{"meta":{"exportedAt":"2026-09-30T08:27:21.173Z","formatVersion":2,"selection":{"q":"strathcona-county","system":"","harm":"","context":"","country":"","role":"","relation":"","evidence":"","year":"unknown","response":"minors","severity":"","verification":"","view":"incidents","sort":"added"},"totalIncidents":1,"coverage":{"cases":1,"countries":1,"languages":1,"unknownLocation":0,"locationPending":0,"unknownLanguage":0,"unknownDate":1,"lawsuits":0,"regulatory":0,"minors":1,"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-sherwood-park-alberta-man-charged-ai-sexualised-images-of-children-known-to-him","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'is accused of using artificial intelligence to make child sexual abuse materials'; 'ICE discovered an extensive collection of manufactured child sexual abuse materials.'; 'allegedly used AI applications to sexualize photos and videos of numerous victims that were known to him.'; 'took advantage of open social media accounts and used posted photos as his source of material to alter.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'sexualize images of underage people he knows'; 'The accused allegedly used AI applications to sexualize photos and videos of numerous victims that were known to him.'; 'ALERT said the accused took advantage of open social media accounts and used posted photos as a source of material to alter.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'is accused of using AI applications to sexualize photos and videos of victims known to him.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"ALERT's Internet Child Exploitation unit alleges that the man used AI applications to sexualise photos and videos of numerous victims known to him, described by Global News as underage people he knows, taking posted photos from open social media accounts as his source material, and that a forensic analysis of devices seized from his home found an extensive collection of manufactured child sexual abuse material.","causal_attribution":"Police allegation in a news release, relayed by two outlets; no court finding, and the accused has not entered a plea in the inspected sources."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'was charged by ICE on September 25, 2026 on one charge of making child sexual abuse materials that cover numerous instances.'; 'He was initially arrested by ICE on June 25, 2026 following reports that he allegedly shared child sexual abuse materials online. At that time, he was charged with possessing, accessing, and transmitting child sexual abuse materials.'; 'was released from custody on a number of court-imposed conditions, including not to have any communication with anyone under the age of 16 and not to attend public pools, schools, playgrounds, or public libraries.'; 'He is scheduled to appear in court in Strathcona County on October 16, 2026.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'initially arrested a 51-year-old man on June 25, following reports he allegedly was sharing child sexual abuse materials online.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'He was released from custody on court-imposed conditions, including not to have any communication with anyone under the age of 16 and to not attend public schools, playgrounds or public libraries.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"He was charged on 25 September 2026 with one count of making child sexual abuse materials covering numerous instances, having first been arrested on 25 June 2026 and charged with possessing, accessing and transmitting child sexual abuse materials; he was released on court-imposed conditions and is due in court in Strathcona County on 16 October 2026.","causal_attribution":"Charge and court details as stated in the police release; the outlets repeat them."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'unit believes there are numerous victims.'; 'investigation is ongoing and is attempting to identify victims.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'believes there are numerous victims in the case out of Sherwood Park'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"ALERT says it believes there are numerous victims and that the investigation is ongoing to identify them.","causal_attribution":"Police statement; no count is given."}],"effects":[{"label":"photos and videos of numerous children known to the accused were sexualised with AI applications, using photos posted on open social media accounts as source material (police allegation)","claim_id":"c1","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://alert-ab.ca/sherwood-park-man-accused-of-using-ai-to-make-child-sexual-abuse-materials/","kind":"official_police_release","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-30 (ALERT news release dated 29 September 2026, Edmonton). The originating police account.","independence_group":"alert-ice-release"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://globalnews.ca/news/12077556/sherwood-park-artificial-intelligence-child-sexual-abuse-materials/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-30 (Global News, Karen Bartko, posted 29 September 2026). Relays the ALERT release and adds context on earlier Alberta AI-image cases; no independent reporting of this case.","independence_group":"alert-ice-release"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://www.ctvnews.ca/edmonton/article/edmonton-area-man-accused-of-making-child-sexual-abuse-materials-with-ai/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-30 (CTV News Edmonton, Hannah Kavanagh, published 29 September 2026); the article text was taken from the page's structured data. Relays the ALERT release.","independence_group":"alert-ice-release"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["privacy","relationships"],"unknowns":["Which AI applications were used.","How many children were depicted, who they are, and whether they or their families have been informed.","Whether the AI-altered material was shared or distributed.","When the altered material was made.","Whether he has entered a plea; the outcome of the charges.","Whether the earlier June 2026 charges concern material of the same children."],"geography":{"basis":"The accused lives in Sherwood Park, Alberta, where devices were seized from his home; the charge is laid by Alberta's ICE unit and the case is before the court in Strathcona County, Alberta (ALERT release). Where the depicted children live is not stated, though ALERT says they were known to him.","court_countries":["CA"],"event_countries":["CA"],"affected_person_countries":[]},"publication":{"basis":"Published as a core case (depicted_or_impersonated) consistent with existing AI child-abuse-image rows: Alberta's police child-exploitation unit alleges that a man used AI applications to sexualise photos and videos of numerous children known to him, using photos posted on open social media accounts as source material, and has charged him with making child sexual abuse material. The account is a single police chain (the ALERT release relayed by Global News and CTV); neither the accused nor any child is named here, and the charge is untested in court.","reviewed_on":"2026-09-30"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"ALERT's Internet Child Exploitation unit alleges in its news release that the man used AI applications to sexualise photos and videos of numerous victims known to him, using photos posted on open social media accounts as source material; Global News and CTV News Edmonton relay the same release. The applications are not named.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"Sherwood Park, Alberta: a 51-year-old man was charged on 25 September 2026 with making child sexual abuse material after Alberta's Internet Child Exploitation unit said he used AI applications to sexualise photos and videos of numerous children known to him, using photos posted on open social media accounts as source material","summary":"Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT) said on 29 September 2026 that its Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) unit had charged a 51-year-old Sherwood Park man on 25 September with one count of making child sexual abuse materials covering numerous instances. The man had first been arrested on 25 June 2026, after reports that he shared child sexual abuse material online, and charged with possessing, accessing and transmitting such material; a forensic analysis of computers and devices seized from his home then found what ALERT describes as an extensive collection of manufactured child sexual abuse material. ALERT alleges he used AI applications to sexualise photos and videos of numerous victims known to him, taking posted photos from open social media accounts as his source material. Investigators believe there are numerous victims and are still identifying them. He was released on court-imposed conditions, including no communication with anyone under 16 and no attendance at public pools, schools, playgrounds or public libraries, and is due in Strathcona County court on 16 October 2026. Global News and CTV News Edmonton carried the release. The children are not identified and their number is not reported.","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"unknown","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2026-09-29","aiSystem":"AI applications used, according to ALERT's Internet Child Exploitation unit, to sexualise photos and videos of children taken from open social media accounts (tools not named)","aiProduct":"Unidentified image and video tool","severity":"high","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["exploitation_or_abuse"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"Photos and videos of numerous children known to the accused were sexualised with AI applications, using photos posted on open social media accounts as source material, according to ALERT's Internet Child Exploitation unit; he is charged with making child sexual abuse materials covering numerous instances.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":0,"affectedCountStatus":"unquantified","affectedCountEvidence":"ALERT says it believes there are numerous victims and is still identifying them; no count is given, and image counts are not person counts. Unquantified, numeric placeholders 0.","victimAgeRange":"minor","jurisdiction":"CA","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"criminal_charges","outcomeStatus":"pending","primarySourceUrl":"https://alert-ab.ca/sherwood-park-man-accused-of-using-ai-to-make-child-sexual-abuse-materials/","primarySourceLabel":"ALERT (Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams) news release, 29 September 2026: Sherwood Park man accused of using AI to make child sexual abuse materials","firstPublishedAt":"2026-09-30T04:13:27.674268+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-09-30T04:13:27.674268+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["ai-csam","deepfakes","children","alberta","sherwood-park","strathcona-county","criminal-charges","depicted-or-impersonated"]}]}