{"meta":{"exportedAt":"2026-09-30T04:46:20.597Z","formatVersion":2,"selection":{"q":"morphing","system":"","harm":"","context":"","country":"","role":"","relation":"","evidence":"","year":"","response":"","severity":"","verification":"","view":"incidents","sort":"added"},"totalIncidents":4,"coverage":{"cases":4,"countries":2,"languages":2,"unknownLocation":0,"locationPending":0,"unknownLanguage":0,"unknownDate":0,"lawsuits":0,"regulatory":0,"minors":0,"coreRelations":4,"contextualRelations":0,"mixedRelations":0,"unknownRelations":0,"relationPending":0,"relationUnknown":0},"countingNote":"Distinct public cases in this selection. People counts apply within individual cases only; cross-case person overlap has not been resolved. No population incidence estimate.","affectedCountNote":"Interpret person counts with affectedCountStatus and the reported effects. Unquantified zeros are placeholders, not a measured zero.","source":"AI incidents","publisher":"NOPE","url":"https://nope.net/incidents","license":"CC BY 4.0"},"incidents":[{"id":"2026-strahler-ohio-ai-deepfake-cyberstalking-take-it-down-act","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"corroborated","evidence":[{"locator":"'sentenced last week in U.S. District Court to 180 months in prison'; 'pleaded guilty in April to cyberstalking, producing obscene visual representations of child sexual abuse and publication of digital forgeries'; 'the first in the Nation under the Take It Down Act'.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'sentenced Sept. 8 in U.S. District Court in Columbus to 15 years in prison'; 'first in the nation to be convicted under a 2025 federal law'.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'Chief U.S. District Court Judge Sarah D. Morrison handed down the 180-month sentence to 37-year-old James Strahler II on Tuesday'.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"On 8 September 2026 James Strahler II was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Columbus to 180 months (15 years) after pleading guilty in April 2026 to cyberstalking, producing obscene visual representations of child sexual abuse and publication of digital forgeries; the U.S. Attorney described it as the first conviction under the Take It Down Act.","causal_attribution":"Court outcome reported by the prosecuting office and two independent local newsrooms."},{"id":"c2","status":"corroborated","evidence":[{"locator":"'used to harass at least six women in central Ohio between December 2024 and June 2025'; 'nude images of the victims that were both real and AI-generated'; 'used AI to create pornographic videos depicting one of the women engaged in sexual acts with her father'.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'harass at least six adult female victims from December 2024 to June 2025'; 'generated pornographic videos using AI that depicted an adult victim in sexual acts with her father and sent those videos to the victim's co-workers'; 'threatened victims' mothers, demanding nude photos'; 'voicemails that included threats of rape'.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"},{"locator":"'sent harassing messages to at least six women'; 'distributed those videos to the victim's coworkers or family members'; 'threaten rape'.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"Between December 2024 and June 2025 Strahler harassed at least six adult women in central Ohio with messages containing real and AI-generated nude images of them, threatened rape, referred to their addresses, threatened their mothers, and in one case sent AI-generated pornographic videos depicting a victim with her father to her co-workers.","causal_attribution":"Prosecutors' account of the offending, reported by three local newsrooms; the defendant pleaded guilty."},{"id":"c3","status":"corroborated","evidence":[{"locator":"'posted online AI-generated images of the faces of boys from his community that he would morph onto the bodies of other children or adults'; 'more than 700 images'; '2,400 images and videos on his cell phone were flagged'.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'using the faces of minor boys from his community and morphing them onto the bodies of other children or adults'; 'more than 700 images'; '2,400 more flagged images and videos'.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"Strahler also posted AI-generated sexual images of minor boys from his community, morphing their faces onto other bodies; more than 700 images were posted to a child sexual abuse website and about 2,400 further explicit files were found on his phone.","causal_attribution":"Prosecutors' account; part of the guilty plea to producing obscene visual representations of child sexual abuse."}],"effects":[{"label":"at least six women harassed with real and AI-generated nude images and rape threats; AI videos of one sent to her co-workers; boys depicted in AI abuse imagery","claim_id":"c2","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://highlandcountypress.com/headlines/columbus-man-sentenced-15-years-prison-cyberstalking-exes-creating-ai-generated-obscene","kind":"official_statement_republished","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-09-18. Verbatim republication (16 Sep 2026) of the U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Ohio press release; the justice.gov original (usao-sdoh/pr/columbus-man-sentenced-15-years-prison-cyberstalking-exes-creating-ai-generated) returns only a 1.5 kB shell to this host.","independence_group":"usao-sdoh"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/courts/2026/09/08/james-strahler-sentenced-to-15-years-in-prison-for-ai-generated-porn/91664055007/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-09-18 (Columbus Dispatch, Shahid Meighan, 8 Sep 2026; served from the eu.dispatch.com mirror). Court reporting drawing on the USAO and court records.","independence_group":"dispatch"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://www.10tv.com/article/news/crime/columbus-man-15-years-cyberstalking-creating-ai-generated-obscene-material/530-f3a9a6c2-cf42-4011-a757-e65a624f8b9f","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-09-18 via the MSN content API copy (WBNS 10TV, 8 Sep 2026). Adds the Hilliard Police investigative history from court records.","independence_group":"10tv"},{"id":"s4","url":"https://abc6onyourside.com/news/local/man-sentenced-to-15-years-in-federal-prison-for-cyberstalking-creating-ai-deepfakes-us-district-court-judge-sarah-d-morrison-james-strahler-ii-take-it-down-act-nonconsensual-project-safe-childhood","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-09-18 via the MSN content API copy (WSYX ABC6, 8 Sep 2026). Names the sentencing judge and the threats to victims' mothers.","independence_group":"abc6"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["relationships","privacy","justice"],"unknowns":["The exact number of adult victims beyond 'at least six' and the number of boys depicted are not stated.","The AI tools used are not named in any inspected source.","Whether restitution or protective orders were imposed is not reported.","The status of the earlier local (state) charge is not reported."],"geography":{"basis":"Event: central Ohio (Columbus/Upper Arlington, Hilliard, Delaware County) per the USAO release and Dispatch. Victims are described as women in central Ohio. Court: U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, Columbus.","court_countries":["US"],"event_countries":["US"],"affected_person_countries":["US"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published under the 2026-09-15 charter as a harmful-artifact and impersonation case: identified adult women and local boys were depicted in AI-generated sexual imagery used for harassment and threats, a federal court sentenced the perpetrator, and four sources (the prosecuting office's release and three independent local newsrooms) were read. Victims are unnamed; the perpetrator is named in the court record and press.","reviewed_on":"2026-09-18"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The defendant pleaded guilty to publication of digital forgeries and producing obscene visual representations of child sexual abuse; prosecutors and the court record describe AI-generated nude images and AI-made videos of victims and AI-morphed images of boys. The AI tools depicted the affected people; they did not communicate with them.","status":"supported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"Columbus, Ohio: a man was sentenced to 15 years for cyberstalking at least six women with real and AI-generated sexual images and rape threats, the first conviction under the Take It Down Act","summary":"Between December 2024 and June 2025 James Strahler II, then 37, of Columbus (Upper Arlington), Ohio, harassed at least six women in central Ohio by phone, voicemail, text and web posts, sending them nude images that were both real and AI-generated, threatening rape, referring to their home addresses and demanding nude photos from their mothers. In one case he used AI to make pornographic videos depicting a victim with her father and sent them to her co-workers. He also posted AI-generated sexual images of boys from his community, morphing their faces onto other bodies. Prosecutors said he had installed more than 24 AI platforms and more than 100 web-based AI models on his phone. He pleaded guilty in April 2026 to cyberstalking, producing obscene visual representations of child sexual abuse and publication of digital forgeries, and on 8 September 2026 Chief U.S. District Judge Sarah D. Morrison sentenced him to 180 months in prison. The U.S. Attorney called it the first conviction in the nation under the 2025 Take It Down Act.","incidentDate":"2024-12-01","incidentEndDate":"2025-06-30","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"month","exposurePattern":"repeated_interactions","reportedDate":"2026-09-08","aiSystem":"Generative AI image and video tools (not named; prosecutors said more than 24 AI platforms and over 100 web-based AI models were installed on the defendant's phone)","aiProduct":"Unidentified image and video tool","severity":"high","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["exploitation_or_abuse","psychological_distress","reputational_harm"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"At least six women were sexually harassed and threatened with rape using real and AI-generated nude images of themselves, with AI videos of one victim sent to her co-workers; victims' mothers were threatened, and boys from the defendant's community were depicted in AI-generated sexual abuse imagery posted online. The perpetrator received 15 years in federal prison.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"established","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":6,"affectedCountStatus":"partial","affectedCountEvidence":"Prosecutors said Strahler harassed 'at least six' adult women (Dispatch, 10TV, ABC6). Their mothers, who were threatened, and the minor boys whose faces were used in AI-generated abuse imagery are additional harmed people without a stated count. Six counted plus unquantified others: partial.","victimAgeRange":"adult","jurisdiction":"US","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"criminal_charges","outcomeStatus":"resolved","primarySourceUrl":"https://highlandcountypress.com/headlines/columbus-man-sentenced-15-years-prison-cyberstalking-exes-creating-ai-generated-obscene","primarySourceLabel":"U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Ohio press release (republished by the Highland County Press, 16 Sep 2026): Columbus man sentenced to 15 years for cyberstalking exes and creating AI-generated obscene material of adults and children","firstPublishedAt":"2026-09-18T03:25:07.926173+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-09-30T01:17:55.061125+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["deepfake","ai-generated-imagery","ncii","cyberstalking","take-it-down-act","sextortion","united-states","ohio","criminal-conviction","depicted"]},{"id":"2026-etawah-ai-video-blackmail-suicide","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"corroborated","evidence":[{"locator":"'A 26-year-old makeup artist died by suicide at her rented residence in Vrindavan Colony under the Civil Lines police station area in Etawah'; 'On the night of July 20th, Civil Lines Police Station received information that a woman had died by suicide.'; 'she named two women and two men, holding them directly responsible for her death while clearing her husband of any involvement.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'\"These four people are the reason I am hanging myself... They have ruined my home. If I die, they should be imprisoned for life,\" Komal said in the video.'; 'said he rushed Komal to a hospital after receiving the video, but doctors declared her dead.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'उत्तर प्रदेश के इटावा जिले में 26 वर्षीय ब्यूटीशियन और इवेंट ऑर्गेनाइजर कोमल मिश्रा ने गले में चादर से फंदा लगाकर आत्महत्या कर ली. घटना से ठीक पहले उन्होंने अपने मोबाइल से एक वीडियो रिकॉर्ड'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"},{"locator":"'The woman had died by suicide at her home on July 21.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"A beautician and event organiser in Etawah died by suicide at her rented home in Vrindavan Colony (Civil Lines) on the night of 20 July 2026 (police; TOI says 21 July) after recording a video in which she named two women and two men as the reason, said they had ruined her home and should be jailed for life, and cleared her husband; she was taken to hospital and declared dead.","causal_attribution":"Police account (ANI, TOI) and three newsrooms' own reporting; the date differs by a day between the circle officer's account and TOI."},{"id":"c2","status":"corroborated","evidence":[{"locator":"'She also said that the accused had been threatening to reveal details of her life before marriage to her husband and in-laws, leaving her under severe mental stress.'; 'As per her husband, the harassment also involved AI-generated videos and photographs that were being used to blackmail her.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'उसके दोस्त लगातार एआई से वीडियो और फोटो बनाने के लिए ब्लैकमेल कर रहे थे। जिससे वह परेशान हो गई थी।'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s5"},{"locator":"'जयपुर से लौटने के बाद दोस्त कोमल को एआई से वीडियो और फोटो बनाकर ब्लैकमेल कर रहे थे.'","relation":"context","source_id":"s4"},{"locator":"'Mishra had been collaborating with four individuals from Kanpur in event management and beautician work. Dwivedi alleged that the group had been mentally harassing her over unresolved matters dating back to before their marriage.'","relation":"context","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'पति सौरभ के मुताबिक, ब्लैकमेलिंग में एआई से बने फेक वीडियो और मॉर्फ्ड तस्वीरें इस्तेमाल की गईं, जो कोमल को मानसिक रूप से तोड़ रही थीं।'","relation":"context","source_id":"s6"}],"assertion":"In her final video the woman said the four had threatened to reveal details of her pre-marriage life to her husband and in-laws; her husband says that after she returned from a Jaipur assignment the four (former work associates from Kanpur, per ANI) had been harassing and blackmailing her with AI-made videos and photographs.","causal_attribution":"The husband's allegation, reported by India Today (with AajTak, the same reporter) and independently by India TV; the corroboration is of the allegation's content, not of the AI-made material itself, which no police statement read describes. Oneindia's rewrite is context only."},{"id":"c3a","status":"corroborated","evidence":[{"locator":"'Civil Lines police seized Mishra's mobile phone and digital evidence at the scene. Circle Officer (Sadar) Avneesh Kumar Singh confirmed that inquest proceedings and a post-mortem examination have been conducted.'; 'An official case is being registered based on the husband's formal complaint (tehreer), and police are currently verifying the authenticity of the video recording'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'Police said they have recovered multiple videos from Komal's mobile phone and are verifying the allegations'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'पुलिस के अनुसार मोबाइल फोन में वीडियो मिले हैं'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s5"}],"assertion":"Civil Lines police seized her phone and evidence at the scene, conducted the inquest and post-mortem, said a case was being registered on the husband's complaint and that they were verifying the videos recovered from her phone.","causal_attribution":"Police statements to ANI, India Today and India TV (22 July 2026)."},{"id":"c3b","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Police on Saturday arrested a 30-year-old man, identified as Abhishek Singh, the main accused in a case related to the alleged abetment of a makeup artist's suicide.'; 'Police seized the video and other evidence and registered a case of abetment to suicide.'; 'SHO K.K. Mishra said the main accused was produced before a court and sent to jail. He added that three other accused, including two women, remain absconding'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"On Saturday 25 July 2026 Etawah police arrested the alleged main accused, a 30-year-old man, in a case of abetment to suicide registered on the husband's FIR against four former acquaintances; he was produced before a court and sent to jail, while three others including two women were absconding and police teams were formed to find them.","causal_attribution":"Police statement to The Times of India (27 July 2026; the Saturday before it is 25 July); single source."}],"effects":[{"label":"a 20- or 26-year-old woman died by suicide after harassment and blackmail that her husband says used AI-generated videos and morphed photographs; in her final video she named four people as the reason","claim_id":"c1","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/komal-mishra-suicide-video-etawah-police-probe-ai-blackmail-allegations-2953448-2026-07-22","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read 2026-09-24 (AMP path, retained) and re-read 2026-09-26 (India Today, 22 July 2026). Victim's video quotes, the four names, the husband's AI-video statement, hospital and police details.","independence_group":"indiatoday"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.aninews.in/news/national/general-news/mental-harassment-26-year-old-makeup-artist-dies-by-suicide-in-etawah-names-4-in-final-video20260722201210/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read 2026-09-24 (retained) and re-read 2026-09-26 (ANI, 22 July 2026). Circle Officer (Sadar) Avneesh Kumar Singh's account: death on the night of 20 July, inquest, post-mortem, phone seized, case being registered on the husband's complaint, video authenticity under verification; age 26; no AI mention.","independence_group":"ani"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kanpur/main-accused-held-in-make-up-artists-suicide-abetment-case/articleshow/132646953.cms","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read 2026-09-24 (retained) and re-read 2026-09-26 (The Times of India, Kanpur, 27 July 2026). Arrest of the 30-year-old main accused; death dated 21 July; FIR by the husband against four former acquaintances; three absconding; no AI mention.","independence_group":"toi"},{"id":"s4","url":"https://www.aajtak.in/uttar-pradesh/story/etawah-beautician-komal-mishra-commits-suicide-records-video-accusing-friends-of-blackmail-lclam-strc-2606718-2026-07-22","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"hi","translation_note":"Read live 2026-09-26 (AajTak, 22 July 2026; Hindi). Bylined by the same Etawah reporter as the India Today report (India Today Group), so it is the same chain and adds no independent support; it carries the husband's statement that after Jaipur her friends were blackmailing her with AI-made videos and photos, and gives her age as 26. Reviewer translation; no human translator.","independence_group":"indiatoday"},{"id":"s5","url":"https://www.indiatv.in/uttar-pradesh/make-up-artist-in-etawah-took-her-own-life-on-video-saying-her-friends-ruined-her-life-2026-07-22-1232730","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"hi","translation_note":"Read live 2026-09-26 (India TV Hindi, 22 July 2026). Own report from Etawah: Vrindavan Colony, Civil Lines; police say videos were found on her phone; the husband's sentence about the friends 'लगातार एआई से वीडियो और फोटो बनाने के लिए ब्लैकमेल कर रहे थे' can be read as blackmailing her with, or for making, AI videos and photos; age about 20. Reviewer translation.","independence_group":"indiatv"},{"id":"s6","url":"https://hindi.oneindia.com/news/uttar-pradesh/komal-mishra-death-wife-dies-after-ai-blackmailing-last-video-says-broken-my-love-marriage-etawah-1614183.html","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"hi","translation_note":"Read live 2026-09-26 (Oneindia Hindi, 22 July 2026). A rewrite 'according to media reports' whose husband sentence repeats the India Today wording (AI-made fake videos and morphed photographs); it also asserts that police have registered a case against all four and speculates about sections, which conflicts with ANI's 'being registered'. Not counted as an independent chain; no claim rests on it alone.","independence_group":"indiatoday"},{"id":"s7","url":"https://www.latestly.com/india/news/komal-mishra-suicide-up-beautician-says-obscene-ai-videos-were-used-to-blackmail-her-names-4-in-final-video-7528571.html","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read 2026-09-24 (retained) (Latestly, 23 July 2026). Copies India Today's text; same group; adds nothing independent.","independence_group":"indiatoday"},{"id":"s8","url":"https://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-up-horror-20-year-old-woman-dies-by-suicide-alleges-blackmail-with-ai-generated-videos-probe-underway-3216780","kind":"news_report","access":"unavailable","language":null,"translation_note":"Not read: DNA India returned 403 on 2026-09-24 and 2026-09-26 with no Archive capture; listed because the historical row cited it; no claim rests on it.","independence_group":"dna"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["relationships","privacy","work","justice"],"unknowns":["Her age (20 in India Today, Latestly and India TV; 26 in ANI, AajTak and Oneindia) and the exact date of death (night of 20 July per the circle officer; 21 July per TOI; the earlier held row said 22 July, the reporting date).","Whether the videos and photographs used for blackmail were in fact AI-generated or morphed; no police or forensic finding is reported.","The current status of the abetment case, the three absconding accused and any charge-sheet.","What the blackmail demanded and how the material was sent.","Whether 'morphed photographs' (India Today chain) or 'AI videos and photos' (India TV) is the family's exact allegation; no police description of the material."],"geography":{"basis":"The death occurred at the couple's rented home in Vrindavan Colony, Civil Lines police station area, Etawah, Uttar Pradesh (ANI; India TV); the main accused was produced before a court by Etawah police (TOI).","court_countries":["IN"],"event_countries":["IN"],"affected_person_countries":["IN"]},"publication":{"basis":"Restored under the 2026-09-15 charter and the death-verification rule: the death is confirmed by police statements to ANI and TOI and reported by India Today and India TV, and the reported AI connection (the husband's allegation) is carried by two independent chains, India Today Group (India Today and AajTak, same reporter) and India TV; the connection and causation remain allegations under police investigation. The original ID and first-publication timestamp are preserved; no person is named in the public record.","reviewed_on":"2026-09-26"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The husband's allegation that the blackmail used AI-made videos and photographs, reported by India Today (with AajTak, the same reporter) and independently by India TV; Oneindia repeats the India Today wording in a rewrite. The police statements read (ANI, TOI) describe the seizure of her phone and the verification of her videos but no examination of AI-made material.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"Etawah, Uttar Pradesh: a beautician and event organiser died by suicide on the night of 20-21 July 2026 after recording a video naming four acquaintances she said had ruined her home; her husband says they had been blackmailing her with AI-made videos and photographs (India Today: 'AI-generated videos and morphed photographs'); police registered an abetment case and arrested the main accused (July 2026)","summary":"A beautician, make-up artist and event organiser in Etawah district, Uttar Pradesh (aged 20 or 26 depending on the report), recorded a video on her phone and sent it to her husband before hanging herself at their rented home in Vrindavan Colony, Civil Lines, on the night of 20 July 2026 (ANI's circle officer; the Times of India says 21 July). In the video she named two women and two men, former work acquaintances, as 'the reason I am hanging myself', said they had ruined her home and should be jailed for life, said they had threatened to reveal details of her pre-marriage life to her husband and in-laws, and cleared her husband. Her husband, a block-office clerk, told India Today (whose Etawah reporter also wrote the AajTak report) and, separately, India TV that after she returned from a Jaipur assignment the four had been harassing and blackmailing her with AI-made videos and photographs. Civil Lines police seized her phone, held the inquest and post-mortem and said they were verifying the videos; the Times of India reported on 27 July that a case of abetment to suicide had been registered on the husband's complaint and that the alleged main accused, a 30-year-old man, had been arrested on Saturday 25 July and sent to jail while the other three, including the two women, were absconding. The AI attribution rests on the husband's account as reported; her video, as quoted, names four people and describes threats to expose her pre-marriage life; the police statements read do not describe an examination of the material.","incidentDate":"2026-07-20","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"day","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2026-07-22","aiSystem":"AI video generation / image morphing tools (unidentified), alleged by the husband to have been used to make videos and photographs for blackmail","aiProduct":"Unidentified image and video tool","severity":"critical","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["death","psychological_distress","exploitation_or_abuse"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"A young woman died by suicide after, according to her final video and her husband's account, sustained harassment and blackmail by four acquaintances that her husband says used AI-made videos and photographs (India Today with AajTak; India TV; death confirmed by police via ANI and TOI). The AI element and the causal link are the family's allegations under police investigation; an abetment case is registered and one arrest is reported.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":1,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"One person died (police via ANI and TOI). Exact 1. Her husband and two children are not counted.","victimAgeRange":"adult","jurisdiction":"IN-UP","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"criminal_charges","outcomeStatus":"ongoing","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/komal-mishra-suicide-video-etawah-police-probe-ai-blackmail-allegations-2953448-2026-07-22","primarySourceLabel":"India Today, 22 July 2026: UP woman dies by suicide, alleges AI-generated video blackmail","firstPublishedAt":"2026-08-05T02:52:31.316102+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-09-30T01:17:36.708408+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["suicide","deepfake","blackmail","sextortion","harassment","india","uttar-pradesh","etawah","abetment","depicted-or-impersonated","restored"]},{"id":"2026-indore-agnihotri-ai-ncii","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'The woman had filed a complaint at Banganga police station in Indore in July 2025'; 'The complainant reported facing mental harassment due to these incidents'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'The case started in July 2025 when a young woman filed a complaint at Banganga police station stating that an unknown person was sending letters with abusive content and her nude morphed photos to her, her relatives and neighbours.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"In July 2025 a woman complained at Banganga police station, Indore, that an unknown person was mailing letters with abusive content and morphed nude photographs of her and her sister to her, her relatives and neighbours and pasting posters near their home, causing mental harassment; an FIR was registered against an unknown accused.","causal_attribution":"Police release and DCP statement as reported."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'he revealed that marriage talks were underway between him and the complainant’s sister, but the family refused the proposal'; 'The accused was arrested on Wednesday under crime number 918/2025 and case was registered at Banganga police station under relevant sections of BNS, IT Act, and SC/ST Act.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'City crime branch arrested a man on Friday for harassing a woman by circulating her morphed obscene pictures.'; 'the marriage did not happen because their horoscopes did not match'; 'changed two or three buses while travelling from Indore to post offices in Ujjain, Dewas, Khategaon, Ashta and Dhar to send the letters.'; 'Police believe he carried out such acts around seven times between July 2025 and January 2026.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'जुलाई 2025 से जनवरी 2026 के बीच उसने सात बार इस तरह की हरकत की.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"At the end of January 2026 the Indore crime branch arrested an engineer working as a data analyst, who told police he had sought revenge after his marriage proposal to the complainant's sister, made through a matrimonial website, fell through over a horoscope mismatch; he posted the material about seven times between July 2025 and January 2026 from post offices in Ujjain, Dewas, Khategaon, Ashta and Dhar, disguised and changing buses; the case was registered under the BNS, the IT Act and the SC/ST Act and he was remanded.","causal_attribution":"Police account (crime branch / DCP Crime) relayed by all four outlets; allegations in an untried case."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'सिविल इंजीनियर एक लड़की के AI से अश्लील फोटो बनाकर उसके परिवारवालों, रिश्तेदारों और पड़ोसियों को लेटर के साथ भेज रहा था।'; 'पुलिस का कहना है कि डिजिटल फॉरेंसिक जांच में AI से बनाई गई तस्वीरों के सबूत मिले हैं'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"},{"locator":"'morphing photographs of a woman and her sister and mailing them along with threatening letters'","relation":"context","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Patrika reports that the obscene photographs of the young woman were made with AI and that police said digital forensic examination found evidence of AI-generated images; the English reports describe the images as morphed without naming the technology.","causal_attribution":"Single-outlet report of a police forensic statement; police statements quoted in English say 'morphed'."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'इतना ही नहीं, आरोपी परिवार को एसिड अटैक की धमकियां भी दे रहा था.'; 'पुलिस ने आरोपी के घर से वारदात में इस्तेमाल लैपटॉप, प्रिंटर और अन्य सामग्री बरामद की है.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"NewsTak reports that the accused also threatened the family with an acid attack and that police recovered a laptop, printer and other material used in the offence from his home.","causal_attribution":"Single Hindi report relaying the police account."}],"effects":[{"label":"morphed nude images of two sisters, with abusive and threatening letters, were mailed to their relatives and neighbours and pasted as posters near their home over about seven months","claim_id":"c1","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/indore/man-arrested-for-posting-morphed-photos-after-marriage-proposal-rejected/articleshow/127809228.cms","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-25 (The Times of India, Indore, 31 January 2026; html lang=en). Based on an official police release.","independence_group":"indore-crime-branch-briefing-jan-2026"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.freepressjournal.in/indore/indore-news-miffed-engineer-circulates-womans-morphed-obscene-pictures-after-rejection-of-marriage-proposal","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-25 (Free Press Journal, Indore, 31 January 2026; html lang=en). Quotes DCP (Crime) Rajesh Tripathi; same police account.","independence_group":"indore-crime-branch-briefing-jan-2026"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://www.patrika.com/indore-news/ai-misuse-deepfake-civil-engineer-arrested-20306882","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"hi","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-25 (Patrika, Indore, 30 January 2026; html lang=hi). Hindi; passages quoted in the original and paraphrased in English by the reviewer. The only inspected report that attributes the images to AI.","independence_group":"indore-crime-branch-briefing-jan-2026"},{"id":"s4","url":"https://www.newstak.in/madhya-pradesh/story/indore-man-arrested-sending-private-photos-relatives-one-sided-love-3230358-2026-01-31","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"hi","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-25 (NewsTak, 31 January 2026; html lang=hi). Hindi; adds the acid-attack threats and the seizure of a laptop and printer; same police account.","independence_group":"indore-crime-branch-briefing-jan-2026"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["relationships","privacy","everyday_life"],"unknowns":["Whether the images were made with an AI tool: only Patrika says so, reporting a police forensic finding; the tool is not identified by any report.","The exact arrest date (The Times of India says Wednesday, the Free Press Journal says Friday; both published 31 January 2026).","Whether a charge sheet has been filed or the case has progressed since January 2026.","How many relatives and neighbours received the mailings and posters.","The start date within July 2025 (month precision).","The end of the series is recorded as January 2026; incident_end_date 2026-01-30 marks the month of the last reported mailing and of the arrest, and the day is not established (the arrest day itself is disputed)."],"geography":{"basis":"Complaint at Banganga police station, Indore, Madhya Pradesh; posters pasted near the sisters' home in Indore; letters posted from towns in Madhya Pradesh; the accused was produced before a court in Indore (The Times of India, Free Press Journal).","court_countries":["IN"],"event_countries":["IN"],"affected_person_countries":["IN"]},"publication":{"basis":"Restored under the 2026-09-15 charter as a harmful-artifact and harassment case with two identified (unnamed) depicted people, a police complaint and an arrest, reported by four Indore outlets relaying the same police account; the attribution of the morphing to AI rests on one Hindi report and is recorded as reported. The original ID and first-publication timestamp are preserved; the historical row's incident date and the description of the rejected proposal are corrected. The accused is not named in the public text.","reviewed_on":"2026-09-25"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"Patrika (Hindi) reports that the obscene photographs were made with AI ('AI से बनाईं') and that police said digital forensic examination found evidence of AI-generated images ('पुलिस का कहना है कि डिजिटल फॉरेंसिक जांच में AI से बनाई गई तस्वीरों के सबूत मिले हैं'); The Times of India and the Free Press Journal, relaying the same police account, describe the images only as 'morphed' and name no tool. The attribution to AI rests on one outlet's report of the police account and is recorded as reported.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"Indore: an engineer was arrested at the end of January 2026 for a seven-month campaign of posting morphed obscene images of a woman and her sister, with threatening letters, to their relatives and neighbours and pasting posters near their home after the family rejected his marriage proposal; one Hindi report attributes the morphing to AI, citing a police forensic finding (Times of India, Free Press Journal, Patrika, NewsTak, 30-31 January 2026)","summary":"Indore police said at the end of January 2026 that the crime branch had arrested an engineer working as a data analyst after a woman complained at Banganga police station in July 2025 that an unknown person was mailing letters with abusive content and morphed nude photographs of her and her sister to her, her relatives and neighbours, and pasting posters near their house, causing mental harassment and social embarrassment. Police said the accused had approached the complainant's sister through a matrimonial website, that the proposal fell through over a horoscope mismatch, and that he then sought revenge by sending the material about seven times between July 2025 and January 2026 from post offices in Ujjain, Dewas, Khategaon, Ashta and Dhar, wearing a mask and cap and changing buses to avoid being traced; NewsTak adds that he also threatened the family with an acid attack and that a laptop and printer were seized. The case was registered under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the IT Act and the SC/ST Act and he was remanded. Patrika reports that the obscene images were created with AI and that police said digital forensics found AI-generated images; the English reports describe them as morphed without naming the technology, so the AI attribution rests on one outlet.","incidentDate":"2025-07-01","incidentEndDate":"2026-01-30","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"range","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2026-01-30","aiSystem":"Image-morphing tool used to create obscene images from the sisters' photographs; Patrika describes it as AI, the other reports say only 'morphed' and no tool is identified","aiProduct":"Unidentified image tool","severity":"high","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["exploitation_or_abuse","reputational_harm","psychological_distress"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"Two sisters had morphed nude images of themselves, with abusive and threatening letters, mailed repeatedly to their relatives and neighbours and pasted as posters near their home over about seven months; the complainant reported mental harassment and social embarrassment (police release via The Times of India and the Free Press Journal). Police attribute the campaign to the arrested man; the AI attribution comes from Patrika alone, which reports a police forensic finding.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":2,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"The complainant and her sister, both depicted in the morphed images sent to relatives and neighbours (The Times of India, Free Press Journal). Two people; relatives who received the mail are not counted as harmed.","victimAgeRange":"adult","jurisdiction":"IN","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"criminal_charges","outcomeStatus":"ongoing","primarySourceUrl":"https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/indore/man-arrested-for-posting-morphed-photos-after-marriage-proposal-rejected/articleshow/127809228.cms","primarySourceLabel":"The Times of India, 31 January 2026: Man arrested for posting morphed photos after marriage proposal rejected","firstPublishedAt":"2026-06-15T09:09:12.465142+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-09-30T01:17:40.374102+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["deepfake","morphing","non-consensual-imagery","harassment","revenge","india","indore","madhya-pradesh","arrest","depicted-or-impersonated"]},{"id":"2026-chennai-ai-morphed-ex-colleague","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'The Cyber Crime Wing of the Tamil Nadu police have arrested a woman who posted morphed photographs of her former colleague on social media platforms with an intention to cause mental trauma and tarnish her reputation.'; 'in the first week of January, several employees of the victim'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'received a follow request on January 4 from an unknown ID, which then went on to circulate defamatory content, including morphed images of the woman.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'The case was registered following a complaint from a Chennai-based employee of a private company, who alleged that objectionable and morphed images were circulated using fake Instagram accounts to damage her reputation and cause mental distress.'; 'On January 4, several employees of the firm received follow requests from unknown Instagram IDs, which were later used to share defamatory content of the victim.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"From 4 January 2026 several employees of the victim's company received follow requests from unknown Instagram accounts, which were then used to circulate objectionable and defamatory content including obscene morphed images of a senior woman employee; she complained that the images were circulated to damage her reputation and cause mental distress.","causal_attribution":"Police release and the victim's complaint as reported by three outlets (one chain)."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'It was found that the accused was a former employee of the same organisation where the victim holds a senior position. She had resigned from her position in October 2025.'; 'She downloaded the photos of the victim from the official website of the company and morphed them using various Artificial Intelligence applications.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'The accused had resigned from her job in October 2025 and fell into depression.'; 'morphed the photos using various Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications and had circulated through fake IDs, police said.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'The accused had resigned in October 2025 and had previous enmity with the victim, police said.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"Police traced the accounts to a former employee of the same company who had resigned in October 2025 and, according to police, acted out of resentment and previous enmity to threaten, harass and publicly humiliate the victim; she downloaded the victim's photographs from the company's official website and morphed them using various artificial-intelligence applications.","causal_attribution":"Police account; motive is the police characterisation."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'The accused was produced in a city court and remanded in judicial custody, the release said.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'The accused was produced before a magistrate and remanded in judicial custody.'; 'cautioned citizens to use social media platforms responsibly and warned that cyber harassment through social media is punishable.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"The accused was arrested, produced before a magistrate and remanded in judicial custody, and the Cyber Crime Wing DGP issued a public warning that cyber harassment through social media is punishable.","causal_attribution":"Police release."}],"effects":[{"label":"obscene AI-morphed images of a senior employee circulated to her colleagues through fake Instagram accounts; she alleged they were circulated to damage her reputation and cause her mental distress","claim_id":"c1","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/woman-held-for-posting-morphed-photos-of-former-colleague-on-social-media/article70591659.ece","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read on 2026-09-23 from an Internet Archive capture (live page 403); The Hindu, Chennai, published 4 February 2026 19:45 IST. Carries the police press release.","independence_group":"tn-cyber-crime-wing-release"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.dtnext.in/news/chennai/chennai-woman-arrested-for-using-ai-to-create-obscene-photos-of-senior-at-former-workplace","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-23 (DT Next, 4 February 2026): the same police release with the 4 January date and the DGP's warning.","independence_group":"tn-cyber-crime-wing-release"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/chennai/2026/Feb/05/chennai-woman-held-for-circulating-morphed-pictures-of-ex-colleague","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-23 (The New Indian Express, 5 February 2026): the complaint and the police account; same chain.","independence_group":"tn-cyber-crime-wing-release"},{"id":"s4","url":"https://theprint.in/india/woman-held-for-using-ai-to-morph-photos-of-ex-colleague-to-settle-personal-grudge/2845802/","kind":"news_report","access":"unavailable","language":null,"translation_note":"Original primary source of the June 2026 row (ThePrint, 4 February 2026); on 2026-09-23 the live page returned 403, no Internet Archive capture was found and the reader proxy was redirected to an unrelated blocked page (loadway.best). Not relied on.","independence_group":"tn-cyber-crime-wing-release"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["work","everyday_life","privacy"],"unknowns":["The date of the arrest (reported on 4 February 2026; not stated).","The charge sections and the outcome of the prosecution.","The AI applications used.","Whether the images were removed from the platforms."],"geography":{"basis":"The victim is a Chennai-based employee of a private company (The New Indian Express) and the case was handled by the Tamil Nadu Cyber Crime Wing with a Chennai dateline (The Hindu: city-based company); the accused was produced in a city court and remanded (The Hindu, DT Next).","court_countries":["IN"],"event_countries":["IN"],"affected_person_countries":["IN"]},"publication":{"basis":"Restored under the 2026-09-15 charter as a harmful-artifact case in a workplace: obscene AI-morphed images of a senior employee sent to her colleagues, documented by a Tamil Nadu police press release carried by three outlets (one chain, all claims reported). The original ID and first-publication timestamp are preserved; the incident date and unsupported details of the historical row are corrected. Neither woman is named.","reviewed_on":"2026-09-23"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The police release states that the accused morphed the victim's photographs using various artificial-intelligence applications (The Hindu, DT Next, NIE); the applications are not named and no independent account was inspected.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"Chennai: a former employee downloaded a senior woman colleague's photographs from their company's website, morphed them into obscene images with AI applications and circulated them to the company's staff through fake Instagram accounts from 4 January 2026; Tamil Nadu's cyber-crime wing traced and arrested her (reported 4 February 2026) and she was remanded in judicial custody","summary":"From 4 January 2026 several employees of a Chennai company received follow requests from unknown Instagram accounts that then circulated defamatory content, including obscene AI-morphed images of a senior woman employee. On her complaint the State Cyber Crime Investigation Centre of the Tamil Nadu police traced the digital footprints, social-media activity and IP logs to a former employee of the same company who had resigned in October 2025 and, according to police, acted out of resentment and previous enmity to threaten, harass and publicly humiliate the victim; she had taken the photographs from the company's official website and morphed them using various artificial-intelligence applications. She was arrested, produced before a magistrate and remanded in judicial custody; the police press release was reported on 4 and 5 February 2026 and the cyber-crime DGP issued a public warning about social-media misuse. The victim alleged the images were circulated to damage her reputation and cause mental distress.","incidentDate":"2026-01-04","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"day","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2026-02-04","aiSystem":"AI image-morphing applications (unspecified; police say various artificial-intelligence applications were used)","aiProduct":"Unidentified image tool","severity":"high","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["exploitation_or_abuse","reputational_harm","psychological_distress"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"A senior woman employee had obscene AI-morphed images of herself sent to her colleagues through fake Instagram accounts from 4 January 2026; she alleged the images were circulated to damage her reputation and cause her mental distress, and police describe the aim as threatening, harassing and publicly humiliating her. The account rests on the police release and the complaint as reported.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"supported","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":1,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"One victim, the senior employee whose images were morphed and circulated (The Hindu, DT Next, NIE). Exact 1.","victimAgeRange":"adult","jurisdiction":"IN","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"criminal_charges","outcomeStatus":"unknown","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/woman-held-for-posting-morphed-photos-of-former-colleague-on-social-media/article70591659.ece","primarySourceLabel":"The Hindu, 4 February 2026: Woman held for posting morphed photos of former colleague on social media","firstPublishedAt":"2026-06-15T09:09:11.276087+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-09-30T01:17:31.041777+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["deepfake","morphing","harassment","india","tamil-nadu","chennai","workplace","instagram","non-consensual-images","arrest","depicted-or-impersonated"]}]}