{"meta":{"exportedAt":"2026-09-30T05:34:45.109Z","formatVersion":2,"selection":{"q":"representation","system":"","harm":"","context":"","country":"","role":"","relation":"core","evidence":"","year":"","response":"","severity":"","verification":"","view":"incidents","sort":"added"},"totalIncidents":5,"coverage":{"cases":5,"countries":2,"languages":3,"unknownLocation":1,"locationPending":0,"unknownLanguage":0,"unknownDate":0,"lawsuits":0,"regulatory":2,"minors":0,"coreRelations":5,"contextualRelations":0,"mixedRelations":0,"unknownRelations":0,"relationPending":0,"relationUnknown":0},"countingNote":"Distinct public cases in this selection. People counts apply within individual cases only; cross-case person overlap has not been resolved. No population incidence estimate.","affectedCountNote":"Interpret person counts with affectedCountStatus and the reported effects. Unquantified zeros are placeholders, not a measured zero.","source":"AI incidents","publisher":"NOPE","url":"https://nope.net/incidents","license":"CC BY 4.0"},"incidents":[{"id":"2025-wadsworth-lawyers-sanctioned-ai-fabricated-citations","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"documented","evidence":[{"locator":"ECF 181, pages 3–5, Procedural Facts and How the Fake Cases Were Generated.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The order records a 22 January filing containing eight fictitious citations generated with MX2.law and not verified before filing.","causal_attribution":"The order records counsel’s admissions and the court’s findings."},{"id":"c2","status":"documented","evidence":[{"locator":"ECF 181, pages 5–6, Remedial Steps; pages 12–17, individual sanctions and conclusion.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The court fined three lawyers a total of $5,000, removed the drafter from the case and treated withdrawal, candour, fee reimbursement and new safeguards as mitigation.","causal_attribution":"Sanctions address professional verification duties; the record does not assign sole responsibility to AI."}],"effects":[{"label":"Individual sanctions and removal from representation","claim_id":"c2","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.lawnext.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/gov.uscourts.wyd_.64014.181.0_1.pdf","kind":"court_order","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"","independence_group":"wadsworth-ecf181"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["own_use","others_use"],"contexts":["justice","work"],"unknowns":["Underlying model, precise drafting day and eventual payment of penalties are unknown."],"geography":{"basis":"Wyoming federal court. Drafting location and lawyers’ residence not established.","court_countries":["US"],"event_countries":[],"affected_person_countries":[]},"publication":{"basis":"A filed order establishes the sanctions and AI-assisted drafting, with mitigation retained.","reviewed_on":"2026-09-29"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"Court order identifies the tool and records the drafter’s prompts.","status":"supported"},"person_relations":["communicated_with","acted_on_behalf"]},"name":"Three lawyers sanctioned after filing AI-generated fictitious citations","summary":"A Wyoming federal court fined three lawyers a total of $5,000 and removed the drafting lawyer from Wadsworth v. Walmart after a January 2025 filing cited eight nonexistent cases. The order identifies MX2.law as the drafting tool, records failure to verify its output and credits subsequent remedial steps.","incidentDate":"2025-01-22","incidentEndDate":"2025-02-24","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"day","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2025-02-24","aiSystem":"MX2.law","aiProduct":"MX2.law","aiCompany":"Morgan & Morgan","severity":"medium","verificationStatus":"verified","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["legal_harm","professional_harm"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"The court imposed $3,000, $1,000 and $1,000 penalties and revoked the drafting lawyer’s admission to this case.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"supported","participantUsersAffectedMin":1,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":2,"affectedCountStatus":"documented_minimum","affectedCountEvidence":"Three individually sanctioned lawyers; one drafted with AI. Clients and institutional costs are not included in this minimum.","victimAgeRange":"unknown","platformType":"assistant","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.lawnext.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/gov.uscourts.wyd_.64014.181.0_1.pdf","primarySourceLabel":"Wadsworth v. Walmart, ECF 181, sanctions order filed 24 February 2025","firstPublishedAt":"2026-09-29T10:57:12.469277+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-09-30T01:17:20.611123+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["historical-2025"]},{"id":"2025-aberdeen-mississippi-fee-suit-ai-hallucinated-citations-four-attorneys-sanctioned","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"documented","evidence":[{"locator":"p. 2: 'the Court was unable to locate certain legal authorities cited within them. Specifically, the Court determined that the following filings contained hallucinatory citations'; p. 3: 'the attorneys admitted that the hallucinatory citations cited by them, and identified by the Court, resulted from unverified AI use.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'In *Withers v. City of Aberdeen*, attorneys for both sides cited no fewer than six entirely fabricated precedents.'","relation":"context","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"In late 2025, legal memoranda filed for both sides in a fee suit against the City of Aberdeen (N.D. Miss.) cited cases that do not exist; the court identified one such citation in the City's summary-judgment memorandum, three in its fee-challenge memorandum and two in the plaintiff's opposition, and the attorneys admitted the citations resulted from unverified AI use.","causal_attribution":"Established by the court's sanctions order on the attorneys' own admissions."},{"id":"c2","status":"documented","evidence":[{"locator":"p. 3: 'Williams admitted to using an AI tool to conduct legal research, and Wilson admitted to using generative AI to draft her respective filing. Neither of them verified the legal authority output by AI before filing their briefs.'; p. 9: 'She explained that she used “First Drafts,” an AI- powered program for drafting legal documents.'; p. 14: 'it had acquired software that was built for in-house legal research.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The plaintiff's out-of-state counsel, Kathleen M. Wilson, drafted the opposition using 'First Drafts', an AI-powered drafting program, and the City's out-of-state counsel, Kathryn Y. Williams, used an in-house AI legal research tool; neither verified the AI output before filing.","causal_attribution":"Admissions recorded and findings made in the sanctions order."},{"id":"c3","status":"documented","evidence":[{"locator":"p. 21: 'Kathleen M. Wilson’s pro hac vice admission in this case is REVOKED.'; 'Wilson is hereby ORDERED to pay a $2,500 fine to the registry of this Court'; 'Williams is hereby ORDERED to pay a $3,500 fine to the registry of this Court'; 'Shauncey Hunter Ridgeway is DISQUALIFIED from further participation in this case.'; p. 22: 'Mark McClinton is DISQUALIFIED from further participation in this case.'; 'send a copy of this Sanctions Order to the Mississippi Bar, the Louisiana Bar, and the Texas Bar.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"p. 20: 'Wilson and Williams are hereby BARRED from entering an appearance in any case before the United States District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi for the period of two (2) years'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"On 8 June 2026 the court revoked Wilson's and Williams' pro hac vice admissions, barred both from appearing in the Northern District of Mississippi for two years, fined Wilson $2,500 and Williams $3,500, ordered Wilson to complete an AI ethics CLE, disqualified the two local counsel (Shauncey Hunter Ridgeway and Mark C. McClinton, who signed without checking the citations) with $1,000 fines each, and sent the order to the Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas bars.","causal_attribution":"The sanctions are the court's response to the AI-generated false citations and the failure to verify them."},{"id":"c4","status":"documented","evidence":[{"locator":"'Given the pending sanctions issue, this case is hereby STAYED until further order of the Court. The final pretrial conference scheduled on February 19, 2026 and trial scheduled on March 23, 2026 are hereby cancelled'; 'The following pending motions are hereby TERMINATED'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"p. 20: 'The Court is cognizant that upon disqualifying the resident attorneys the litigants are effectively left without representation in this case, and that this can cause hardship for them.'; p. 22: 'the Court will dismiss this case without further notice.'; p. 12: 'The Court was unable to resolve that dispositive motion given the tainted filings, and it effectively inhibited the case from proceeding further.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Because of the sanctions issue the court stayed the case, cancelled the pretrial conference and the 23 March 2026 trial, and terminated the pending summary-judgment and fee motions; after disqualifying all four attorneys it gave both litigants 60 days to find new counsel, acknowledging this could cause them hardship, and warned the plaintiff that the case would be dismissed if no counsel appeared or he did not elect to proceed pro se by 7 August 2026.","causal_attribution":"The stay and loss of counsel follow directly from the sanctions proceeding over the AI-generated citations, per the court's orders."},{"id":"c5","status":"documented","evidence":[{"locator":"'directing attorney Kathleen M. Wilson to show cause as to why this Court should not hold her in contempt for her failure to pay the fine'; 'Wilson shall have until September 16, 2026 to (1) pay the monetary fine'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"On 17 August 2026, after a show-cause order over Wilson's failure to pay the fine, the court extended her deadline to pay it and to complete the CLE to 16 September 2026.","causal_attribution":"Follow-on enforcement of the sanctions order."}],"effects":[{"label":"two attorneys who used AI tools without verifying the output lost their pro hac vice admissions, were barred from the district for two years and fined","claim_id":"c3","direction":"negative"},{"label":"two local counsel were disqualified and fined for signing the AI-drafted filings without checking the citations","claim_id":"c3","direction":"negative"},{"label":"the case was stayed, the trial cancelled and both litigants left without counsel, with the plaintiff's case facing dismissal if no new counsel appeared","claim_id":"c4","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.msnd.50181/gov.uscourts.msnd.50181.123.0_1.pdf","kind":"court_order","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Sanctions Order, ECF 123, filed 8 June 2026 (Senior Judge Sharion Aycock), 23 pages; full text read via pdftotext on 2026-09-29 (RECAP copy on CourtListener).","independence_group":"msnd-court-record"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.msnd.50181/gov.uscourts.msnd.50181.120.0.pdf","kind":"court_order","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Order staying the case, ECF 120, filed 4 February 2026; one page, read in full on 2026-09-29.","independence_group":"msnd-court-record"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.msnd.50181/gov.uscourts.msnd.50181.133.0.pdf","kind":"court_order","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Order of 17 August 2026, ECF 133, extending one attorney's deadline to pay the fine and complete the CLE; one page, read in full on 2026-09-29.","independence_group":"msnd-court-record"},{"id":"s4","url":"https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/international/technology-science/artc-courtroom-hallucinations-lawyers-cite-precedents-dreamt-up-by-ai-as-clients-sabotage-their-own-cases","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"i24NEWS aggregate piece (Sep 2026) read on 2026-09-29 from the Internet Archive capture of 10 Sep 2026 (the live page is a JavaScript shell). It mentions the case in two sentences; its count of 'no fewer than six' fabricated precedents matches the order's list and is not an independent check.","independence_group":"i24news"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["own_use","others_use"],"contexts":["work","justice"],"unknowns":["Which underlying model the 'First Drafts' program and Williams' research tool used; the order names neither vendor's model.","Whether the Mississippi, Louisiana or Texas bars opened disciplinary proceedings, and whether Wilson paid by 16 September 2026.","Whether the litigants retained new counsel by 7 August 2026 and what became of the case.","The dates of the other tainted filings Wilson drafted in this case (ECF 123 p.11); they may predate 5 November 2025."],"geography":{"basis":"Federal case in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi (Aberdeen Division); the order describes the attorneys as licensed in Louisiana, Texas and Mississippi.","court_countries":["US"],"event_countries":["US"],"affected_person_countries":["US"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published from the court's own sanctions order and related docket orders, which record the attorneys' admissions of unverified AI use and the resulting sanctions, stay and loss of counsel. Attorneys are named as they are in the public order; the plaintiff, a private litigant, is not named.","reviewed_on":"2026-09-29"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The sanctions order records the two drafting attorneys' admissions that their filings were produced with AI tools (Wilson: 'First Drafts', a generative drafting program; Williams: an unnamed in-house AI legal research product) and finds that their unverified reliance on the output produced the fabricated citations.","status":"supported"},"person_relations":["communicated_with"]},"name":"Fee suit against the City of Aberdeen (N.D. Miss.): four attorneys on both sides sanctioned after AI tools produced fabricated case citations; trial cancelled and both litigants left without counsel","summary":"In a fee dispute between a Louisiana attorney and the City of Aberdeen, Mississippi, briefs filed for both sides in late 2025 cited six cases that do not exist. The attorneys admitted the citations came from unverified AI use: the plaintiff's out-of-state counsel, Kathleen M. Wilson, drafted her filing with an AI drafting program called 'First Drafts', and the City's out-of-state counsel, Kathryn Y. Williams, used an in-house AI legal research tool. Senior Judge Sharion Aycock stayed the case and cancelled the March 2026 trial, then on 8 June 2026 revoked both attorneys' pro hac vice admissions, barred them from the district for two years and fined them $2,500 and $3,500, and disqualified and fined the two local counsel who had signed the filings. Both litigants were left without counsel and given 60 days to find new representation.","incidentDate":"2025-11-05","incidentEndDate":"2026-06-08","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"range","exposurePattern":"repeated_interactions","reportedDate":"2026-06-08","aiSystem":"'First Drafts', an AI-powered legal drafting program (plaintiff's counsel), and an unnamed in-house AI legal research software product (City's counsel); underlying models not stated","aiProduct":"First Drafts and unidentified legal research tool","aiCompany":"Unknown","severity":"medium","verificationStatus":"verified","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["professional_harm","legal_harm","financial_loss"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"Per the court's orders, two attorneys who filed AI-generated fabricated citations lost their pro hac vice admissions, were barred from the district for two years and fined $2,500 and $3,500; two local counsel who signed the filings were disqualified and fined $1,000 each; the case was stayed with its trial cancelled, and the plaintiff was left without counsel under threat of dismissal.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"established","participantUsersAffectedMin":2,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":3,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"Sanctions Order (ECF 123). Participant users: Wilson and Williams, the two attorneys who used the AI tools and were sanctioned (2). Others harmed through their use: the two local counsel disqualified and fined (Ridgeway, McClinton) and the plaintiff, an individual whose case was stayed, whose trial was cancelled and who was left without counsel (3). The City of Aberdeen is an organisation and is not counted; no other person's harm is stated.","victimAgeRange":"adult","jurisdiction":"US-MS","platformType":"assistant","outcomeType":"regulatory_action","outcomeStatus":"ongoing","primarySourceUrl":"https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.msnd.50181/gov.uscourts.msnd.50181.123.0_1.pdf","primarySourceLabel":"Withers v. City of Aberdeen, No. 1:24-cv-218-SA-RP (N.D. Miss.), Sanctions Order, ECF 123, 8 June 2026","firstPublishedAt":"2026-09-29T09:10:31.680119+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-09-30T01:16:55.045067+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["work","justice","legal-profession","sanction","fabricated-citations","pro-hac-vice","own-use","mississippi"]},{"id":"2025-chiranjeevi-ai-deepfake-porn-videos-hyderabad-cybercrime-complaint","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'అక్టోబర్‌ 25న ఇచ్చిన లిఖిత పూర్వక ఫిర్యాదులో, కొందరు వెబ్‌సైట్లు తన రూపంలో కృత్రిమ మేధ (AI) సహాయంతో అసభ్య దృశ్యాలు సృష్టించి వ్యాప్తి చేస్తున్నట్లు తెలిపారు.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'ఆర్టిఫిషియల్ ఇంటెలిజెన్స్ (ఏఐ) టెక్నాలజీని ఉపయోగించి, తన ముఖాన్ని మార్ఫింగ్ చేసి అశ్లీల (పోర్న్) వీడియోలను సృష్టిస్తున్నారని ఆయన తన ఫిర్యాదులో పేర్కొన్నారు.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"On 25 October 2025 the actor and former Union minister Chiranjeevi gave Hyderabad cybercrime police a written complaint that pornographic websites were publishing obscene videos made with AI that morphed his face and likeness.","causal_attribution":"The complainant's account; the videos' creators were not identified in the read sources."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Based on the complaint, the police have registered a case under Sections 67 and 67A of the IT Act, Sections 79, 294, 296 and 336(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and Sections 2(c), 3 and 4 of the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"},{"locator":"'చిరంజీవి ఫిర్యాదు మేరకు పోలీసులు ఐటీ చట్టంలోని సెక్షన్లు 67, 67ఏ, భారతీయ న్యాయ సంహిత (BNS)లోని సెక్షన్లు 79, 294, 296, 336(4)తో పాటు పలు ఇతర చట్టాల కింద కేసు నమోదు చేశారు.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"Police registered a case under Sections 67 and 67A of the IT Act, Sections 79, 294, 296 and 336(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act.","causal_attribution":"Police registration of the case as reported; no arrest is reported in the read sources."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'In his complaint, Chiranjeevi condemned the videos as “malicious” and said they have caused “severe and irreparable harm” to his reputation. “These fabricated clips distort public perception, undermine decades of goodwill, and inflict personal and emotional distress on me and my family,” he stated.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"},{"locator":"'వీడియోల కొనసాగుతున్న ప్రచారం తన మానసిక ఆరోగ్యానికీ, గౌరవానికీ నష్టం కలిగిస్తోందని పేర్కొన్నారు.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"In his complaint he said the videos caused severe and irreparable harm to his reputation and personal and emotional distress to him and his family.","causal_attribution":"His own statement of the effects in the complaint."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'ఇలాంటి కంటెంట్‌ ప్రచారం నిరోధించేందుకు ఇప్పటికే హైదరాబాద్‌ సిటీ సివిల్‌ కోర్టు ప్రధాన న్యాయమూర్తి నుంచి తాత్కాలిక నిషేధాజ్ఞ కూడా పొందినట్లు తెలిపారు.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'వాటిని తొలగించాలని సిటీ సివిల్కోర్టును సెప్టెంబరులో ఆశ్రయించారు. దీంతో కోర్టు అదే నెల 26న ఆయా వెబ్సైట్లలో కంటెంట్తొలగించాలని ఆదేశాలు జారీ చేసింది.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s5"}],"assertion":"Before the police complaint he had obtained an interim injunction from the Hyderabad City Civil Court; V6 Velugu reports that he approached that court in September 2025 over deepfake obscene videos on porn sites and that on 26 September it ordered the content removed from those websites.","causal_attribution":"Court order as reported; the order itself was not inspected. Locator for s5 is quoted with zero-width characters removed."}],"effects":[{"label":"AI-made obscene videos using his likeness published on pornographic sites; he reported reputational harm and emotional distress to himself and his family","claim_id":"c3","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.telugupost.com/top-stories/chiranjeevi-deepfake-cybercrime-complaint-hyderabad-1595809","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"te","translation_note":"Read live in Telugu on 2026-09-29 (published 27 October 2025); summarises the written complaint. Researcher translation.","independence_group":"chiranjeevi-complaint"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.ap7am.com/tn/846021/chiranjeevi-lodges-police-complaint-over-deepfake-pornographic-content","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"te","translation_note":"Read live in Telugu on 2026-09-29 (published 27 October 2025); quotes the complaint and the sections registered. Researcher translation.","independence_group":"chiranjeevi-complaint"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://gulfnews.com/entertainment/chiranjeevi-files-complaint-over-ai-deepfake-vulgar-videos-on-adult-sites-says-it-distressed-his-family-1.500324422","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live in English on 2026-09-29 (published 28 October 2025); quotes the complaint as reported by ANI.","independence_group":"chiranjeevi-complaint"},{"id":"s4","url":"https://www.newsx.com/offbeat/chiranjeevi-deepfake-mms-case-actor-approaches-police-over-ai-generated-obscene-videos-276933/","kind":"news_relay","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live in English on 2026-09-29 (published 28 September 2026). A recap of the October 2025 complaints that gives no event dates; its only unique content is the Hyderabad police commissioner's statement. Not used for dates.","independence_group":"chiranjeevi-complaint"},{"id":"s5","url":"https://www.v6velugu.com/megastar-chiranjeevi-complaint-on-social-media-trolls-against-hyderbad-cyber-crimes-police-station","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"te","translation_note":"Read live in Telugu on 2026-09-29 (29 October 2025); reports a second complaint about abusive posts and recaps the civil suit and the deepfake complaint. Researcher translation.","independence_group":"chiranjeevi-complaint"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["privacy","everyday_life"],"unknowns":["Who made and uploaded the videos, and whether anyone has been arrested.","When the videos first appeared online; V6 Velugu reports a civil suit over them in September 2025, so they circulated by then.","Whether the videos were removed from the websites.","The exact complaint date: Telugupost says the written complaint was given on 25 October 2025; V6 Velugu dates it to 27 October 2025."],"geography":{"basis":"The complaint was filed with Hyderabad cybercrime police in Telangana, India (Telugupost; Gulf News). Before the complaint he had obtained an interim injunction from the Hyderabad City Civil Court, which Telugupost says was aimed at stopping the spread of such content and which V6 Velugu says ordered the content removed from the websites on 26 September 2025. Where the websites are hosted is not stated.","court_countries":["IN"],"event_countries":["IN"],"affected_person_countries":["IN"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published under the 2026-09-15 charter as a core case (AI-generated sexual videos depicting a named public figure without consent, with a registered police case). The account rests on his complaint as reported by Telugu and English outlets. No imagery is described beyond the complaint's terms. The lead arrived through a September 2026 recap; the event dates come from October 2025 reporting.","reviewed_on":"2026-09-29"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The complaint, as reported, says the videos were made with AI technology that morphed his face into obscene content (Telugupost; ap7am; Gulf News via ANI). No forensic finding is reported and the tool is not named.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"Hyderabad, India: actor Chiranjeevi files a cybercrime complaint over AI-generated obscene videos using his face on pornographic websites; police register a case under the IT Act and BNS","summary":"On 25 October 2025 the Telugu actor and former Union minister Konidela Chiranjeevi gave Hyderabad cybercrime police a written complaint that several pornographic websites were publishing obscene videos made with AI that morphed his face and likeness, and asked for a criminal and technical investigation and removal of the content, including from mirror sites. Police registered a case under Sections 67 and 67A of the IT Act, several sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act. In the complaint he said the videos caused severe and irreparable harm to his reputation and personal and emotional distress to him and his family. He had already obtained an ad-interim injunction from the Hyderabad City Civil Court protecting his name, image and likeness (Gulf News); V6 Velugu reports that he had gone to that court in September 2025 over the same kind of deepfake videos and that on 26 September it ordered their removal. A September 2026 NewsX recap reports that Hyderabad Police Commissioner V C Sajjanar said the cybercrime team was working to trace those responsible.","incidentDate":"2025-10-25","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"day","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2025-10-27","aiSystem":"Unnamed AI tools used to morph his face into obscene videos (per his complaint)","aiProduct":"Unidentified video tool","severity":"medium","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["reputational_harm","psychological_distress"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"AI-generated obscene videos using his likeness were published on pornographic websites; he reported severe harm to his reputation and emotional distress to himself and his family (his complaint via Telugupost, ap7am and Gulf News/ANI).","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":1,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"One depicted person, Chiranjeevi (his complaint). His family's reported distress is his statement and is not counted separately. Exact 1.","victimAgeRange":"adult","jurisdiction":"IN-TG","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"investigation_opened","outcomeStatus":"ongoing","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.telugupost.com/top-stories/chiranjeevi-deepfake-cybercrime-complaint-hyderabad-1595809","primarySourceLabel":"Telugupost, 27 October 2025: డీప్‌ఫేక్‌ అసభ్య వీడియోలపై చిరంజీవి సైబర్‌ క్రైమ్ కు ఫిర్యాదు","firstPublishedAt":"2026-09-29T03:22:09.016588+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-09-30T01:16:59.537311+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["deepfakes","deepfake-pornography","non-consensual-intimate-imagery","tollywood","hyderabad","telangana","india","police-complaint","depicted-or-impersonated"]},{"id":"2026-stanford-rde-ai-altered-promotional-photo-student-replaced","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"corroborated","evidence":[{"locator":"'Stanford Residential & Dining Enterprises recently used AI to change the races of the students it included in its advertisements. AI was also used to noticeably slim down and alter students’ faces.'; 'he noticed that he had been removed from the photo and replaced by a AI-generated black woman.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'Stanford confirmed that Residential and Dining Enterprises (R&DE) used generative AI to modify the appearance of several students in a promotional image. R&DE changed the students’ clothing into Stanford merchandise, slimmed down two students’ faces and entirely changed one student’s race, gender and appearance.'; 'The Daily confirmed that the photo was used in a custom banner in the Governor’s Corner student housing center, which has since been taken down.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'Stanford University said the use of artificial intelligence to alter the race and appearance of students in a promotional photo violated its policy'; 'We have apologized to the students in the photo whose images were altered or erased,'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"Stanford Residential & Dining Enterprises used generative AI to alter a promotional photograph of three students, replacing one male student with an AI-generated Black woman and making the two other students' faces appear slimmer, and the altered image was displayed on campus banners.","causal_attribution":"The Review's comparison of the original and altered images (one group) and the university's own statements confirming the AI alteration (second group); the itemised details are in c4."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Stanford’s AI policy is clear: The use of AI in producing or altering images of Stanford people, events, research, facilities, or achievements is strictly prohibited,'; 'Both the alteration and lack of disclosure in this case violate that policy. We are working to provide additional training for all staff and ensure proper review of all materials.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'Following the incident, the university removed the image and announced plans to provide additional staff training to prevent future violations.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"},{"locator":"'Not only the fact that the image was altered, but the ways in which it was altered, reflect a serious error in judgment. We have apologized to the students in the photo whose images were altered or erased,'; 'The university said it has launched an investigation to determine what happened and'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"The university said the alteration and its non-disclosure violated its policy prohibiting AI use in producing or altering images of Stanford people, removed the image, promised staff training and review of materials, called the alteration a serious error in judgment, apologised to the students and opened an investigation.","causal_attribution":"University statements to The Stanford Daily, NBC Bay Area and NBC News."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'At first, I found it hilarious that they had used AI to completely change our appearances, including my race and gender. But after looking at the comparison, I was also upset'; 'Seeing my identity changed and being left out of the picture made me feel, in a way, silenced and erased from a representation that was supposed to include me.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'He described the incident as “funny,” but also noted that he was exhausted by the current level of media attention he had received from outlets across the country.'; 'I’m so tired, I want it to stop,'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'To see me erased like that so easily was kind of very upsetting,'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"The replaced student said he first found the edit funny but was upset that the university changed his identity and left him out, describing feeling silenced and erased, and said he was exhausted by the national media attention and wanted it to stop.","causal_attribution":"The student's statements to the Review, the Daily and (via NBC News) The New York Times."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Stanford University removed a promotional photo that had been digitally altered to replace a male Hispanic student with an AI-generated Black female student without disclosure, violating university policy.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"},{"locator":"'R&DE changed the students’ clothing into Stanford merchandise, slimmed down two students’ faces and entirely changed one student’s race, gender and appearance.'; 'The Daily confirmed that the photo was used in a custom banner in the Governor’s Corner student housing center, which has since been taken down.'; 'Both the alteration and lack of disclosure in this case violate that policy.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"The replaced student is Hispanic; the altered image changed the students' clothing into Stanford merchandise and was displayed without disclosure, including on a custom banner in the Governor's Corner student housing centre, since taken down.","causal_attribution":"NBC Bay Area's report and the Daily's own description and banner check; single chain for each detail."}],"effects":[{"label":"three students' images in a university promotional photograph were altered with AI without disclosure, one replaced by a generated person of another race and gender, leaving him feeling silenced and erased and exposed to national attention","claim_id":"c1","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://stanfordreview.org/stanford-r-de-uses-ai-to-race-swap-students-for-advertising/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-25 (The Stanford Review, 21 September 2026; html lang=en). First report; publishes the pre- and post-AI images and the replaced student's statement.","independence_group":"stanford-review-reporting"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://stanforddaily.com/2026/09/23/university-confirms-ai-edited-photo/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en-US","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-25 (The Stanford Daily, published 23 September 2026, updated 24 September; html lang=en-US). University public-relations director's confirmation and the student's further statements.","independence_group":"stanford-university-statements"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/stanford-ai-photo-policy-violation/4147081/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en-US","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-25 (NBC Bay Area, 22 September 2026; html lang=en-US). Short report of the removal and planned training.","independence_group":"stanford-university-statements"},{"id":"s4","url":"https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/stanford-apologizes-saying-ai-altered-pic-changed-students-gender-race-rcna599691","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-25 (NBC News, 24 September 2026; html lang=en). University apology and investigation; relays the Review's reporting and a New York Times quotation.","independence_group":"stanford-university-statements"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["institutional_use"],"contexts":["education","everyday_life"],"unknowns":["Which AI tool was used and who in the department made and approved the alteration.","When the altered banner was produced and displayed; according to the replaced student the original photograph was taken at a 2024 Lunar New Year dinner, and the banner came to attention in September 2026.","What the two slimmed students have said; their accounts (reported by the Daily as having spoken out) were not inspected.","The outcome of the university's investigation."],"geography":{"basis":"The photograph was taken in a Stanford dining hall and the altered banner displayed at the Governor's Corner student housing centre on the Stanford campus, California (The Stanford Daily, NBC News); the three are Stanford students. No court proceeding.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":["US"],"affected_person_countries":["US"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published under the 2026-09-15 charter as an institutional-use case in which an AI system altered how identifiable people were depicted: a university department replaced one student and reshaped two others in advertising without disclosure, confirmed by the university (which apologised and opened an investigation) and first reported by the student newspaper with the original and altered images; the replaced student's distress is his own account. Low severity: no financial or physical harm is reported. No student is named here.","reviewed_on":"2026-09-25"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"Stanford confirmed to The Stanford Daily that Residential and Dining Enterprises used generative AI to modify the students' appearance in the image, and said in a statement reported by NBC News that the use of AI to alter the students' race and appearance violated its policy; The Stanford Review published the original and altered images. The tool is not identified.","status":"supported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"Stanford University: the Residential & Dining Enterprises department used generative AI to alter a promotional photograph of three students, replacing a Hispanic male student with an AI-generated Black woman, slimming two students' faces and changing their clothing, on campus banners; the university said the undisclosed alteration violated its AI policy, apologised and opened an investigation (Stanford Review, Stanford Daily, NBC Bay Area, NBC News, 21-24 September 2026)","summary":"The Stanford Review reported on 21 September 2026 that Stanford's Residential & Dining Enterprises (R&DE) had used AI to change the appearance of students in its advertising: a student was sent images comparing a banner with the original photograph, which he recalled a Stanford photographer taking, and found he had been removed and replaced by an AI-generated Black woman, while the two students beside him were made to appear visibly thinner. Stanford confirmed to The Stanford Daily on 23 September that R&DE used generative AI to modify the appearance of several students in the image; the Daily reported that the students' clothing was changed into Stanford merchandise, two students' faces were slimmed and one student's race, gender and appearance were entirely changed, and the university said the alteration and its non-disclosure violated its policy prohibiting AI in producing or altering images of Stanford people; the banner at the Governor's Corner housing centre was taken down and staff training promised. On 24 September NBC News reported the university's statement that the alteration was 'a serious error in judgment', that it had apologised to the students whose images were altered or erased, and that it had opened an investigation. The replaced student, who first found the edit funny, said that seeing his identity changed and being left out made him feel 'silenced and erased from a representation that was supposed to include me', that it was upsetting, and that he was exhausted by the national media attention. According to the student, the original photograph was taken at a 2024 Lunar New Year dinner in a campus dining hall and had been used unaltered in earlier promotional material.","incidentDate":"2026-09-01","incidentKind":"single_event","incidentDatePrecision":"month","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2026-09-21","aiSystem":"Generative AI image-editing tool used by Stanford Residential & Dining Enterprises to alter a promotional photograph (tool not identified)","aiProduct":"Unidentified image tool","severity":"low","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["psychological_distress","other_material_harm"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"A student's image was removed from an institutional photograph and replaced with an AI-generated person of a different race and gender, and two other students' faces were slimmed and their clothing changed, all without disclosure, on campus advertising; the replaced student describes feeling silenced and erased and being exhausted by the resulting national attention, and the university says it has apologised to the students in the photograph whose images were altered or erased (The Stanford Review, The Stanford Daily, NBC News). No financial or physical harm is reported.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"established","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":3,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"Three students appear in the photograph (NBC News: an image of three students); one was replaced and two were slimmed and re-clothed (The Stanford Daily), and the university apologised to 'the students in the photo whose images were altered or erased' (NBC News). The replaced student describes distress; the two others' own accounts were not inspected (the Daily says they have spoken out). Exact 3 people whose images were altered without disclosure.","victimAgeRange":"unknown","jurisdiction":"US","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"internal_action","outcomeStatus":"ongoing","primarySourceUrl":"https://stanfordreview.org/stanford-r-de-uses-ai-to-race-swap-students-for-advertising/","primarySourceLabel":"The Stanford Review, 21 September 2026: Stanford R&DE Uses AI to Race Swap Students for Advertising","firstPublishedAt":"2026-09-25T03:58:44.421252+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-09-30T01:17:54.864519+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["ai-image-editing","institutional-use","university","representation","stanford","california","united-states","depicted-or-impersonated","policy-violation"]},{"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"]}]}