{"meta":{"exportedAt":"2026-10-23T06:29:50.763Z","formatVersion":2,"selection":{"q":"us","system":"","harm":"","context":"","country":"","role":"","relation":"","evidence":"","year":"2020","response":"","severity":"","verification":"","view":"incidents","sort":"added"},"totalIncidents":6,"coverage":{"cases":6,"countries":2,"languages":2,"unknownLocation":3,"locationPending":0,"unknownLanguage":0,"unknownDate":0,"lawsuits":3,"regulatory":1,"minors":1,"coreRelations":4,"contextualRelations":2,"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":"2020-canadian-voice-actor-alleged-tiktok-text-to-speech-used-her-voice-without-permission-suit-settled","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Plaintiff was hired by the Institute of Acoustics to'; 'perform voice work purportedly for Chinese translations'; 'and artificial intelligence technology'; 'Plaintiff did not have a contract with the Institute of Acoustics'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'She thinks the company got her voice from recordings she says she did for the Institute of Acoustics'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"Standing says she was hired by the Institute of Acoustics for voice work described as Chinese translations, related to text-to-speech and AI technology, which left the institute with files of her voice, and that she had no contract allowing their transfer.","causal_attribution":"The plaintiff’s allegations and interview; not tested in court."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'During November of 2020, Plaintiff discovered that her electronic voice'; 'generated voice of TikTok'; 'Plaintiff was not compensated for the use of her voice and likeness and'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'According to Standing, a computer-generated version of her voice was built into a feature that converts text typed into the app into a voice'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"She alleges that she discovered in November 2020 that ByteDance had acquired her voice files and was using her voice, without permission or payment, as the female computer-generated voice of TikTok's text-to-speech feature.","causal_attribution":"The plaintiff’s allegations; TikTok never confirmed the voice was hers."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'the TikTok user is able to'; 'determine what words are spoken in'; 'have involved foul and offensive language'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The complaint says TikTok users chose the words spoken in her voice and that some videos had it say foul and offensive language.","causal_attribution":"The plaintiff’s allegations."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'noticed a new female voice narrating their videos on Monday, about three weeks after a Canadian actor filed a lawsuit'; 'CBC News asked TikTok about the voice change, but the company did not comment on it or the case.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'they did change their text-to-speech voice two weeks after the original lawsuit'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"About three weeks after she sued, TikTok users noticed a new female voice narrating videos; TikTok did not comment on the change or the case.","causal_attribution":"Reported observation of the voice change; the two reports give different intervals (two and three weeks)."},{"id":"c5","status":"documented","evidence":[{"locator":"'from Robert Sciglimpaglia dated 09/25/2021 re: Settlement'; 'hereby dismissed and discontinued without costs, and without prejudice to the right to reopen the action within thirty days'; 'STIPULATION OF VOLUNTARY DISMISSAL It is hereby stipulated and agreed by and between the parties and/or their respective counsel(s) that the above-captioned action is voluntarily dismissed, with prejudice against the defendant(s) ByteDance Inc.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"Her lawyer wrote to the court about a settlement on 25 September 2021 and the court dismissed the action on 29 September 2021, allowing reopening within thirty days if the settlement was not consummated; on 29 October 2021 a stipulation of voluntary dismissal with prejudice was filed.","causal_attribution":"Docket entries."},{"id":"c6","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'told The Verge that the settlement is still being finalised, and the details should not be disclosed'; 'he added that TikTok would also license'; 'While TikTok has never confirmed that Bev was indeed behind their original text-to-speech voice'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"Her lawyer told The Verge the settlement was an amicable resolution whose details would not be disclosed and that TikTok would license her voice; TikTok never confirmed that she was behind its original voice.","causal_attribution":"Plaintiff’s lawyer’s statement relayed by MusicTech; TikTok’s non-confirmation recorded as counterevidence."}],"effects":[{"label":"voice actor alleges a computer-generated version of her voice was used as TikTok’s text-to-speech voice without permission or payment","claim_id":"c2","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.559723/gov.uscourts.nysd.559723.9.0.pdf","kind":"court_record","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-10-23 (HTTP 200). Amended complaint (ECF 9); allegations only.","independence_group":"standing-v-bytedance-litigation"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/tiktok-voice-bev-standing-1.6040303","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-10-23 (HTTP 200). Interview with the plaintiff and the reporter’s account of the voice change.","independence_group":"standing-v-bytedance-litigation"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/59884390/standing-v-bytedance-e-commerce-inc/","kind":"court_record","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-10-23 (HTTP 200). Docket entries as listed on CourtListener (RECAP).","independence_group":"standing-v-bytedance-litigation"},{"id":"s4","url":"https://musictech.com/news/industry/tiktok-reaches-settlement-voice-without-permission-for-text-to-speech","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-10-23 (HTTP 200). Relays the plaintiff’s lawyer’s statement to The Verge.","independence_group":"standing-v-bytedance-litigation"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["work","privacy","justice"],"unknowns":["Whether TikTok's original text-to-speech voice was in fact built from her recordings; TikTok never confirmed it.","How her recordings reached ByteDance, if they did.","The settlement terms and whether TikTok used a licensed version of her voice afterwards.","How many videos used the voice."],"geography":{"basis":"The voice was used on a global app in videos the actor says were seen around the world, so no event country is recorded. The complaint says she is a Canadian citizen living in Ontario, recorded as the affected person's country. The court is the Southern District of New York.","court_countries":["US"],"event_countries":[],"affected_person_countries":["CA"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published as a core case (depicted_or_impersonated): a named voice actor alleged in a federal suit, later settled, that TikTok's text-to-speech feature spoke users' words in a computer-generated version of her voice made without her permission. One source chain, her complaint and interview with the litigation record, read in four sources; the voice's origin remains her allegation.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-23"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"TikTok's text-to-speech feature generated speech in a computer-generated voice from text typed by users. The actor alleges, in her complaint and to CBC, that this voice was built from recordings she made for text-to-speech and AI work, so that it spoke in her voice whatever users typed, including offensive language (depicted_or_impersonated). That the voice was made from her recordings is her allegation; TikTok changed the voice after the suit but never confirmed its origin.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"Canadian voice actor alleged TikTok's text-to-speech feature used a computer-generated version of her voice without permission; suit settled in 2021","summary":"Canadian voice actor Bev Standing alleged in a May 2021 federal suit in New York that ByteDance's TikTok was using her voice, without permission or payment, as the female computer-generated voice of its text-to-speech feature, which lets users choose the words spoken over their videos. Her complaint says she discovered this in November 2020, that the voice came from recordings she had made for the Institute of Acoustics for work described as Chinese translations related to text-to-speech, and that some videos made the voice say foul and offensive language. About three weeks after she sued, users noticed a new female voice on the feature (CBC); TikTok did not comment and never confirmed that the original voice was hers. The case was dismissed in September 2021 after her lawyer reported a settlement, whose terms were not disclosed.","incidentDate":"2020-11-01","incidentKind":"ongoing_experience","incidentDatePrecision":"month","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2021-05-05","aiSystem":"TikTok's text-to-speech feature, introduced in late 2020, which turns typed text into a computer-generated voice played over videos; the complaint alleges its original female voice was built from the actor's recordings","aiProduct":"TikTok text-to-speech","aiCompany":"ByteDance","severity":"low","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["exploitation_or_abuse"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"A voice actor alleged that TikTok used a computer-generated version of her voice, made from recordings she had supplied for other purposes, as its text-to-speech voice without permission or payment, including in videos with offensive language; the suit was settled.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":1,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"One person, the plaintiff whose voice the complaint says was used (amended complaint; CBC). Exact 1.","victimAgeRange":"adult","jurisdiction":"US","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"lawsuit_settled","outcomeStatus":"resolved","primarySourceUrl":"https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.559723/gov.uscourts.nysd.559723.9.0.pdf","primarySourceLabel":"Standing v. Bytedance, S.D.N.Y. 7:21-cv-04033, amended complaint, 11 May 2021 (ECF 9)","firstPublishedAt":"2026-10-23T03:15:06.860563+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-23T03:15:06.860563+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["synthetic-voice","text-to-speech","voice-actors","tiktok","lawsuit","settlement","depicted-or-impersonated"]},{"id":"2020-us-voice-actors-allege-lovo-sold-ai-clones-of-voices-recorded-for-research-court-lets-claims-proceed","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'In May 2020 an anonymous Fiverr user'; 'later identified by Lovo’s counsel'; 'These are test scripts for radio ads. They will not be disclosed externally'; 'Lehrman was paid $1,200 for his work.'; 'Lovo paid her $400 for her work'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'Lehrman was allegedly told his voice would be used only for a “research project” while Sage was told her voice would be used only for “test scripts for radio ads”'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"Lovo representatives on Fiverr hired Sage in October 2019 and Lehrman in May 2020 for voice recordings, telling Lehrman they were for research purposes only and Sage that they were test scripts for radio ads that would not be disclosed externally; he was paid $1,200 and she $400.","causal_attribution":"Plaintiffs’ allegations as recounted by the court and relayed by the press; not tested at trial."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'alleging that Lovo used artificial intelligence'; 'as part of its subscription service under the stage name'; 'Sage discovered that Lovo had created a clone of her voice named'; 'the Berkeley SkyDeck Demo Day Spring 2020'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'The actors later found Lovo was offering AI-generated versions of their voices for sale as'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"The plaintiffs allege that Lovo used the recordings with its AI software to create clones of their voices, marketed Lehrman's as \"Kyle Snow\" and offered Sage's as \"Sally Coleman\" to subscribers, and used a side-by-side comparison of Sage's real and cloned voice in a 2020 investor pitch.","causal_attribution":"Plaintiffs’ allegations; the AI generation is the core harm alleged."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'listened to an episode of the Deadline Strike Talk podcast narrated'; 'a paid subscription to Lovo.'; 'was virtually identical to Mr. Lehrman'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The plaintiffs say they learned of the use when they heard a podcast episode narrated in part by a Lovo-generated voice, which the podcast's MIT partner confirmed was made with a paid Lovo subscription and which they and people who heard it say was virtually identical to Lehrman's voice.","causal_attribution":"Plaintiffs’ allegations, including what MIT and listeners told them."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'On August 18, 2023, counsel for Plaintiffs sent a cease-and-desist letter to Lovo'; 'fictitious characters'; 'had been created using the voice recordings obtained from Lehrman and Sage through Fiverr in 2020 and'; 'fully permissioned'; 'Plaintiffs dispute this'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"According to the complaint, Lovo replied to an 18 August 2023 cease-and-desist letter that the characters had been created using the recordings obtained through Fiverr, that its use was fully permissioned, and that it had removed the characters; the plaintiffs dispute the removal.","causal_attribution":"Lovo’s letter as quoted in the complaint and recounted by the court; Lovo contests that the use was unauthorised."},{"id":"c5","status":"documented","evidence":[{"locator":"'OPINION AND ORDER re: 27 MOTION to Dismiss the Amended Class Action Complaint filed by Lovo, Inc.'; 'based on the use of her original voice recording, and as to Plaintiffs'; 'contract claims, New York Civil Rights Law claims, and New York General Business Law claims'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'claims for misappropriation of a voice, like the ones here, may be properly asserted under Sections 50 and 51 of the New York Civil Rights Law'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'In his July 10 decision, SDNY Judge Paul Oetken granted in part and denied in part Lovo’s motion to dismiss'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"On 10 July 2025 the court granted Lovo's motion to dismiss in part and denied it in part, letting the New York Civil Rights Law, General Business Law and contract claims, and Sage's copyright claim over her original recording, proceed, and dismissing the training-based copyright claims with leave to amend.","causal_attribution":"The court’s own order; it decides legal sufficiency, not the truth of the allegations."},{"id":"c6","status":"documented","evidence":[{"locator":"'SUGGESTION OF BANKRUPTCY upon the record as to defendant Lovo, Inc.'; 'In light of the bankruptcy filing noted at ECF 65, this case is hereby stayed.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"Lovo filed a suggestion of bankruptcy on 27 May 2026 and the court stayed the case on 28 May 2026.","causal_attribution":"Docket entries."},{"id":"c7","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"Lovo Inc., which was built to do just that, has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy","relation":"supports","source_id":"s5"}],"assertion":"TheStreet reports that Lovo's bankruptcy filing is a Chapter 7 case.","causal_attribution":"A news report of the bankruptcy chapter; the bankruptcy court record was not inspected."}],"effects":[{"label":"voice actors allege their voices were cloned with AI from recordings made for promised internal use and sold without consent","claim_id":"c2","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.621575/gov.uscourts.nysd.621575.45.0_2.pdf","kind":"court_record","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-10-23 (HTTP 200). Opinion and Order of 10 July 2025; the background section recounts the amended complaint, presumed true for the motion.","independence_group":"lehrman-v-lovo-litigation"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/68535780/lehrman-v-lovo-inc/","kind":"court_record","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-10-23 (HTTP 200). Docket entries as listed on CourtListener (RECAP), latest entry 30 July 2026.","independence_group":"lehrman-v-lovo-litigation"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://www.silicon.co.uk/e-regulation/legal/actor-ai-lawsuit-621581","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-10-23 (HTTP 200). Report of the 10 July 2025 ruling relaying the complaint and the plaintiffs’ lawyer.","independence_group":"lehrman-v-lovo-litigation"},{"id":"s4","url":"https://www.thefashionlaw.com/a-lawsuit-over-cloned-voices-poses-first-of-its-kind-legal-questions-over-ai/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-10-23 (HTTP 200). Legal-news analysis of the 10 July 2025 ruling.","independence_group":"lehrman-v-lovo-litigation"},{"id":"s5","url":"https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/general/ai-voice-cloning-firm-lovo-inc-collapses-in-chapter-7-bankruptcy/ar-AA260icJ","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-10-23 by verifier mix12 (an AI agent) from MSN's syndicated copy of the TheStreet article (assets.msn.com content API, HTTP 200; the thestreet.com page returned HTTP 403). It dates the stay to 11 June 2026, which differs from the docket's 28 May 2026 entry; the docket date is used.","independence_group":"thestreet-lovo-bankruptcy"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["work","privacy","justice"],"unknowns":["When the plaintiffs first heard the podcast and when Lovo first offered each clone to subscribers.","How many productions used the cloned voices; the plaintiffs' estimate rests on Lovo's YouTube material.","Whether the voices remained available after Lovo said it removed them.","Lovo's own factual account in its briefs, which were not inspected.","The outcome of the pending motion on the training-based copyright claim and of Lovo's bankruptcy."],"geography":{"basis":"The alleged uses described include an investor pitch at the Berkeley SkyDeck Demo Day and a podcast produced with MIT, both in the United States, so the event is placed in the US. The opinion says the plaintiffs live and work in New York, recorded as the affected persons' country. The court is the Southern District of New York.","court_countries":["US"],"event_countries":["US"],"affected_person_countries":["US"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published as a core case (depicted_or_impersonated): two named voice actors allege, in a suit whose voice-misappropriation and contract claims a federal court let proceed on 10 July 2025, that Lovo used AI to clone their voices from recordings made for promised internal use and sold the clones. One source chain, the litigation record, read in the opinion, the docket and two reports; all facts are attributed allegations.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-23"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The complaint, as recounted by the court, says Lovo's AI text-to-speech software produced clones of the two actors' voices from their recordings and that Lovo sold them as \"Kyle Snow\" and \"Sally Coleman\"; Lovo's reply to the cease-and-desist letter, as quoted there, says the characters were created using those recordings, and the podcast's MIT partner is said to have confirmed that the narration was generated with Lovo. The generated voices imitated the actors (depicted_or_impersonated), and the harm alleged is that use without their consent. These are allegations the court presumed true; Lovo disputes that the use was unauthorised.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"Voice actors allege AI voice firm Lovo sold clones of voices they recorded for research use; US court lets publicity, contract and consumer claims proceed","summary":"Voice-over actors Paul Lehrman and Linnea Sage allege in a proposed class action in the Southern District of New York that Lovo, a text-to-speech company, hired them through Fiverr in 2019 and 2020 for recordings it said were for internal research or test scripts, then used its AI software to make and sell clones of their voices under the names \"Kyle Snow\" and \"Sally Coleman\". According to the complaint as recounted by the court, they learned of it when they heard a podcast narrated in part by a Lovo-generated voice that they say was identical to Lehrman's, and Lovo answered their cease-and-desist letter by saying the characters were created from those recordings and that its use was \"fully permissioned\". On 10 July 2025 Judge J. Paul Oetken dismissed most federal trademark and copyright claims but let their New York Civil Rights Law, consumer-protection and contract claims, and Sage's copyright claim over her original recording, proceed. The case was stayed on 28 May 2026 after Lovo filed a suggestion of bankruptcy. The allegations have not been tested at trial.","incidentDate":"2020-01-01","incidentKind":"ongoing_experience","incidentDatePrecision":"year","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2024-05-16","aiSystem":"Lovo's AI text-to-speech subscription software, which the complaint (as recounted by the court) says Lovo calls \"Generator\" or \"Genny\" and markets as able to clone real voices; the voices at issue were sold as \"Kyle Snow\" and \"Sally Coleman\"","aiProduct":"Lovo Genny (reported)","aiCompany":"Lovo, Inc.","severity":"low","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["exploitation_or_abuse"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"Two voice actors allege that Lovo turned recordings they made for promised internal use into AI clones of their voices that it sold and used commercially without their consent; a federal court let their voice-misappropriation, consumer and contract claims proceed.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":2,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"Two people, the named plaintiffs whose voices the complaint says were cloned (court opinion). The proposed voice-actor class is not counted because no other member is identified. Exact 2.","victimAgeRange":"adult","jurisdiction":"US","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"lawsuit_ongoing","outcomeStatus":"ongoing","primarySourceUrl":"https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.621575/gov.uscourts.nysd.621575.45.0_2.pdf","primarySourceLabel":"Lehrman v. Lovo, Inc., S.D.N.Y. Opinion and Order, 10 July 2025 (ECF 45)","firstPublishedAt":"2026-10-23T03:10:32.11919+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-23T03:10:32.11919+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["voice-cloning","text-to-speech","voice-actors","right-of-publicity","lawsuit","new-york","depicted-or-impersonated"]},{"id":"2020-hong-kong-branch-manager-made-transfers-after-call-in-cloned-director-voice-uae-investigators-say","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"In early 2020, a branch manager of a Japanese company in Hong Kong received a call from a man whose voice he recognized—the director of his parent business.; so he needed to authorize some transfers to the tune of $35 million; The manager, believing everything appeared legitimate, began making the transfers.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"In early 2020 a branch manager of a Japanese company in Hong Kong received a call from a man whose voice he recognised as the director of his parent business, who said transfers of about $35 million were needed for an acquisition, and the manager began making the transfers.","causal_attribution":"Forbes's account of the UAE court document; the parties are not named."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"one in which fraudsters had used “deep voice” technology to clone the director’s speech, according to a court document unearthed by Forbes; involving at least 17 individuals, which sent the pilfered money to bank accounts across the globe.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"Dubai investigators have revealed that the crooks “used ‘deep voice’ technology to simulate the voice of the director.”","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"According to the UAE's court document as reported, the fraudsters used 'deep voice' technology to clone the director's speech, and the UAE believes the scheme involved at least 17 people who sent the money to bank accounts around the world.","causal_attribution":"The investigators' account in the court document, relayed by two outlets from one origin; the technical basis is not disclosed."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"has sought American investigators’ help in tracing $400,000 of stolen funds that went into U.S.-based accounts held by Centennial Bank; The Dubai Public Prosecution Office, which is leading the investigation","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The UAE, with the Dubai Public Prosecution Office leading the investigation, sought US investigators' help in tracing $400,000 of the stolen funds that went into accounts at Centennial Bank.","causal_attribution":"Forbes's report of the court document."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"Cybercriminals cloned the voice of a company director in the U.A.E. to steal as much as $35 million; UPDATE: After publication, the U.A.E. Ministry of Foreign Affairs & International Cooperation contacted Forbes to note that the affected company was an unnamed Japanese business, though the Dubai investigators were leading the probe.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Forbes reports that as much as $35 million was stolen, and after publication updated the article to say the affected company was an unnamed Japanese business, following contact from the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs.","causal_attribution":"Forbes's own reporting and its correction note."}],"effects":[{"label":"a company's branch manager began transfers of about $35 million after a call in the cloned voice of the parent business's director","claim_id":"c1","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.forbes.com/sites/thomasbrewster/2021/10/14/huge-bank-fraud-uses-deep-fake-voice-tech-to-steal-millions/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-22 from Internet Archive captures of 2022 and 2025 (the live site returned HTTP 403); the 2025 capture shows the article as updated on 2 May 2023. Reports a UAE court document; no translation needed.","independence_group":"forbes-uae-court-document"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://gizmodo.com/bank-robbers-in-the-middle-east-reportedly-cloned-someo-1847863805","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live in English by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-22 (HTTP 200). Same-day relay of the Forbes report quoting the court document; its description of a UAE bank predates Forbes's corrections. No translation needed.","independence_group":"forbes-uae-court-document"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["finance","work"],"unknowns":["How the investigators established that the voice was cloned with AI; the court document's technical basis is not reported.","When the call took place: Forbes says early 2020, while Gizmodo, relaying the same court document on 14 October 2021, says it took place 'last January'.","How much money was actually lost; Forbes says as much as $35 million.","Where the director whose voice was cloned is based; Forbes's subtitle places him in the UAE while the updated text describes the parent business of a Japanese company.","Whether anyone was arrested or charged, and whether any funds were recovered.","Which tool was used to clone the voice."],"geography":{"basis":"Forbes's updated article places the deceived branch manager of a Japanese company in Hong Kong; the UAE investigated because the heist affected entities there. No harmed person is counted, so no affected-person country is recorded. The court document is the UAE's request for American investigators' help over funds sent to US accounts, which Gizmodo says brought the case into the American judicial system, so the court country is US; the court itself is not named.","court_countries":["US"],"event_countries":["HK"],"affected_person_countries":[]},"publication":{"basis":"Published as a core case (communicated_with, depicted_or_impersonated): a UAE court document reported by Forbes says fraudsters used 'deep voice' technology to clone a company director's voice, and the cloned voice's call led a Hong Kong branch manager to begin transfers of about $35 million. The attribution is the investigating authorities'; its technical basis is undisclosed. No person is named.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-22"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The UAE's court document, as reported by Forbes, says the fraudsters used 'deep voice' technology to clone the director's speech; the UAE investigators led the inquiry, but how they established the cloning is not disclosed. The cloned voice spoke to the branch manager (communicated_with) in the person of the parent business's director (depicted_or_impersonated), and the account connects that call to the transfers.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["communicated_with","depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"UAE investigators say fraudsters cloned a company director's voice to have a Hong Kong branch manager transfer up to $35 million in early 2020","summary":"According to a court document reported by Forbes, in which the United Arab Emirates sought US investigators' help, fraudsters used 'deep voice' technology to clone the voice of a company director. In early 2020 a branch manager of a Japanese company in Hong Kong received a call from a man whose voice he recognised as the director of the parent business, who said an acquisition needed transfers of about $35 million; emails from the supposed director and a lawyer confirmed the details, and the manager began making the transfers. Forbes reports that as much as $35 million was stolen. The UAE, whose Dubai Public Prosecution Office led the investigation, believes at least 17 people were involved and asked for help tracing $400,000 sent to US accounts. No arrests or recovery are reported.","incidentDate":"2020-01-01","incidentKind":"single_event","incidentDatePrecision":"year","exposurePattern":"single_interaction","reportedDate":"2021-10-14","aiSystem":"'Deep voice' technology used to clone a company director's voice, according to a UAE court document reported by Forbes (tool not named)","aiProduct":"Unidentified voice-cloning tool","severity":"high","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["financial_loss"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"According to a UAE court document reported by Forbes, a cloned voice of a parent company's director led a Hong Kong branch manager to begin transfers of about $35 million, and as much as $35 million was stolen.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":0,"affectedCountStatus":"unquantified","affectedCountEvidence":"The loss fell on the company; the sources describe the branch manager as the person deceived but report no personal loss or other harm to him or anyone else, so no person is counted (zero placeholders).","victimAgeRange":"adult","jurisdiction":"HK","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"investigation_opened","outcomeStatus":"unknown","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.forbes.com/sites/thomasbrewster/2021/10/14/huge-bank-fraud-uses-deep-fake-voice-tech-to-steal-millions/","primarySourceLabel":"Forbes, 14 October 2021 (updated 2 May 2023): Fraudsters cloned company director's voice in $35 million heist, police find","firstPublishedAt":"2026-10-22T03:19:19.150851+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-22T03:19:19.150851+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["voice-cloning","ceo-fraud","bank-transfer-fraud","uae-investigation","hong-kong","depicted-or-impersonated"]},{"id":"2020-mac-make-up-artists-say-hirevue-algorithm-marked-video-interview-led-to-redundancy-estee-lauder-settled","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"The make-up artists lost their jobs after they were told to reapply for their posts via an automated video interview.; The software is made by the recruitment company HireVue, and the process dates back to 2020, following the furlough scheme.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"The former MAC retail workers were told by its parent that redundancies were being made, and that they would have to reapply for their roles.; As part of that process, a video interview took place, which was run by US tech company HireVue, and was marked by an algorithm.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"In a 2020 redundancy process, three MAC make-up artists were told to reapply for their roles and to complete a video interview run by HireVue and marked by an algorithm.","causal_attribution":"Both outlets relay the BBC Three documentary Computer Says No and the Times; the company confirms that a HireVue skills assessment was part of the consultation process."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"Following the interview, they were informed they were being made redundant, partly as a result of the automated judgement by the computer.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"All three women lost their jobs following the interview.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"All three lost their jobs following the interview; City AM reports that they were made redundant partly as a result of the automated judgement.","causal_attribution":"The women's account relayed by both outlets; the company says performance data and qualitative feedback made up most of the assessment and denies that facial recognition played a decisive role."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"Nobody saw the video, it was all algorithms.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"The three women also said that no one could explain how they were scored in the HireVue interview.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"The women say no one could explain how they were scored in the HireVue interview, and one said nobody watched the video.","causal_attribution":"The women's statements in the BBC Three documentary, relayed by both outlets."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"Three former Estée Lauder staff have won a settlement against the cosmetics giant","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"has settled out of court with three make-up artists; All three women were unable to discuss the value of the agreement reached with ELC in the documentary.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"Estée Lauder Companies settled the three women's claims out of court; the value was not disclosed.","causal_attribution":"Reported by both outlets from the documentary and the Times; no settlement terms or admission are reported."},{"id":"c5","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"using the HireVue process in tandem with human decision-making produces fairer outcomes and we stand by it; facial recognition accounted for well under 1% (0.25%) of employees’ overall assessment.; which accounted for the majority of the employment assessment, to make decisions on employment.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"All interviewees were told in advance the consultation process would involve HireVue skills assessment and the role that technology would play in the process.; any suggestion that facial recognition technology played a decisive role in any employment-related decision","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"Estée Lauder says interviewees were told in advance about the HireVue skills assessment, that the HireVue process used in tandem with human decision-making produces fairer outcomes, that facial recognition was about 0.25% of the overall assessment, that performance data and qualitative feedback made up most of it, and that any suggestion facial recognition played a decisive role is false.","causal_attribution":"The company's statements to City AM, Cosmetics Business and the Times."},{"id":"c6","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"said that the video analysis component of HireVue’s algorithm was “voluntarily discontinued nearly two years ago”","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"HireVue's chief executive said the video-analysis component of its algorithm had been voluntarily discontinued nearly two years before the March 2022 reports.","causal_attribution":"HireVue's statement relayed by Cosmetics Business; it does not say whether the component was used in the women's interviews."}],"effects":[{"label":"job loss following an algorithm-marked video interview in redundancy selection","claim_id":"c2","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.cityam.com/estee-lauder-settles-with-former-staff-over-algorithm-redundancies/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"English article of 17 March 2022 read in full on 2026-10-22 by the research agent (an AI) (HTTP 200); no translation required. It relays the BBC Three documentary and the Times and carries a company statement given to City AM.","independence_group":"bbc-three-computer-says-no-and-company-statements"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.cosmeticsbusiness.com/est-e-lauder-settles-out-of-court-with-staff-who-were-sacked-by-algorithm--199624","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"English article published 21 March 2022 read in full on 2026-10-22 by the research agent (an AI) (HTTP 200); no translation required. It relays the BBC Three documentary and carries statements from the company and HireVue; it depends on the same documentary as s1.","independence_group":"bbc-three-computer-says-no-and-company-statements"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["institutional_use"],"contexts":["work"],"unknowns":["How much each woman's HireVue score weighed against performance data and qualitative feedback in her selection.","Whether HireVue's video-analysis component was used in these interviews; HireVue said it had been discontinued about two years before March 2022.","The settlement terms and whether any claim reached a tribunal hearing.","Where the women worked within MAC UK & Ireland."],"geography":{"basis":"The sources name the employer unit as MAC UK & Ireland and mention the furlough scheme and BBC Three, but do not state where the women worked or where they brought their claims, so no country is recorded.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":[],"affected_person_countries":[]},"publication":{"basis":"Published as a workplace adverse experience: an algorithm marked the women's HireVue video interviews in a redundancy process, the employer confirms it used that assessment alongside human decisions, and the three lost their jobs and settled their claims. The weight of the algorithm's marking is disputed by the employer and is recorded as such.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-22"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"Both outlets report that the women's video interviews were run by HireVue and marked by an algorithm, and Estée Lauder confirms that a HireVue skills assessment was part of the consultation and was used in tandem with human decision-making. City AM reports the women were made redundant partly as a result of that automated judgement. The company disputes its weight: it says facial recognition was about 0.25% of the assessment and performance data and qualitative feedback the majority, so the AI involvement is confirmed by the employer and how far the algorithm's marking decided each outcome is disputed.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["made_claim_about","informed_decision_about"]},"name":"Three MAC make-up artists say an algorithm-marked HireVue video interview led to their redundancy; Estée Lauder settled their claims","summary":"City AM and Cosmetics Business reported in March 2022, relaying the BBC Three documentary Computer Says No and the Times, that three make-up artists at MAC, an Estée Lauder Companies brand, lost their jobs in a 2020 redundancy process after being told to reapply for their roles through a video interview run by HireVue and marked by an algorithm. City AM reports that they were made redundant partly as a result of the automated judgement. The women said no one could explain how they had been scored, and one said nobody watched the video. Estée Lauder settled their claims out of court; the amount was not disclosed. The company says staff were told in advance about the HireVue skills assessment, that the process was used in tandem with human decision-making, that facial recognition made up about 0.25% of the overall assessment and performance data and qualitative feedback most of it, and that any suggestion facial recognition played a decisive role is false. HireVue said its video-analysis component had been discontinued about two years earlier. How much the HireVue score weighed in each decision is not reported.","incidentDate":"2020-01-01","incidentKind":"single_event","incidentDatePrecision":"year","exposurePattern":"single_interaction","reportedDate":"2022-03-17","aiSystem":"HireVue video interview and skills assessment, marked by an algorithm, used by Estée Lauder Companies in a 2020 redundancy process at MAC","aiProduct":"HireVue","severity":"medium","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["professional_harm"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"Three make-up artists lost their jobs in a 2020 redundancy process after a HireVue video interview marked by an algorithm; City AM reports the automated judgement was part of the reason, and the company disputes that facial recognition was decisive (women's account and company statements relayed by two outlets).","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"disputed","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":3,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"Three former make-up artists: 'All three women lost their jobs following the interview' (Cosmetics Business) and 'Three former Estée Lauder staff have won a settlement' (City AM). They were assessed by the system, not its users.","victimAgeRange":"adult","platformType":"other","outcomeStatus":"resolved","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.cityam.com/estee-lauder-settles-with-former-staff-over-algorithm-redundancies/","primarySourceLabel":"City AM, 17 March 2022: Estée Lauder settles with former staff over algorithm redundancies","firstPublishedAt":"2026-10-22T03:08:12.444441+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-22T03:08:12.444441+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["ai-hiring-assessment","redundancy","workplace-ai","video-interview"]},{"id":"2020-aurora-colorado-license-plate-reader-alert-woman-four-children-gunpoint-stop-settlement","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'stopped the car, which they believed to be stolen, and ordered the four children'; 'Video shows the children screaming in fear as police handcuffed'; 'handcuffed two of the children'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'wrongfully forced out of their car on Aug. 2, 2020, in Aurora, Colo.'; 'everyone was ordered out and put on the ground'; 'Officers kept their guns drawn for about three-and-a-half minutes'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"On 2 August 2020 Aurora police officers stopped a car they believed to be stolen and ordered the woman driving it and four children to the ground at gunpoint. Two of the children were handcuffed.","causal_attribution":"The Denver Post from the prosecutors' letter and video; Sentinel Colorado from body camera video and the prosecutors' investigation. Kept as reported because both accounts draw on the prosecutors' investigation."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'A license plate reader installed at an Aurora intersection had alerted police to the car, a blue SUV, because it had the same license plate numbers as a stolen motorcycle from Montana.'; 'Police failed to double-check a reading from a license plate scanner before making the stop.'; 'Officers failed to check whether the SUV matched the physical description of the stolen vehicle.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'with Colorado license plates was stolen'; 'the vehicle that was actually stolen was a motorcycle with the same license plate number in Montana'","relation":"context","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"A license plate reader at an Aurora intersection alerted police to the car because its plate number matched that of a stolen motorcycle registered in Montana, and officers did not check the reading or the vehicle description before the stop.","causal_attribution":"The Denver Post's account in its report on the prosecutors' decision; the article does not attribute the reader sentences to the letter. Sentinel Colorado confirms the same-number mix-up and attributes the notification to the department's system without mentioning a reader."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'The two girls remained handcuffed for four minutes, even after dispatchers confirmed that'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'removed the girls’ handcuffs after about eight-and-a-half minutes'","relation":"context","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"Two of the children remained handcuffed for four minutes after dispatchers confirmed the car was not stolen.","causal_attribution":"The prosecutors' letter as reported by The Denver Post. Sentinel Colorado gives the total time in handcuffs as about eight and a half minutes."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'will not face criminal charges, prosecutors announced Friday'; 'What happened to the innocent occupants is unacceptable and preventable'; 'All department officers are re-doing training regarding license plate scanners'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Prosecutors declined to charge the officers in January 2021, calling what happened unacceptable and preventable, and the department said all officers were repeating training on license plate scanners.","causal_attribution":"Prosecutors' decision and the department spokesperson as reported by The Denver Post."},{"id":"c5","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'the City of Aurora has agreed to a $1.9 million settlement'; 'announced Monday, Feb. 5, 2024, that the family has reached a $1.9 million legal settlement with the city of Aurora'; 'In a written statement, the city confirmed a deal had been reached.'; 'The money will be evenly divided among'; 'was suspended for 160 hours'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"The City of Aurora agreed to a $1.9 million settlement with the woman and the four children, announced by their lawyer on 5 February 2024 and confirmed by the city, to be divided evenly among the five. One of the two officers was suspended for 160 hours.","causal_attribution":"Settlement as announced by the lawyer for the woman and the children and confirmed by the city, reported by Sentinel Colorado. The agreement was not read."},{"id":"c6","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Mentally, it destroyed me because I felt like not only am I not safe'; 'began acting out and became withdrawn'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"The woman said the stop destroyed her mentally, and that one of the children began acting out and became withdrawn afterwards.","causal_attribution":"The woman's own account in an interview reported by Sentinel Colorado."}],"effects":[{"label":"a woman and four children ordered out of a car and onto the ground at gunpoint, two of the children handcuffed, after a license plate reader alert that officers did not verify","claim_id":"c1","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.denverpost.com/2021/01/08/aurora-police-traffic-stop-no-charges/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live in English on 2026-10-05 and re-read live on 2026-10-06 (The Denver Post, 8 January 2021). Rests on the 18th Judicial District prosecutors' decision letter, bystander video and the family's attorney.","independence_group":"denverpost-da-decision-letter"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://sentinelcolorado.com/metro/family-of-black-girls-handcuffed-by-aurora-police-held-at-gunpoint-reach-1-9-million-settlement/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-10-05 and 2026-10-06 from an Internet Archive capture. The live page returned HTTP 429 both days. Sentinel Colorado, February 2024, Associated Press copy (AP byline and photo credits on the page). Rests on the family lawyer's announcement, a written statement from the city, body camera video, the prosecutors' investigation and an interview with the driver. It says the department's system notified officers and does not mention a license plate reader.","independence_group":"ap-aurora-settlement-2024"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["institutional_use"],"contexts":["justice"],"unknowns":["The vendor and technology of the license plate reader.","Whether the reader's alert displayed the issuing state or vehicle type.","Whether the department changed its license plate reader procedures beyond the retraining it described."],"geography":{"basis":"The stop was made by Aurora police in a parking lot in Aurora, Colorado, and the lawsuit was settled by the City of Aurora (The Denver Post, Sentinel Colorado).","court_countries":["US"],"event_countries":["US"],"affected_person_countries":["US"]},"publication":{"basis":"The Denver Post, in its report on the prosecutors' decision, says a license plate reader alerted police to the SUV on a plate-number match with a stolen Montana motorcycle, and that officers did not verify the alert before ordering a woman and four children to the ground at gunpoint. Sentinel Colorado reports the department's system flagged the Colorado-plated SUV and reports the $1.9 million settlement with the city. The woman and the children are not named, and the reader's vendor is unidentified.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-06"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The Denver Post, in its report on the prosecutors' decision, says a license plate reader installed at an Aurora intersection alerted police to the SUV because it had the same plate number as a stolen motorcycle from Montana. Sentinel Colorado says the department's system flagged the SUV, which carried Colorado plates, as stolen. The reader's match on the plate number alone, ignoring the issuing state and the vehicle type, produced the stolen-vehicle alert on which officers made the gunpoint stop. Officers also did not double-check the reading or the vehicle description. No source names the reader's vendor or describes its technology.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["made_claim_about"]},"name":"Aurora, Colorado: police held a woman and four children at gunpoint in 2020 after a plate reader matched her SUV to a stolen motorcycle, The Denver Post reports","summary":"On 2 August 2020 Aurora police officers stopped an SUV they believed to be stolen, ordered the woman driving it and four children to lie on the ground at gunpoint, and handcuffed two of the children. The Denver Post reported that a license plate reader at an Aurora intersection had alerted police because the SUV had the same plate number as a stolen motorcycle from Montana, and that officers did not check the reading or the vehicle description. Prosecutors declined to charge the officers in January 2021 and called what happened unacceptable and preventable. The department said all officers were repeating training on license plate scanners. Sentinel Colorado reported that the department's system had flagged the SUV, which carried Colorado plates, and that the City of Aurora agreed in February 2024 to a $1.9 million settlement with the woman and the children to resolve a lawsuit over the officers' actions. One officer was suspended for 160 hours. The woman said the stop destroyed her mentally and that one of the children became withdrawn.","incidentDate":"2020-08-02","incidentKind":"single_event","incidentDatePrecision":"day","exposurePattern":"single_interaction","reportedDate":"2021-01-08","aiSystem":"A fixed license plate reader installed at an Aurora intersection that alerted police to the car on a plate-number match with a stolen Montana motorcycle (The Denver Post); vendor not named","aiProduct":"Unidentified license plate reader","aiCompany":"Unknown","severity":"medium","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["loss_of_liberty","psychological_distress"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"A woman and four children were held on the ground at gunpoint and two of the children were handcuffed (The Denver Post from the prosecutors' letter). The woman told an interviewer that the stop destroyed her mentally and that one of the children became withdrawn (Sentinel Colorado).","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"supported","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":5,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"Five people in the car, the woman driving and four children, all ordered to the ground (The Denver Post; Sentinel Colorado). Exact 5.","victimAgeRange":"minor","jurisdiction":"US-CO","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"lawsuit_settled","outcomeStatus":"resolved","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.denverpost.com/2021/01/08/aurora-police-traffic-stop-no-charges/","primarySourceLabel":"The Denver Post, 8 January 2021: No charges for Aurora police officers who held children at gunpoint after erroneous traffic stop","firstPublishedAt":"2026-10-05T03:12:34.885576+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-06T03:04:56.590358+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["alpr","license-plate-reader","hotlist-match","wrongful-stop","gunpoint","minors","colorado","aurora","justice","made-claim-about","settlement"]},{"id":"2020-campaigner-deepfake-video-harassment","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"Opening account, event year and subsequent recognition of the fabricated video (L118-L125).","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The campaigner described panic on discovering a sexual deepfake video of herself in 2020.","causal_attribution":"Participant account; independent verification of the reported consequence is unavailable."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"Account of escalating threats and doxing (L434-L438), then effects on trust and stepping back from campaigning (L474-L476).","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"BBC reporting describes threats, disclosure of her addresses and a temporary withdrawal from activism.","causal_attribution":"Reported effects of the combined video abuse, threats and doxing; separate contributions cannot be determined."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"Immediately following the withdrawal passage (L475-L476).","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"The same BBC account reports that she later renewed her commitment to campaigning.","causal_attribution":"Reported return to activism; does not establish full recovery."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"Paragraph about a colleague reporting the material and its removal from Twitter (L442).","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"BBC reporting says Twitter removed the video, abusive comments and doxing after a colleague reported them.","causal_attribution":"Reported platform removal; complete removal from the internet is not established."}],"effects":[{"label":"The campaigner reported panic and nonconsensual sexual depiction.","claim_id":"c1","direction":"negative"},{"label":"Harassment was followed by a temporary withdrawal from activism.","claim_id":"c2","direction":"negative"},{"label":"Later renewed commitment to campaigning.","claim_id":"c3","direction":"positive"},{"label":"Reported removal of the abusive material from Twitter.","claim_id":"c4","direction":"positive"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://metro.co.uk/2022/10/21/deepfake-porn-takes-seconds-to-make-but-can-wreck-lives-17605029/","kind":"journalism","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"English article body read directly, L118-L157. Web-reader route was blocked. Draws on the BBC documentary and participant accounts; the film itself was not viewed.","independence_group":"isaacs-bbc-documentary"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://noticias.uol.com.br/ultimas-noticias/bbc/2022/10/21/deepfake-colocaram-meu-rosto-em-um-video-porno.htm","kind":"syndicated_bbc_reporting","access":"read","language":"pt","translation_note":"Portuguese BBC report carried by UOL, read directly. English paraphrase by the model, without bilingual human review. Same documentary/participant chain as Metro, not independent corroboration.","independence_group":"isaacs-bbc-documentary"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["identity","privacy","work"],"unknowns":["The exact date and creation location are unknown.","The creator, generation software and longer-term outcomes beyond the inspected reporting remain unresolved.","The separate effects of the video, threats and doxing are unknown."],"geography":{"basis":"The inspected passages establish the campaigner’s British nationality but do not explicitly locate her at the time or establish residence. Country remains unknown.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":[],"affected_person_countries":[]},"publication":{"basis":"Concrete adverse experience with a core person relation. Claims remain attributed to their sources. Technical and causal limits are recorded.","reviewed_on":"2026-09-25"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"Metro and BBC reporting identify this particular video as a deepfake using AI. The creator and generation software are unverified.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"Campaigner reports panic and withdrawal from activism after sexual deepfake abuse","summary":"A campaigner described panic after discovering a sexual deepfake of herself in 2020. Reporting also describes threats and disclosure of her addresses. She temporarily stepped back from activism. The account attributes the effects to the combined harassment; the video’s individual contribution is unknown.","incidentDate":"2020-01-01","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"year","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2022-10-21","aiSystem":"Unspecified AI deepfake video tool","aiProduct":"Unidentified video tool","severity":"high","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["psychological_distress","exploitation_or_abuse"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"The campaigner reported panic and nonconsensual sexual depiction.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"supported","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":1,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"One affected campaigner. Other documentary participants are separate accounts.","victimAgeRange":"adult","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"media_coverage","outcomeStatus":"unknown","primarySourceUrl":"https://metro.co.uk/2022/10/21/deepfake-porn-takes-seconds-to-make-but-can-wreck-lives-17605029/","primarySourceLabel":"Metro, 21 October 2022","firstPublishedAt":"2026-09-25T03:29:02.194414+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-09-30T01:16:47.317553+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["historical-review"]}]}