{"meta":{"exportedAt":"2026-10-31T06:32:33.353Z","formatVersion":2,"selection":{"q":"political-candidate","system":"","harm":"","context":"","country":"","role":"","relation":"","evidence":"","year":"","response":"","severity":"","verification":"","view":"incidents","sort":"added"},"totalIncidents":1,"coverage":{"cases":1,"countries":1,"languages":1,"unknownLocation":0,"locationPending":0,"unknownLanguage":0,"unknownDate":0,"lawsuits":0,"regulatory":0,"minors":0,"coreRelations":1,"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-taiwan-prosecutors-arrest-man-over-deepfake-audio-of-taipei-mayoral-candidate-admitting-kickbacks","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'這段錄音於29日深夜出現在Threads，並以「疑似沈伯洋私下錄音流出」為題，內容刻意模仿沈伯洋的說話聲線'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"},{"locator":"'以極度仿真沈伯洋聲音的方式，錄製他自承利用美國軍購案收受回扣的不實影音短片' '深偽影音更已在社群媒體 Threads上散布'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"An audio clip imitating the candidate's voice appeared on Threads late on 29 October 2026 under a caption calling it a suspected private recording, and in it the voice admitted taking kickbacks from US arms purchases.","causal_attribution":"Prosecutors' and investigators' account as relayed by FTNN and CNA."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'並同步進行鑑識確認影片內之音頻為深偽內容，隨即提報桃園地檢署。'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"The Investigation Bureau's New Taipei office traced the poster and carried out a forensic check that confirmed the audio in the clip as deepfake content.","causal_attribution":"Investigation Bureau account as relayed by TTV; the forensic method is not described."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'下午拘提該名男子到案' '意圖使候選人不當選以深度偽造聲音之方法散布不實之事罪嫌'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'同時扣押其手機'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"},{"locator":"'所涉罪名最重可處7年以下有期徒刑'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Prosecutors arrested the man who posted the clip on 30 October, seized his phone and sought his detention for spreading falsehoods by a deepfake-voice method to make a candidate lose, an offence carrying up to seven years.","causal_attribution":"Prosecutors' charge and court ruling as reported."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'桃園地院今晨裁定新台幣10萬元交保並限制出境、出海8個月'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The Taoyuan District Court released him on NT$100,000 bail with an eight-month ban on leaving the country.","causal_attribution":"Court ruling as reported by CNA."},{"id":"c5","status":"disputed","evidence":[{"locator":"'坦承利用偽造技術錄製不實影音短片，散佈在社群媒體。'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"},{"locator":"'坦承散布行為，但辯稱該深偽檔案是從臉書（Facebook）隨機下載轉載' '目前卷內事證尚難認定他與原始製作深偽音檔的幕後主謀有犯意聯絡或共犯關係'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s5"}],"assertion":"Investigators say he admitted recording the false clip with forgery technology; at the bail hearing, according to TVBS, he admitted spreading it but said he had downloaded it at random from Facebook, and the court found no established link yet with the original maker.","causal_attribution":"Who made the clip is disputed between the investigators' account and the court hearing as reported."},{"id":"c6","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'深偽音檔、影片經常在半夜出現，第一時間難以阻止，但團隊已掌握相關情況，針對製作及轉傳者採取法律行動。'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"The candidate said deepfake audio and video often appear in the middle of the night and are hard to stop, and that his team had taken legal action against those who made and shared the clip.","causal_attribution":"The candidate's own statement as reported by ETtoday."},{"id":"c7","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'生成式AI及深度偽造（Deepfake）技術可能遭有心人士利用，成為抹黑造謠、影響選情的工具。'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"Prosecutors warned that generative AI and deepfake technology could be used to smear candidates and sway the year-end elections.","causal_attribution":"Prosecutors' general warning as reported by ETtoday; context for the case."}],"effects":[{"label":"fabricated audio in the candidate's imitated voice claimed he took arms-purchase kickbacks and spread on social media (investigators' account)","claim_id":"c1","direction":"negative"},{"label":"the candidate's team took legal action against the clip's makers and sharers","claim_id":"c6","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.cna.com.tw/news/asoc/202610310035.aspx","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"zh","translation_note":"Read in Traditional Chinese by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-31 and translated by the research agent (an AI) into English; no human translator or reviewer was involved. CNA, the national news agency, reports the Taoyuan prosecutors' statement and the court's bail ruling.","independence_group":"taoyuan-district-court-bail-hearing-2026-10-30"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://news.ttv.com.tw/news/11510300004000W","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"zh","translation_note":"Read in Traditional Chinese by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-31 and translated by the research agent (an AI) into English; no human translator or reviewer was involved. TTV relays the Investigation Bureau's account of the forensic check and the prosecutors' charge.","independence_group":"taoyuan-prosecutors-and-investigation-bureau-statements-2026-10-30"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://www.ettoday.net/news/20261030/3263660.htm","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"zh","translation_note":"Read in Traditional Chinese by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-31 and translated by the research agent (an AI) into English; no human translator or reviewer was involved. ETtoday relays the Taoyuan prosecutors' statement and quotes the candidate.","independence_group":"taoyuan-prosecutors-and-investigation-bureau-statements-2026-10-30"},{"id":"s4","url":"https://www.ftnn.com.tw/news/591625","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"zh","translation_note":"Read in Traditional Chinese by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-31 and translated by the research agent (an AI) into English; no human translator or reviewer was involved. FTNN relays the investigators' account and gives the posting time.","independence_group":"taoyuan-prosecutors-and-investigation-bureau-statements-2026-10-30"},{"id":"s5","url":"https://news.tvbs.com.tw/local/4043791","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"zh","translation_note":"Read in Traditional Chinese by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-31 and translated by the research agent (an AI) into English; no human translator or reviewer was involved. TVBS reports the bail hearing.","independence_group":"taoyuan-district-court-bail-hearing-2026-10-30"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["justice","public_life"],"unknowns":["Which tool produced the imitated voice, and how the Investigation Bureau's forensic check established that it was deepfake.","Who made the original file: investigators say the poster admitted recording it, while in court he said he downloaded it from Facebook.","How many people heard or shared the clip before it was removed."],"geography":{"basis":"The clip targeted a candidate in Taiwan's 2026 Taipei mayoral election, the poster was arrested in Zhongli, Taoyuan, and the bail ruling was made by the Taoyuan District Court (CNA, ETtoday). The candidate is a sitting Taiwanese legislator standing for Taipei mayor.","court_countries":["TW"],"event_countries":["TW"],"affected_person_countries":["TW"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published as a core case (depicted_or_impersonated): Taiwan's Investigation Bureau confirmed by forensic check that an audio clip imitating Taipei mayoral candidate Puma Shen admitting to arms-purchase kickbacks was deepfake, prosecutors arrested the man who posted it under the election law, and a court released him on bail. The candidate, a public figure, took legal action. The suspect is not named.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-31"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"Taiwan's Investigation Bureau says its forensic check confirmed the audio in the clip as deepfake content (TTV), and Taoyuan prosecutors describe the clip as made with a highly realistic imitation of the candidate's voice and charged the poster with spreading falsehoods by a deepfake-voice method (CNA, TTV). The synthesised voice is what depicted the candidate admitting to kickbacks. The forensic method and the tool are not disclosed, and who made the original file is disputed.","status":"supported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"Taiwan prosecutors arrest man over deepfake audio imitating Taipei mayoral candidate Puma Shen admitting kickbacks; investigators confirmed it was a deepfake","summary":"A recording that imitated the voice of Puma Shen (Shen Po-yang), the Democratic Progressive Party's candidate for mayor of Taipei, appeared on Threads late on 29 October 2026 under a caption calling it a suspected private recording; in it the voice admitted taking kickbacks from US arms purchases. Taiwan's Investigation Bureau said its forensic check confirmed the audio as deepfake content, and Taoyuan prosecutors said a man had made the clip with a highly realistic imitation of Shen's voice and spread it on social media. Prosecutors arrested him on 30 October, seized his phone and sought his detention for spreading falsehoods by a deepfake-voice method to make a candidate lose, an offence under the election law that carries up to seven years in prison. The Taoyuan District Court released him on NT$100,000 bail with an eight-month travel ban, CNA reports. At the hearing he admitted spreading the clip but said he had downloaded it from Facebook, and the court found the file did not yet show a link to whoever originally made it, TVBS reports. Shen said his team had taken legal action against those who made and shared the clip. The man is not named here.","incidentDate":"2026-10-29","incidentKind":"single_event","incidentDatePrecision":"day","exposurePattern":"single_interaction","reportedDate":"2026-10-30","aiSystem":"Deepfake voice synthesis that imitated the candidate's voice in an audio clip posted on Threads and Facebook, confirmed as deepfake by an Investigation Bureau forensic check; the tool is not named","aiProduct":"Unidentified voice-cloning tool","severity":"medium","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["reputational_harm"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"Investigators say a deepfake audio clip imitated Taipei mayoral candidate Puma Shen admitting to arms-purchase kickbacks and spread on social media; he took legal action against its makers and sharers.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"supported","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":1,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"One depicted person, the candidate, whose imitated voice the clip used and who said his team took legal action. Listeners who may have been misled are not counted.","victimAgeRange":"adult","jurisdiction":"TW","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"criminal_charges","outcomeStatus":"ongoing","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.cna.com.tw/news/asoc/202610310035.aspx","primarySourceLabel":"CNA, 31 Oct 2026: man in deepfake Puma Shen voice case released on NT$100,000 bail (Chinese)","firstPublishedAt":"2026-10-31T03:06:16.168807+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-31T03:06:16.168807+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["deepfake-audio","voice-imitation","election","political-candidate","taiwan","election-law","reputational-harm"]}]}