this image rests on the complaint, and the inspected sources carry no statement from the three people depicted."},{"id":"c7","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'The Democratic Party of New Mexico has filed an ethics complaint, saying two Republican social media posts used images created with artificial intelligence.'; 'violate a 2024 state law cracking down on deepfakes. They want the posts removed and posters fined.'; 'he did not address the issues mentioned in the complaint.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The Democratic Party of New Mexico has filed an ethics complaint saying both images violate a 2024 state law on deepfakes and asking that the posts be removed and the posters fined; Sharer's statement in response did not address the issues in the complaint.","causal_attribution":"A party's complaint as reported by one station; the complaint text was not inspected and its allegations are unproven."}],"effects":[{"label":"a state Senate leader was depicted in a fake jail mugshot, indicated by the poster to be AI-generated, listing charges she never faced; she asked for it to be taken down and the poster said he has no plans to remove it","claim_id":"c4","direction":"negative"},{"label":"three Democratic politicians were depicted in a Facebook image that the state Democratic Party calls a misleading AI-generated image","claim_id":"c6","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.krqe.com/news/politics/democratic-party-of-new-mexico-files-ethics-complaint-over-ai-images/","kind":"local_tv_news","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"KRQE article by Jordan Honeycutt, published 2 October 2026. The article page answered HTTP 403 to this host, so the full text was read on 2026-10-03 from the site's AMP version of the same URL (/amp/) and checked against the post's WordPress API record. A related-story card inside the page was not used. The description of the images and their AI-generated character derives from the Democratic Party's complaint.","independence_group":"dpnm-complaint"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/fake-ai-generated-mugshot-prominent-035900442.html","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Santa Fe New Mexican article by Daniel J. Chacón, read on 2026-10-03 through its Yahoo News syndication (canonical santafenewmexican.com page not fetched). Based on the reporter's interview with Block, a statement from Stewart, Senate Republican releases and Santa Fe police; independent of the party's complaint.","independence_group":"santa-fe-new-mexican"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["public_life","elections"],"unknowns":["Which AI tool or tools made the images, and whether the Facebook image is AI-generated beyond the party's allegation.","The exact dates of the Facebook post and of Block's post.","The body with which the ethics complaint was filed, its filing date and its outcome.","Whether Martinez, Haaland or Hernandez responded to the Facebook image.","Whether either post has been removed."],"geography":{"basis":"The images were posted by New Mexico state senators and the New Mexico Senate Republicans and depict New Mexico state politicians; the complaint invokes a New Mexico state law (KRQE, Santa Fe New Mexican). The ethics complaint is not a court proceeding.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":["US"],"affected_person_countries":["US"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published as a core case (depicted_or_impersonated) consistent with 2026-wisconsin-cooke-van-orden-ai-deepfake-videos-cease-and-desist and 2026-texas-goodwin-ai-deepfake-campaign-ads-sheriff-complaint: a newspaper reports that a state senator posted a fake mugshot of a Senate leader that his own posts indicate was AI-generated, listing charges she never faced, and that she asked for it to be taken down; a TV station reports a party ethics complaint alleging that this image and a Facebook image of three other politicians are misleading AI-generated images. The harm is reputational and is alleged; the poster stands by his post.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-03"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The Santa Fe New Mexican reports that Block's own social media posts indicate the fake mugshot of Stewart was AI-generated, and Stewart, in a statement quoted by the newspaper, calls it a fabricated image. For the Facebook image of Martinez, Haaland and Hernandez, the only inspected basis is the Democratic Party of New Mexico's complaint, which KRQE reports calls both images misleading AI-generated images. No tool is named.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"New Mexico: the state Democratic Party filed an ethics complaint, reported on 2 October 2026, over two Senate Republican social media posts from September 2026 that it says used misleading AI-generated images, including a fake jail mugshot of Senate President Pro Tem Mimi Stewart that she publicly asked to be taken down","summary":"In September 2026 Republican state Sen. Jay Block posted on social media a fake image of New Mexico Senate President Pro Tem Mimi Stewart made to look like a jail mugshot. The Santa Fe New Mexican (24 September 2026) reports that Block's posts indicate the image was AI-generated and that it showed her ostensibly booked into the Bernalillo County jail on charges of 'hit and run' and 'abusive behavior towards staff and other lawmakers'. Stewart was not issued a citation or booked, and Santa Fe's interim police chief said the 2024 incident in which she drove over a pedestrian's foot was not considered a hit and run crash. Stewart asked Block and the Senate Republican caucus to take down the fabricated image. Block said he stands by the post and has no plans to remove it. KRQE reported on 2 October 2026 that the Democratic Party of New Mexico had filed an ethics complaint over this post and over an image that Senate Republican leader Bill Sharer and the Senate Republicans shared on Facebook in September, which shows House Speaker Javier Martinez wearing a Soviet Union pin, gubernatorial candidate Deb Haaland with her arm around a man in an orange jumpsuit and former state Rep. Joseph Hernandez naked. The party calls both 'misleading AI generated images' that violate a 2024 state law on deepfakes and wants the posts removed and the posters fined.","incidentDate":"2026-09-01","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"month","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2026-09-24","aiSystem":"Unnamed AI image tool used to make a fake jail mugshot of Sen. Mimi Stewart posted by Sen. Jay Block (his posts indicate the image was AI-generated, per the Santa Fe New Mexican) and, according to the Democratic Party of New Mexico's ethics complaint, an image of three Democratic politicians shared by the Senate Republicans on Facebook; no tool is named","aiProduct":"Unidentified image tool","severity":"low","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["reputational_harm"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"A state Senate leader was depicted in a fake jail mugshot, which the poster's own posts indicate was AI-generated, listing charges she never faced; she publicly asked for the fabricated image to be taken down, and the poster said he stands by the post and has no plans to take it down. The state Democratic Party alleges in an ethics complaint that this image and a Facebook image of three other Democratic politicians are misleading AI-generated images.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":1,"affectedCountStatus":"documented_minimum","affectedCountEvidence":"One depicted person is reported harmed: Stewart, shown in the fake mugshot, who called it a fabricated image and asked for it to be taken down (Santa Fe New Mexican; KRQE). Martinez, Haaland and Hernandez are depicted in the Facebook image that the Democratic Party of New Mexico calls a misleading AI-generated image, but the inspected sources report no harm to or response from them and the complaint is the party's, so they are not counted and the count is a lower bound. The unidentified man in the orange jumpsuit is not counted. Shares of the post are not person counts. Documented minimum 1.","victimAgeRange":"adult","jurisdiction":"US-NM","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"media_coverage","outcomeStatus":"ongoing","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.krqe.com/news/politics/democratic-party-of-new-mexico-files-ethics-complaint-over-ai-images/","primarySourceLabel":"KRQE, 2 October 2026: Democratic Party of New Mexico files ethics complaint over AI images","firstPublishedAt":"2026-10-03T03:17:39.879526+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-03T03:17:39.879526+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["deepfake","political-deepfake","fake-mugshot","new-mexico","ethics-complaint","x","facebook","depicted-or-impersonated"]},{"id":"2026-austria-lena-schilling-sexualised-deepfake-websites","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Vor zwei Wochen wurde die EU-Abgeordnete der Grünen darüber informiert, dass derartige Webseiten mit sexualisierten Inhalten von ihr existieren.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'Von Schilling wurden rund ein Dutzend Webseiten mit sexualisierten Deepfakes gefunden.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'Schilling wurde im Rahmen einer Untersuchung der Berliner Denkfabrik Agora – Digitale Transformation auf die Inhalte hingewiesen.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'Auf Deepfake-Websites sind 147 EU-Abgeordnete identifiziert worden, darunter auch die österreichische Politikerin Lena Schilling (Grüne).'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"In mid-September 2026 Schilling was informed, in the course of an Agora Digitale Transformation survey, that websites with AI-generated nude images of her existed; about a dozen websites showed such sexualised deepfakes or linked to them.","causal_attribution":"Her account in the interview and the Greens statement; the study's second wave that found her sites is unpublished."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Die EU-Abgeordnete und ihr Team haben die Fälle dokumentiert, gemeldet und bei der österreichischen Polizei angezeigt.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'\"Wir haben Anzeige erstattet, die Fälle bei Zara, der Stelle gegen Hass und Gewalt im Netz, gemeldet, den Webseiten direkt geschrieben und die Seiten bei den Suchmaschinen gemeldet.\" Bis alle Seiten offline wurden, dauerte es etwa zehn Tage, erzählt Schilling.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'Schilling hat Anzeige erstattet und ihren Fall öffentlich gemacht.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"She and her team documented the cases, filed a complaint with the Austrian police, reported them to ZARA, wrote to the websites and reported the pages to search engines; it took about ten days until all sites were offline.","causal_attribution":"Her account; no police or platform confirmation is reported."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Lena Schilling wurde übel, als sie erstmals KI-generierte Nacktfotos von sich im Internet sah, erzählt sie im Interview.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'\"Fotos von mir wurden auf KI-Plattformen verwendet, um mich gegen meinen Willen auszuziehen\", erklärt Schilling im Gespräch mit dem STANDARD und den Salzburger Nachrichten.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'„Man hat uns gegen unseren Willen ausgezogen. KI verstärkt Gewalt gegen Frauen, und deshalb braucht es politische Entscheidungen, die uns schützen. Das kann nicht die neue Normalität werden“, sagte die EU-Abgeordnete Lena Schilling, die eine der Betroffenen ist.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'Ihre eigene Betroffenheit mache sie wütend - \"für mich, aber auch für jede junge Frau, die sich fragt, ob sie überhaupt in die Politik gehen will\".'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"She says she felt sick when she first saw the images and then angry, and that photos of her were used on AI platforms to undress her against her will.","causal_attribution":"Her own statements in the interview and via the Greens statement; both originate with her."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Shultz fand Deepfakes von neun Politikern und 138 Politikerinnen aus 22 Ländern der EU.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'Die zweite Untersuchungswelle – in der Webseiten von Schilling gefunden wurden – dauert noch an; Ergebnisse werden in etwa vier Wochen veröffentlicht.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'In einer Aussendung der Grünen sagt Schilling, sie sei „eine von 138 betroffenen weiblichen Abgeordneten“. Das passt nicht ganz. Die veröffentlichte Studie hat nur Abgeordnete der nationalen Parlamente untersucht, das EU-Parlament war nicht dabei.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"},{"locator":"'Die Studie der Agora Digitale Transformation hat 138 weibliche und neun männliche EU-Abgeordnete auf Deepfake-Websites identifiziert.'","relation":"context","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"The Agora study's first wave found sexualised deepfakes of 138 female and nine male national parliamentarians from 22 EU countries; Schilling's case comes from a second, ongoing wave covering the European Parliament, so the Greens' description of her as one of the 138 does not fit.","causal_attribution":"Context on the study; the Krone/APA text describes the 147 as EU-Abgeordnete, which Der Standard and Mimikama attribute to national parliaments."}],"effects":[{"label":"AI-generated sexualised nude images of her shown on or linked from about a dozen websites; nausea and anger; police complaint and ten days of takedown work","claim_id":"c1","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.derstandard.at/story/3000000341593/sexualisierte-ki-deepfakes-von-138-politikerinnen-gefunden-auch-lena-schilling-betroffen","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"de","translation_note":"Read live in German on 2026-09-30 (Der Standard, 28 September 2026, Gustav Andree; interview conducted jointly with the Salzburger Nachrichten). The plain fetch returned a consent wall with the lede only; the full article was retrieved with a consent cookie (bodies/eu-derstandard-at-story-3000000341593-cookie.html). Researcher translation.","independence_group":"standard-sn-interview"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.krone.at/4313297","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"de","translation_note":"Read live in German on 2026-09-30 (Kronen Zeitung, published 28 September 2026 21:54, updated 29 September); APA-style report of the Greens/EFA statement and Schilling's quotes. Researcher translation.","independence_group":"apa-greens-statement"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://www.sn.at/politik/weltpolitik/147-abgeordnete-in-eu-opfer-von-sexualisierten-ki-deepfakes-art-675436","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"de","translation_note":"Read live in German on 2026-09-30 (Salzburger Nachrichten, 28 September 2026); same APA report of the Greens statement. Researcher translation.","independence_group":"apa-greens-statement"},{"id":"s4","url":"https://www.mimikama.org/lena-schilling-deepfakes/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"de","translation_note":"Read live in German on 2026-09-30 (Mimikama, 29 September 2026); a fact-check write-up relaying Der Standard's interview and the Agora study, cited for its note on the study's scope. Researcher translation.","independence_group":"standard-sn-interview"},{"id":"s5","url":"https://www.kleinezeitung.at/artikel/41307263/147-abgeordnete-in-eu-opfer-von-sexualisierten-ki-deepfakes","kind":"news_report","access":"unavailable","language":"de","translation_note":"Not read beyond the lede: the page is paywalled (788 characters retrieved live on 2026-09-30).","independence_group":"apa-greens-statement"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["privacy","work"],"unknowns":["Which websites and which AI tools were involved, where they were operated and who created the images.","When the images were first created or posted; only the date she was informed (about two weeks before 28 September 2026) is given.","Whether the police opened an investigation after her complaint.","Whether the EU-Abgeordnete count in the Krone/APA text (147 'EU-Abgeordnete') refers to national parliamentarians, as Der Standard and Mimikama state."],"geography":{"basis":"Schilling is described as the Austrian Green MEP (Krone: 'die österreichische Politikerin Lena Schilling') and filed her complaint with the Austrian police (Der Standard); where the websites were operated is not stated for her case (the study author says most such sites are registered in America, a general remark), so no event country is recorded. No court is involved.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":[],"affected_person_countries":["AT"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published under the 2026-09-15 charter as a core case: AI-generated sexualised images depicted a public figure who describes the harm in her own words (nausea, anger, a police complaint and ten days of takedown work). She is an MEP speaking publicly about her own case and is named as all sources do. One underlying account (hers), given in a joint newspaper interview and in a party statement relayed by APA; the images were not inspected and no tool or site is identified.","reviewed_on":"2026-09-30"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"Schilling states that photos of her were used on AI platforms to undress her against her will ('Fotos von mir wurden auf KI-Plattformen verwendet, um mich gegen meinen Willen auszuziehen', Der Standard) and the sites were identified by the Agora Digitale Transformation survey of AI-generated sexualised deepfakes of parliamentarians; the study author describes 'gateway' sites linking to nudifier tools. The images were not inspected by the researcher and no tool or site is named. The AI depicted her (depicted_or_impersonated).","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"Austria: MEP Lena Schilling learns that about a dozen websites show or link to AI-generated sexualised images of her, files a police complaint and gets the sites taken offline after about ten days","summary":"Der Standard reported on 28 September 2026, from an interview with Lena Schilling (Green MEP, Austria) conducted with the Salzburger Nachrichten, that about two weeks earlier she had been informed, through an ongoing survey by the Berlin think tank Agora Digitale Transformation, that websites with AI-generated nude images of her existed; about a dozen websites showed such deepfakes or linked to them. She says photos of her were used on AI platforms to undress her against her will, that she felt sick on first seeing the images and then angry, and that she and her team documented the cases, filed a complaint with the Austrian police, reported them to the anti-hate body ZARA, wrote to the websites and reported them to search engines; all sites were offline after about ten days. Through a Greens statement relayed by APA (Krone, Salzburger Nachrichten) she said 'Man hat uns gegen unseren Willen ausgezogen' and called for political decisions to protect women. Her case belongs to a second, still ongoing wave of the Agora study, whose first wave found sexualised deepfakes of 138 female and nine male national parliamentarians in 22 EU countries.","incidentDate":"2026-09-01","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"month","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2026-09-28","aiSystem":"AI image tools ('KI-Plattformen' in Schilling's words to Der Standard; the study author describes the surveyed gateway sites in general as linking to a 'Nudifier-Tool') used by unknown operators to generate sexualised nude images of the MEP from her photos, shown on or linked from about a dozen websites; the tools and sites are not identified","aiProduct":"Unidentified image tool","severity":"medium","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["exploitation_or_abuse","psychological_distress"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"AI-generated sexualised nude images of the MEP were shown on or linked from about a dozen websites; she reports feeling sick and then angry and had to pursue a police complaint and takedowns over about ten days (her account to Der Standard and the Salzburger Nachrichten; her statement via APA).","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"supported","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":1,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"One person, Lena Schilling (Der Standard; Krone; Salzburger Nachrichten). The other parliamentarians identified by the Agora study are not part of this case. Exact 1.","victimAgeRange":"adult","jurisdiction":"AT","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"media_coverage","outcomeStatus":"unknown","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.derstandard.at/story/3000000341593/sexualisierte-ki-deepfakes-von-138-politikerinnen-gefunden-auch-lena-schilling-betroffen","primarySourceLabel":"Der Standard, 28 September 2026: Sexualisierte KI-Deepfakes von 138 Politikerinnen gefunden – auch Lena Schilling betroffen","firstPublishedAt":"2026-09-30T04:13:34.967728+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-09-30T04:13:34.967728+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["deepfakes","sexualised-deepfakes","nudifier","politician","austria","european-parliament","police-complaint","takedown","agora-digitale-transformation"]},{"id":"2026-meta-instagram-ai-assisted-account-recovery-tool-exploited-to-reset-passwords","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"corroborated","evidence":[{"locator":"the system incorrectly sent a password reset link to that unassociated email rather than rejecting the request","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"This allowed unauthorized third parties to receive a password reset link for accounts they did not own","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"The chatbot can be seen sending a verification code to the email address provided by the hacker","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"},{"locator":"TechCrunch was able to verify that the hacker’s public email mailbox, which was displayed in the video, effectively received the verification code.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"Through Meta's AI-assisted account recovery support system (High Touch Support), third parties received password reset links or verification codes for Instagram accounts they did not own, sent to an email address that was not associated with the account.","causal_attribution":"Two evidential bases: Meta's own notice to the Maine Attorney General (a party's account of its own system) and videos the attackers posted, in which TechCrunch confirmed that the mailbox shown received the verification code. TechCrunch's check covers that one delivery. It did not test which Meta tool sent the code or who owned the target account, and the videos were not opened for this review. The link between the chat assistant in the videos and High Touch Support is made by press reports and by Meta's spokesperson referring to the AI agent. No inspected document names both. Meta says the tool worked as intended and the failure lay in a separate code path (see c5), so the AI component's own contribution is disputed."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"the hacker opened a chat with Meta AI Support Assistant and asked the bot to add a new email address to the target’s account.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"},{"locator":"which prompts the chatbot to show a button to “Reset Password.”","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"},{"locator":"One video shows a hacker starting a conversation with Meta’s AI support bot and asking it to link the target account with a new email address","relation":"supports","source_id":"s5"},{"locator":"using a VPN connection with an IP address that is in or near the target’s usual hometown","relation":"supports","source_id":"s6"},{"locator":"The bot followed through with the request - sending a code to the hacker's email which, when verified, was followed by an email with a link to change their password.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s7"}],"assertion":"Attackers asked Meta's AI support assistant in a chat to add or link a new email address to a target Instagram username, and some used a VPN to appear in the target's location. In one video the assistant then sent a verification code to that address and showed a button to reset the password.","causal_attribution":"Every account of the chat steps traces to videos and screenshots the attackers posted on Telegram and X. TechCrunch checked one displayed mailbox. The other videos were not independently reproduced."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"the unauthorized party was able to log in to the account if the account holder had not enabled two-factor authentication (2FA)","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"The hackers who released the video on Telegram said their exploit failed to work against any accounts that had MFA enabled.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s6"}],"assertion":"Meta's notice says the account could be logged into after the password reset if the account holder had not enabled two-factor authentication. Krebs on Security reports that the attackers who posted the video said the exploit failed against accounts with multi-factor authentication.","causal_attribution":"Meta's statement about its own system and the attackers' own statement as relayed by Krebs. Neither was tested independently."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"it can also take action for you on a growing set of requests directly within Facebook and in the future, on Instagram, including:","relation":"supports","source_id":"s12"},{"locator":"Resetting passwords","relation":"supports","source_id":"s12"},{"locator":"We’ve also started rolling out the support assistant to people who need help logging into their Facebook and Instagram accounts, starting with select cases in the US and Canada","relation":"supports","source_id":"s12"}],"assertion":"Meta announced the Meta AI support assistant for Facebook and Instagram on 19 March 2026, described it as able to take action on requests including resetting passwords directly within Facebook and, in the future, on Instagram, and said it had started rolling it out to people who need help logging into Facebook and Instagram accounts, starting with select cases in the US and Canada.","causal_attribution":"Meta's own product announcement. The announcement does not say which tool the exploited flow used. The link between this assistant and the High Touch Support tool named in Meta's notice is made by the press reports and by the notice's own description of an AI-assisted account recovery system."},{"id":"c5","status":"disputed","evidence":[{"locator":"The tool itself worked properly and functioned as intended; however due to a bug in a separate code path, the system did not properly verify that the email address provided by the individual requesting a password reset matched the email address associated with that user’s Instagram account.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"Some of our internal backend checks failed in this instance, but it wasn’t due to the AI agent itself, and we’ve addressed the underlying cause.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s11"},{"locator":"Hackers simply told Meta’s AI chatbot that they were the owners of the target’s account, and asked the bot to link that person’s account to an email they controlled. The chatbot complied with the request","relation":"contradicts","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"Whether the failure lay in the AI agent or in a separate code path is disputed. Meta's notice says the tool worked as intended and that a bug in a separate code path did not check the requester's email address against the account, and a Meta spokesperson told Gizmodo that some internal backend checks failed and that this was not due to the AI agent itself. TechCrunch describes the chatbot as complying with the attackers' request.","causal_attribution":"Meta's account of its own system. TechCrunch's description of the chatbot as complying with the request is a reporter's characterisation from the attackers' videos and does not test where in Meta's system the check failed."},{"id":"c6","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"Date(s) Breach Occured: 04/17/2026","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"Date Breach Discovered: 05-31-2026","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"May 31, 2026, Meta discovered that there was a vulnerability in an AI-assisted account","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"same day the exploitation was identified by Meta, the following actions were taken to","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"the AI-assisted support tool removing the vulnerable code path from production","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Meta's notice lists 17 April 2026 as the date the breach occurred (as 04/17/2026) and 31 May 2026 as the date it discovered the vulnerability, and says Meta disabled the AI-assisted support tool on the same day the exploitation was identified.","causal_attribution":"Meta's own dates for its own system. The notice letter gives the discovery date and no start date. The 17 April date appears only in the listing form, and the basis for it is not stated."},{"id":"c7","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"Total number of persons affected (including residents): 20225","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"Total number of Maine residents affected: 30","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"reset through the support tool, did not have 2FA enabled on their account and whose Instagram accounts were likely accessed by an unauthorized party.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"This number represents an upper bound of the users impacted as some of the accounts may have been accessed legitimately by account owners.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The Maine Attorney General listing of Meta's submission gives 20225 as the total number of persons affected and 30 as the number of Maine residents. The notice defines the Maine figure as users whose passwords were reset through the tool, who had no two-factor authentication and whose accounts were likely accessed by an unauthorized party, and calls it an upper bound because some accounts may have been accessed legitimately by their owners.","causal_attribution":"Meta's own estimate. The notice's upper-bound wording is written for the Maine figure. The inspected notice does not say whether the total of 20225 counts accounts or people, how many were taken over, or how many are organisational accounts."},{"id":"c8","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"“The password got changed without my knowledge and I was getting different password reset attempts throughout yesterday,” said Wong.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"},{"locator":"And I got repeatedly logged out from the IG iOS app[.] Quite concerning.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s10"},{"locator":"it took about five to 10 minutes to reinstate her account","relation":"supports","source_id":"s9"},{"locator":"Wong, who previously worked at Meta as a security engineer, said in a post on X her Instagram password was \"changed without my knowledge\"","relation":"supports","source_id":"s7"}],"assertion":"Jane Manchun Wong, a security researcher and former Meta employee, posted on X that her Instagram password was changed without her knowledge, that she received password reset attempts and was repeatedly logged out of the app, and told Reuters that reinstating her account took about five to ten minutes.","causal_attribution":"Her own public statements, relayed by four outlets. The X post itself was not opened. Wong does not say in the quoted statements how her account was accessed, and the outlets connect it to the exploit."},{"id":"c9","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"and the account of the U.S. Space Force’s chief master sergeant","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"},{"locator":"the account of the U.S. Space Force’s chief master sergeant","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"},{"locator":"the Chief Master Sergeant of the U.S. Space Force were briefly defaced with pro-Iranian images and messages over the weekend","relation":"supports","source_id":"s6"},{"locator":"the Chief Master Sergeant of Space Force’s account","relation":"supports","source_id":"s5"}],"assertion":"TechCrunch and Krebs on Security report that the Instagram account of the U.S. Space Force's Chief Master Sergeant was compromised, and Krebs reports that it was briefly defaced with pro-Iranian images and messages.","causal_attribution":"Reporters' accounts based on screenshots the attackers posted. The account holder is not quoted in the inspected sources and is described here by office only. Whether the account is a personal or an official office account is not stated."},{"id":"c10","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"including the Barack Obama White House account , the Chief Master Sergeant of Space Force’s account , and Sephora’s account","relation":"supports","source_id":"s5"},{"locator":"The Sephora corporate page and the account belonging to the Chief Master Sergeant of the U.S. Space Force were also hit.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s10"},{"locator":"The Instagram accounts for the Obama White House and the Chief Master Sergeant of the U.S. Space Force were briefly defaced","relation":"supports","source_id":"s6"},{"locator":"The former US president's account reportedly posted pro-Iran content before it was recovered.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s7"},{"locator":"the dormant Obama White House account (which Meta disputed)","relation":"context","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"Outlets named the Sephora corporate account and a dormant Obama White House account among the compromised accounts, and Krebs and the BBC report that the Obama White House account was defaced with pro-Iran content. TechCrunch's 3 June report lists the Obama White House account among apparent victims with the parenthetical '(which Meta disputed)'. Both are organisational or institutional accounts and are not counted as affected persons.","causal_attribution":"Reporters' accounts. The Guardian, Gizmodo and Reuters name Sephora on the strength of 404 Media's reporting, so Sephora rests on one chain. TechCrunch does not say what Meta disputed about the Obama White House account. The BBC reports that Meta's spokesperson called claims that world leaders' accounts were hacked totally false."},{"id":"c11","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"allowing the hacker to reset the target account’s password and take control of the account — in some cases locking out the victims.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"},{"locator":"locking users out of their accounts and prompting a wave of complaints on platforms including X and Reddit.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s9"},{"locator":"One X user wrote that they had been unable to find \"human support\" after their Instagram account was hacked.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s7"},{"locator":"Everyday users complained of similar hijackings on Reddit and X over the weekend.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s8"}],"assertion":"Some victims were reported locked out of their accounts, and one person wrote on X that they could not find human support after their Instagram account was hacked.","causal_attribution":"Reporters' summaries of complaints on X and Reddit. The individual posts were not opened and the complainants are not identified."},{"id":"c12","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"TechCrunch has seen examples of allegedly hacked handles featuring common forenames or names of countries","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"},{"locator":"(It’s important to note that it’s hard to know for sure if all these accounts were hacked due to the same technique.)","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"},{"locator":"hijack a number of valuable (read: short) Instagram account names that allegedly have a resale value of more than a half million dollars.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s6"},{"locator":"404 Media has seen text files of huge lists of “OG,” or high-value, original usernames","relation":"context","source_id":"s5"}],"assertion":"Short Instagram handles were reported taken in the campaign and offered for resale. TechCrunch saw examples of allegedly hacked handles being advertised for sale and notes it is hard to know whether all were taken with this technique. Krebs reports that the attackers claimed the resale value of the short handles they took exceeded half a million dollars.","causal_attribution":"The resale and value claims come from attackers' Telegram posts as relayed by TechCrunch and Krebs. No sale was confirmed and the owners are not identified."},{"id":"c13","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"\"This issue has been resolved and we are securing impacted accounts,\" Meta spokesperson Andy Stone told users in a statement on X","relation":"supports","source_id":"s7"},{"locator":"On Monday, Instagram spokesperson Andy Stone said in a reply to Wong’s post and others that the issue was now fixed.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"},{"locator":"Invalidated all existing password reset links that had been generated through the vulnerable path","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"potentially affected accounts into a mandatory security checkpoint requiring authentication before any account access","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"impacted users to reset their passwords and re-authenticate through secure, verified channels","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"A Meta spokesperson said on X on 1 June 2026 that the issue was resolved and Meta was securing impacted accounts. Meta's notice says that it disabled the tool, invalidated existing password reset links generated through the vulnerable path, enrolled potentially affected accounts in a mandatory security checkpoint and told impacted users to reset their passwords.","causal_attribution":"Meta's statements about its own response. TechCrunch reports that the response did not end the reports (see c14)."},{"id":"c14","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"On Tuesday, however, more Instagram users claimed to have had their accounts hacked.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"},{"locator":"who claimed to still be able to exploit Meta’s AI chatbot, and they were advertising apparently hacked handles for sale","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"TechCrunch reported on 3 June 2026 that more Instagram users claimed to have had accounts hacked after Meta said the issue was resolved, and that members of a Telegram channel claimed they could still exploit the chatbot.","causal_attribution":"Claims by users and Telegram members as relayed by TechCrunch. The claims were not verified, and Meta's notice says the tool was disabled on 31 May 2026."}],"effects":[{"label":"A named security researcher reported that her Instagram password was changed without her knowledge and that she was logged out, and she told Reuters the account was reinstated in about five to ten minutes","claim_id":"c8","direction":"negative"},{"label":"The Instagram account of the U.S. Space Force's Chief Master Sergeant was reported compromised and briefly defaced with pro-Iranian content","claim_id":"c9","direction":"negative"},{"label":"Some account holders were reported locked out of their Instagram accounts, and one reported being unable to reach human support","claim_id":"c11","direction":"negative"},{"label":"Short Instagram handles were reported taken and offered for resale on Telegram","claim_id":"c12","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.maine.gov/cgi-bin/agviewerad/ret?loc=4169","kind":"regulatory_filing","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Notice PDF read directly. Its text layer separates words with U+200B characters and detaches the first letter of some paragraphs, so locators from this source are given with those characters read as spaces.","independence_group":"meta-own-statements"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260609035813id_/https://www.maine.gov/agviewer/content/ag/985235c7-cb95-4be2-8792-a1252b4f8318/686120c8-63be-4e3c-b7ed-466d65b672f5.html","kind":"official_record","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"","independence_group":"meta-own-statements"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://techcrunch.com/2026/06/01/hackers-hijacked-instagram-accounts-by-tricking-meta-ai-support-chatbot-into-granting-access/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"","independence_group":"attacker-posted-videos"},{"id":"s4","url":"https://techcrunch.com/2026/06/03/instagram-is-alerting-users-who-were-targeted-by-hackers-during-ai-chatbot-attacks/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"","independence_group":"attacker-posted-videos"},{"id":"s5","url":"https://www.404media.co/hackers-simply-asked-meta-ai-to-give-them-access-to-high-profile-instagram-accounts-it-worked/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read through an Internet Archive capture of 1 June 2026 (20260601172133) because the live page is paywalled. The capture carries the full article.","independence_group":"attacker-posted-videos"},{"id":"s6","url":"https://krebsonsecurity.com/2026/06/hackers-used-metas-ai-support-bot-to-seize-instagram-accounts/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"","independence_group":"attacker-posted-videos"},{"id":"s7","url":"https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c98rzr72dpyo","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"","independence_group":"attacker-posted-videos"},{"id":"s8","url":"https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/jun/01/meta-ai-hack-obama-sephora-instagram","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"","independence_group":"attacker-posted-videos"},{"id":"s9","url":"https://insideretail.us/how-the-sephora-instagram-hack-exposed-metas-ai-weakness/","kind":"wire_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"","independence_group":"attacker-posted-videos"},{"id":"s10","url":"https://gizmodo.com/hackers-tricked-meta-ai-into-handing-out-access-to-major-instagram-accounts-2000766087","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"","independence_group":"attacker-posted-videos"},{"id":"s11","url":"https://gizmodo.com/meta-says-thousands-of-instagram-accounts-were-breached-through-its-ai-support-assistant-2000768770","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"","independence_group":"meta-own-statements"},{"id":"s12","url":"https://about.fb.com/news/2026/03/boosting-your-support-and-safety-on-metas-apps-with-ai/","kind":"official_statement","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"","independence_group":"meta-own-statements"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use","institutional_use"],"contexts":["privacy","everyday_life"],"unknowns":["How many people or organisations lost control of an account is not established. Meta's listing gives 20225 persons affected and the notice calls the Maine figure an upper bound, and the notice does not say how many accounts were organisational or how many were taken over.","Meta says it is unaware of what, if any, personal information was accessed. Whether any messages or data were read is unknown.","The start date rests on Meta's listing (17 April 2026), and the notice does not state its basis. 404 Media quotes a Telegram channel documenting the hack saying the exploits were 'getting abused after quietly working for months', and separately says that the same account originally posted in Telegram about the vulnerability 'at the end of March' (the year is not stated). Neither statement gives a start date for exploitation. Meta's announcement of 19 March 2026 says the support assistant was previewed 'in December' (year not stated in the passage) and that help with logging in was starting in select cases in the US and Canada, so no inspected source establishes the earliest date of exploitation.","The end date is Meta's date for disabling the tool (31 May 2026). TechCrunch reported unverified claims of continued exploitation on 3 June 2026.","The X posts, the Telegram videos and the Reddit complaints were not opened. Reporters' descriptions of them are used.","The notice does not say how many accounts were restored to their owners, and the listing shows 19 June 2026 as the date of consumer notification in a capture taken on 9 June 2026.","Figures of about 34,000 accounts targeted and a SimpliSafe account appeared only on an aggregator page that attributes the first figure to Meta without a citation and are not used."],"geography":{"basis":"Meta's notice to the Maine Attorney General counts 30 Maine users among those potentially impacted. The countries of the other affected people, the attackers (who reportedly used VPNs to appear in the target's location) and Meta's systems are not stated in the inspected sources, and the country of the named security researcher is not stated.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":[],"affected_person_countries":["US"]},"publication":{"basis":"Meta's notice to the Maine Attorney General (a PDF read directly) and the Maine listing (an archived capture) document Meta's own account of the exploited AI-assisted tool, the dates and the affected count. Nine news reports and Meta's March announcement were read in full. The mechanism claim has two independent chains (Meta's filing and attacker-posted videos checked by TechCrunch). Harm to named account holders rests on their own statements or on reporters relaying attacker-posted screenshots, so those claims stay at reported status. Only one account holder who spoke publicly is named. The office holder is described by office only.","reviewed_on":"2026-09-29"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"Meta's notice to the Maine Attorney General describes the affected system as an AI-assisted account recovery system (High Touch Support) and says it sent a password reset link to an email address not associated with the account. TechCrunch reports that no Meta employee or contractor took part in the exploit chats and checked one attacker mailbox for the code. Meta says the tool worked as intended, that the failure was a bug in a separate code path that did not verify the email address, and (to Gizmodo) that the failure was not due to the AI agent itself. Whether the AI component or the separate code path caused the failure is disputed and was not tested.","status":"supported"},"person_relations":["made_decision_about"]},"name":"Third parties exploit Meta's AI-assisted Instagram account recovery tool to reset passwords, with account takeovers reported (17 April to 31 May 2026)","summary":"Meta announced the rollout of its AI support assistant on Facebook and Instagram on 19 March 2026. Meta's filing with the Maine Attorney General (notice dated 5 June 2026) says unauthorized third parties exploited a vulnerability in its AI-assisted Instagram account recovery tool (High Touch Support) to receive password reset links for accounts they did not own, and the listing gives 17 April 2026 as the breach date and 31 May 2026 as the discovery date. Videos that attackers posted, as described by TechCrunch, 404 Media and Krebs on Security, show attackers asking the assistant in a chat to link a new email address to a target username. Reported victims include the security researcher Jane Manchun Wong, who posted that her password was changed without her knowledge, the Instagram account of the U.S. Space Force's Chief Master Sergeant, and the accounts of Sephora and a dormant Obama White House page (TechCrunch marks the last as disputed by Meta). Krebs and the BBC report pro-Iran defacement of some accounts, and TechCrunch reports that some victims were locked out and that short handles were offered for resale. The filing gives 20225 persons affected in total and 30 in Maine, and the notice calls the Maine figure an upper bound. Meta says the tool worked as intended, that a bug in a separate code path failed to check the email address, and (through a spokesperson to Gizmodo) that the failure was not due to the AI agent itself. Meta says it disabled the tool on 31 May 2026, the day it discovered the exploitation.","incidentDate":"2026-04-17","incidentEndDate":"2026-05-31","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"range","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2026-06-01","aiSystem":"Meta AI support assistant / High Touch Support (AI-assisted Instagram account recovery tool)","aiProduct":"Meta AI support assistant","aiCompany":"Meta","severity":"low","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["other_material_harm","reputational_harm"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"Reporters and Meta's notice report that third parties reset passwords on Instagram accounts and, where the account had no two-factor authentication, could log in. A named security researcher reports her password was changed without her knowledge and that reinstating the account took about five to ten minutes. Krebs on Security and the BBC report that some high-profile accounts were briefly defaced, TechCrunch reports that some victims were locked out and that short handles were offered for resale, and Meta says it does not know what personal information, if any, was accessed. Meta's filing gives 20225 persons affected in total, and its notice calls the Maine figure an upper bound.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"disputed","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":2,"affectedCountStatus":"partial","affectedCountEvidence":"Two account holders are counted: the security researcher who posted that her account was taken over, and the office holder whose Instagram account TechCrunch and Krebs on Security report as compromised. TechCrunch's 3 June article says this account 'appeared to be' among the victims, no statement from the office holder or from Meta about this account was inspected, and whether it is a personal or an official account is not stated. Sephora and the Obama White House account are organisational or institutional accounts and are not counted. Other victims (everyday users, short-handle holders) are unquantified. Meta's listing of 20225 persons affected is not counted: the notice calls the Maine figure an upper bound and does not say how many accounts were taken over or how many were organisational.","victimAgeRange":"unknown","platformType":"assistant","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.maine.gov/cgi-bin/agviewerad/ret?loc=4169","primarySourceLabel":"Meta incident notification to the Maine Attorney General (5 June 2026)","firstPublishedAt":"2026-09-29T21:16:54.181323+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-09-30T01:17:45.477765+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["historical-2026"]},{"id":"2026-italy-siracusano-ai-altered-photo-vannacci-facebook-reggio-by-election","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"corroborated","evidence":[{"locator":"'Una foto ritoccata della sottosegretaria ai Rapporti con il Parlamento e deputata di Forza Italia, Matilde Siracusano, compare sulla pagina Facebook di Roberto Vannacci, leader di Futuro Nazionale.'; 'nella foto originale Siracusano indossa una maglietta bianca sotto la giacca floreale, che però è 'sparita''","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'Nell’immagine, realizzata a partire da uno scatto originale del profilo Instagram della parlamentare'; 'La modifica consiste nella scomparsa della maglietta bianca indossata sotto la giacca floreale: al suo posto emerge una scollatura molto più accentuata.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'ha pubblicato una foto della compagna del governatore, la sottosegretaria Matilde Siracusano, con una profonda scollatura creata artificialmente'","relation":"context","source_id":"s5"},{"locator":"'Nella fotografia originale di Matilde Siracusano sotto la giacca c’è effettivamente una maglietta chiara.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"An altered photograph of Matilde Siracusano appeared on Roberto Vannacci's Facebook page in a by-election campaign post; in the original photograph she wears a white top under a floral jacket, and in the posted version the top had disappeared and a deeper neckline appeared in its place.","causal_attribution":"AGI and RaiNews each describe the public post and its difference from the original photograph, and the blog that first published the image concedes that the original shows a light T-shirt; ANSA's phrase 'profonda scollatura creata artificialmente' repeats Mara Carfagna's statement quoted by AGI and Adnkronos (reviewer translation: 'the white top worn under the floral jacket disappears: in its place a much more pronounced neckline emerges'). Who made the alteration is addressed in c2."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Quella che abbiamo pubblicato -afferma ancora il blog- non era una fotografia reale. Era un’immagine elaborata con l’intelligenza artificiale.'; 'Nell’immagine elaborata quella parte è stata invece ricostruita artificialmente dall’intelligenza artificiale'; 'risale addirittura a giovedì 24 settembre alle 12,33'; 'venerdì 25 settembre alle 8,27'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"},{"locator":"'pubblicando il link del blog Iacchitè, che aveva pubblicato l'immagine generata con l'IA'","relation":"context","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"The blog Iacchite' says it published the image with an article on 24 September 2026, that the image was produced with artificial intelligence and was not a real photograph, that the AI reconstructed the neck and neckline area where the original photograph shows a light T-shirt, and that Vannacci reposted it on 25 September without citing the source.","causal_attribution":"The blog's own account relayed by Adnkronos (reviewer translation: 'What we published was not a real photograph. It was an image produced with artificial intelligence'). The blog does not name the tool or say who prompted it; it characterises the image as satirical and not pornographic."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Usare l'intelligenza artificiale per spogliare una donna, con la volontà evidente di denigrare una donna, è un problema gigantesco per tutti'; 'sta valutando l'ipotesi di \"presentare una denuncia'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"},{"locator":"'annunciando l’intenzione di presentare querela. «Si tratta di un reato e le donne vanno tutelate.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'per ora diciamo che si muoveranno i miei avvocati'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s6"},{"locator":"'E si rivolgerà a un avvocato per una querela.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s7"}],"assertion":"Siracusano described the image as using AI to undress a woman in order to denigrate her, called it a crime, and said she intended to file, or was weighing, a criminal complaint (querela); she told la Repubblica that her lawyers would act.","causal_attribution":"Her own statements to several outlets (reviewer translation of Adnkronos: 'Using artificial intelligence to undress a woman, with the evident will to denigrate a woman, is a gigantic problem for everyone'). An announced complaint is recorded; no filing is reported."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'A chi mi accusa, senza alcuna concretezza, di aver modificato una foto con la IA, rispondo di cercare meglio e di rivolgere le accuse, eventualmente, a chi di dovere'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s8"},{"locator":"'rimandando al blog che ha pubblicato il post corredato con la foto manipolata della deputata di Forza Italia'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"Vannacci replied on Facebook that those accusing him without any concreteness of having altered a photo with AI should look better and direct their accusations to whom they are due, linking to the blog that had published the image.","causal_attribution":"Vannacci's public reply as quoted by Corriere della Calabria and Adnkronos; he denies making the alteration and does not dispute that he posted the image."}],"effects":[{"label":"an AI-altered image removing the top under her jacket and generating a deeper neckline was published on a blog and reposted by a party leader on Facebook during an election campaign; she described it as a sexist attack to denigrate her and announced legal action","claim_id":"c1","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.agi.it/politica/news/2026-09-26/vannacci-siracusano-39260391/","kind":"wire_report","access":"read","language":"it","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-27 (AGI, 26 September 2026; Italian). Describes the Facebook post and the original photo. Quotations are Italian originals; English renderings in this record are reviewer translations, no human translator.","independence_group":"agi"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.rainews.it/articoli/2026/09/vannacci-rilancia-foto-scollata-della-sottosegretaria-ritoccata-con-lia-fi-insorge-3ec0ff68-f70e-4e3a-9928-23445143b36d.html","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"it","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-27 (RaiNews, 26 September 2026; Italian). Describes the alteration, Siracusano's statement announcing a querela, and Vannacci's reply. Reviewer translation. Siracusano's quoted words ('una scelta perversa e squallida') match those ANSA attributes to her Corriere.it interview, so for c3 this likely relays the same interview as s7.","independence_group":"rainews"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://www.adnkronos.com/politica/matilde-siracusano-post-foto-ritoccata-ai-fake-oggi-bufera_3BWSuxpUZl4k99BHdYNcPW","kind":"wire_report","access":"read","language":"it","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-27 (Adnkronos, 26 September 2026; Italian). Siracusano's direct comments to Adnkronos, Vannacci's Facebook reply and political reactions. Reviewer translation.","independence_group":"adnkronos"},{"id":"s4","url":"https://www.adnkronos.com/politica/siracusano-vannacci-foto-ia-blog-iacchite-oggi_5MZGVSAnIoHq3R7JG6ZG8c","kind":"wire_report","access":"read","language":"it","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-27 (Adnkronos, 26 September 2026; Italian). Relays the blog Iacchite's own statement on how and when it published the AI image; the blog post itself was not read. Reviewer translation.","independence_group":"iacchite-blog-statement"},{"id":"s5","url":"https://www.ansa.it/sito/notizie/politica/2026/09/26/bufera-per-la-foto-modificata-di-siracusano-rilanciata-da-vannacci_f4bf9e8a-edc2-49a5-b090-6cd8df138b96.html","kind":"wire_report","access":"read","language":"it","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-27 (ANSA; Italian). Canonical URL of the article read (the Google News link resolved to an older slug with the same ID); headed 'Domani si vota alle suppletive a Reggio, tempesta su Vannacci per la foto fake di Matilde Siracusano'. Reviewer translation.","independence_group":"ansa"},{"id":"s6","url":"https://www.repubblica.it/politica/2026/09/26/news/matilde_siracusano_fi_vannacci_foto_nuda_ia_intervista-425609252/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"it","translation_note":"Read on 2026-09-27 (la Repubblica interview, 26 September 2026; Italian). Only the opening of the interview was available (JSON-LD article body); the remainder is paywalled and was not read. Reviewer translation.","independence_group":"repubblica"},{"id":"s7","url":"https://www.tempostretto.it/news/post-di-vannacci-con-foto-ritoccata-dallia-matilde-siracusano-querela-lex-generale.html","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"it","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-27 (Tempo Stretto, Messina, 26 September 2026; Italian). Relays Siracusano's statement to Corriere della Sera (not read). Reviewer translation.","independence_group":"corriere-della-sera-interview"},{"id":"s8","url":"https://www.corrieredellacalabria.it/2026/09/26/foto-con-lia-vannacci-replica-cercate-meglio/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"it","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-27 (Corriere della Calabria, 26 September 2026; Italian). Quotes Vannacci's Facebook reply. Reviewer translation. Its account of Vannacci's reply is word-for-word identical to the corresponding RaiNews paragraph (s2), so the two share one account for c4.","independence_group":"vannacci-facebook-reply"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["public_life","elections","privacy"],"unknowns":["Which AI tool produced the image and who operated it (the blog says the AI generated the altered area but does not name the tool or the person).","Whether the criminal complaint has been filed and under which offence; whether a prosecutor has opened an investigation.","Whether the post was removed from the blog or from Vannacci's Facebook page, and how widely it was shared.","The dates of the blog's publication (24 September) and Vannacci's repost (25 September) rest only on the blog's own statement relayed by Adnkronos; no other inspected source dates the Facebook post."],"geography":{"basis":"The image was published by a Calabrian blog and on the Facebook page of an Italian party leader in the campaign for the Reggio Calabria by-election (AGI, RaiNews, ANSA, Adnkronos); Siracusano is an Italian deputy and undersecretary. No filed complaint or court is reported, so court_countries is empty.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":["IT"],"affected_person_countries":["IT"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published under the 2026-09-15 charter as a core depicted_or_impersonated case: several national outlets describe an AI-altered image of a named public figure that removed clothing and generated a deeper neckline, circulated in an election campaign; the blog that first published it says it was produced with AI. She announced legal action. The tool and operator are unknown.","reviewed_on":"2026-09-27"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The blog Iacchite', which says it first published the image, states it was 'elaborata con l'intelligenza artificiale' and that the AI reconstructed the neck and neckline area (via Adnkronos). RaiNews and Corriere della Calabria, in an identical passage, describe it as an image generated with AI; Adnkronos as a photo retouched by AI; AGI as a collage of other photos. Siracusano says it was altered with software and AI (RaiNews, Adnkronos). These outlet descriptions do not independently establish how the image was made. No tool is named and no forensic analysis is reported.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"Italian official condemns alleged AI sexualisation of her photograph in a political post","summary":"On the eve of the 27-28 September 2026 Chamber by-election in the Reggio Calabria constituency, Roberto Vannacci, leader of Futuro Nazionale, posted on Facebook a campaign image showing Matilde Siracusano, Undersecretary for Relations with Parliament and a Forza Italia deputy, seated at a table beside the centre-right candidate Fabio Roscioli and Senator Claudio Lotito. According to AGI and RaiNews, the white top Siracusano wears under her floral jacket in the original photograph (taken from her Instagram profile, per RaiNews) had disappeared and a much deeper neckline appeared in its place. The Calabrian blog Iacchite', to which Vannacci pointed, said it had published the image on 24 September, that it was not a real photograph but an image produced with artificial intelligence, and that the AI had reconstructed the neck and neckline area; Vannacci reposted it on 25 September without citing the source, according to the blog. Siracusano told Adnkronos that using AI to undress a woman in order to denigrate her was 'squalid'; RaiNews reports her calling it a crime and announcing her intention to file a criminal complaint (querela), while Adnkronos and ANSA say she was weighing one; she told la Repubblica that her lawyers would act. Vannacci replied that his accusers should 'look better' for whom to blame. Ministers and politicians across parties, including Forza Italia leader Antonio Tajani, condemned the post. No complaint filing, investigation or removal of the post is reported in the inspected sources.","incidentDate":"2026-09-24","incidentEndDate":"2026-09-25","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"range","exposurePattern":"single_interaction","reportedDate":"2026-09-26","aiSystem":"An unidentified generative-AI image tool that, according to the blog Iacchite', produced the composite image and regenerated the neck and neckline area of Siracusano's photograph; the tool is not named","aiProduct":"Unidentified image tool","severity":"low","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["reputational_harm"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"Siracusano says an AI-altered image that 'undressed' her was used for electoral propaganda to denigrate her; she called it sexist and squalid and announced legal action (her statements to Adnkronos, RaiNews, la Repubblica). The image circulated on a blog and on Vannacci's Facebook page and became a national controversy (AGI, ANSA).","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":1,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"One person, Matilde Siracusano, depicted in the altered image (AGI, RaiNews, Adnkronos). Exact 1.","victimAgeRange":"adult","jurisdiction":"IT","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"media_coverage","outcomeStatus":"ongoing","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.agi.it/politica/news/2026-09-26/vannacci-siracusano-39260391/","primarySourceLabel":"AGI, 26 September 2026: Vannacci 'amplia' la scollatura di Matilde Siracusano sui social ed è subito bufera","firstPublishedAt":"2026-09-27T03:39:45.926413+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-05T11:08:59.788816+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["deepfake","image-manipulation","politics","election","italy","calabria","sexualised-imagery","depicted-or-impersonated"]},{"id":"2026-youngseo-chatgpt-isolation-korea","metadataReview":{"version":1,"geography":{"basis":"The Kookmin Ilbo article labels this account as one of its in-depth interviews with domestic (South Korean) cases of AI over-dependence side effects, and the series opener says the newspaper is reporting side-effect cases that occurred in the country. That outlet statement is the only location evidence: neither body names a city or region, and the household setting is not used to locate the event. The family is the source of the account. No court or proceeding is reported.","evidence":[{"kind":"source_body","locator":"국내 AI 과의존 부작용 사례자 심층 인터뷰 ② (research-agent translation: in-depth interview 2 with domestic cases of AI over-dependence side effects)","location":"https://www.kmib.co.kr/article/view.asp?arcid=1778400516&code=11131100&sid1=soc","supports":["event_countries","affected_person_countries"],"countries":["KR"]},{"kind":"source_body","locator":"국민일보는 AI 부작용을 최소화하고자 국내에서 발생한 구체적인 부작용 사례를 최초 보도한다. (research-agent translation: Kookmin Ilbo reports for the first time specific side-effect cases that occurred in the country, to minimise AI side effects)","location":"https://www.kmib.co.kr/article/view.asp?arcid=1778142158","supports":["event_countries"],"countries":["KR"]}],"court_countries":[],"event_countries":["KR"],"affected_person_countries":["KR"]},"unresolved":["No court country established; no proceeding is reported.","Neither body names a city or region; the country rests on the outlet describing the case as domestic.","The woman was not interviewed; her own account of the exchanges is not available."],"reviewed_on":"2026-10-15","source_reviews":[{"url":"https://www.kmib.co.kr/article/view.asp?arcid=1778400516&code=11131100&sid1=soc","notes":"Read in full on 2026-10-15 (HTTP 200; posted 2026-05-10 19:09, amended 2026-05-27 18:45 KST). Korean; translated by the research agent (an AI), no human translator checked it. The account comes from the family; the woman was not interviewed.","access":"read","language":"ko"},{"url":"https://v.daum.net/v/20260510191017768","notes":"Read on 2026-10-15 (HTTP 200). Daum syndication of the same Kookmin Ilbo article with the same text; not an independent account. Translated by the research agent (an AI).","access":"read","language":"ko"},{"url":"https://www.kmib.co.kr/article/view.asp?arcid=1778142158","notes":"Read on 2026-10-15 (HTTP 200; posted 2026-05-07). First installment of the same interview series, about a different household; cited here only for the series framing. Translated by the research agent (an AI).","access":"read","language":"ko"},{"url":"https://www.kmib.co.kr/risk_handoff/index.html","notes":"Series index page read on 2026-10-15 (HTTP 200). Context only; it carries no passage about this household.","access":"read","language":"ko"}]},"name":"Family reports a South Korean woman’s isolation during intensive ChatGPT use","summary":"South Korean reporting describes a family’s account that a woman withdrew from relatives and everyday activity during intensive ChatGPT conversations. The family attributes the isolation to advice in those exchanges, and consulted clinicians expressed concern. The causal role remains an attributed account.","incidentDate":"2026-01-01","incidentKind":"single_event","incidentDatePrecision":"range","exposurePattern":"cumulative_relationship","reportedDate":"2026-05-10","aiSystem":"ChatGPT","aiProduct":"ChatGPT","aiCompany":"OpenAI","severity":"high","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":["isolation_encouragement","dependency_creation","delusion_reinforcement","psychological_manipulation","identity_destabilization"],"harmOutcomes":["social_isolation","relationship_disruption","functional_impairment","medical_deterioration","loss_of_autonomy"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"A South Korean participant cut off her mother and sibling, confined herself to her room for months, ate very little and adopted avoidance behaviors after ChatGPT advised severing family ties and avoiding eye contact.","frameworkFacets":["P2a","P2b","P2c","P2d","P3a","P3b","P3d"],"pathwayDirection":"inward","causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":1,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":0,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"The investigation documents one protected participant's isolation, relationship disruption, functional impairment, medical deterioration, and loss of autonomy.","victimAgeRange":"adult","jurisdiction":"KR","platformType":"assistant","outcomeType":"media_coverage","outcomeStatus":"ongoing","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.kmib.co.kr/article/view.asp?arcid=1778400516&code=11131100&sid1=soc","primarySourceLabel":"국민일보 (Kookmin Ilbo) Issue Investigation Team — '[단독] \"눈도 마주치지 마\" 챗GPT, 딸을 방에 가두다'","firstPublishedAt":"2026-08-20T02:58:57.813347+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-15T02:59:34.265133+00:00","scopeVersion":"participant-v2","tags":["isolation","dependency","adult","chatgpt","openai","korea","kr","family-estrangement","delusion","media-investigation"]}]}