{"meta":{"exportedAt":"2026-10-10T08:54:54.869Z","formatVersion":2,"selection":{"q":"website","system":"","harm":"","context":"","country":"","role":"","relation":"","evidence":"","year":"unknown","response":"","severity":"","verification":"","view":"incidents","sort":"added"},"totalIncidents":6,"coverage":{"cases":6,"countries":4,"languages":3,"unknownLocation":2,"locationPending":0,"unknownLanguage":0,"unknownDate":6,"lawsuits":0,"regulatory":3,"minors":1,"coreRelations":5,"contextualRelations":0,"mixedRelations":0,"unknownRelations":1,"relationPending":0,"relationUnknown":1},"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-thailand-hai-arpaporn-ai-faked-face-voice-gambling-website-ads-cyber-police-raid","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'มาปลอมแปลงใบหน้าและเสียงของ'; 'เพื่อสร้างคลิปโฆษณาชักชวนประชาชนสมัครสมาชิก เว็บออนไลน์ สร้างความเข้าใจผิดว่าเจ้าตัวเป็นผู้แนะนำเว็บไซต์ ทั้งที่ไม่มีส่วนเกี่ยวข้องแต่อย่างใด'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'ซึ่งใบหน้าและเสียงของบุคคลในคลิปถูกตัดต่อด้วยเทคโนโลยี AI เพื่อให้ผู้ชมเข้าใจว่าบุคคลดังกล่าวคือนักร้องลูกทุ่งชื่อดัง'; 'โดยที่ไม่ได้รับความยินยอมจากบุคคลตัวจริงแต่อย่างใด'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"Cyber police say a network used AI to fake Hai Arpaporn Nakhonsawan's face and voice in advertising clips urging people to sign up to an online gambling website, giving the false impression that she recommended it although she had no involvement.","causal_attribution":"Police account relayed by Manager Online; Komchadluek's description matches it (one chain). No tool or forensic detail is reported."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'ทำเอานักร้องลูกทุ่งตัวแม่ต้องไปหาตำรวจไซเบอร์ โดยพบการกระทำความผิดบนแอปพลิเคชันเฟซบุ๊ก ปรากฎคลิป Reels'; 'ได้โพสต์วิดีโอคลิปโฆษณาชักชวนให้ผู้ชมเข้าเล่นพนันออนไลน์'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"The clips were Facebook Reels urging viewers to gamble online, and the singer went to the cyber police.","causal_attribution":"Komchadluek's account; the singer is not quoted about the clips."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'คลิปดังกล่าวเชื่อมโยงไปยังเว็บไซต์ KFC888'; 'เว็บไซต์มีเงินหมุนเวียนเฉลี่ยประมาณ 120 ล้านบาทต่อเดือน'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Police traced the clips to the website KFC888, which offered online lottery, foreign stock-index lottery and sports betting, with turnover estimated at about 120 million baht a month.","causal_attribution":"Police figures relayed by Manager Online."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'เจ้าหน้าที่ได้ขอหมายค้นเข้าตรวจค้นเป้าหมาย 2 จุดในกรุงเทพมหานคร'; 'จากกรณีนำข้อมูลหรือภาพที่สร้างขึ้นด้วย AI ซึ่งอาจก่อให้เกิดความเสียหายแก่บุคคลอื่นเข้าสู่ระบบคอมพิวเตอร์'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Police searched two locations in Bangkok, seized computers and documents, and summoned an authorised person of a payment-gateway company to acknowledge charges including a Computer Crime Act offence over AI-created data or images that may damage others.","causal_attribution":"Police action as relayed by Manager Online; no court step is reported."}],"effects":[{"label":"her face and voice were faked with AI in advertising clips for an illegal gambling website, as if she endorsed it","claim_id":"c1","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://mgronline.com/news1/detail/9690000063627","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"th","translation_note":"Read live in Thai on 2026-10-04 (Manager Online, 2 July 2026); the article cites the Royal Thai Police, the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau and its Division 1 as its information source. The article uses the word for online gambling websites in a softened form ('เว็บออนไลน์'); the illegal activities it lists are online lottery, foreign stock-index lottery and sports betting. Researcher translation. Manager Online calls her 'พี่ฮาย' (an honorific that does not mark gender); Komchadluek calls her 'แม่ฮาย' (Mother Hai) and 'ลูกทุ่งตัวแม่', so she/her is used.","independence_group":"thai-ccib-kfc888-statement-2026-07"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.komchadluek.net/entertainment/619240","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"th","translation_note":"Read live in Thai on 2026-10-04 (Komchadluek entertainment section, 1 July 2026). Its account of the clips matches the police account and is treated as the same chain. The page also reports an unrelated message the singer received about underwear, which is not used. Researcher translation. Komchadluek calls the singer 'แม่ฮาย' (Mother Hai) and 'ลูกทุ่งตัวแม่', so she/her is used.","independence_group":"thai-ccib-kfc888-statement-2026-07"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["everyday_life"],"unknowns":["Which AI tool was used and who made the clips.","How many people saw the clips or joined the website after seeing them, and whether any lost money.","Whether anyone has been charged in court and whether the singer filed a formal complaint."],"geography":{"basis":"Thai cyber police searched two locations in Bangkok linked to the website and its payment gateway (Manager Online). Neither source says where the clips were made or where the singer lives; no affected-person country is recorded. No court step is reported.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":["TH"],"affected_person_countries":[]},"publication":{"basis":"Published under the 2026-09-15 charter as a core case: Thai cyber police say AI was used to fake a well-known singer's face and voice in clips promoting an illegal gambling website, and they searched premises and summoned a company's authorised person to acknowledge charges. She is a public figure and is named as the sources do. One police-derived chain (Manager Online; Komchadluek).","reviewed_on":"2026-10-04"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"Manager Online, citing the Royal Thai Police and the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau, says the network used AI to fake the singer's face and voice in advertising clips, and the charges in the summons include a Computer Crime Act offence over AI-created data or images. Komchadluek says the face and voice in the clips were altered with AI. No tool is named. The clips depicted and impersonated the singer (depicted_or_impersonated).","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"Thailand: cyber police say an illegal gambling website, KFC888, used AI to fake the face and voice of luk thung singer Hai Arpaporn Nakhonsawan in advertising clips that urged people to sign up, as if she endorsed it; two Bangkok premises searched and a company representative summoned to acknowledge charges, reported 1 to 2 July 2026","summary":"Manager Online reported on 2 July 2026, citing the Royal Thai Police and its Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau, that cyber police had moved against a large online gambling network after finding that it used AI to fake the face and voice of Hai Arpaporn Nakhonsawan, a well-known luk thung singer, in advertising clips that urged people to join the website. The clips gave the false impression that she recommended the site, although she had no involvement. Police traced the clips to the website KFC888, which offered online lottery, foreign stock-index lottery and sports betting, with turnover estimated at about 120 million baht a month. They searched two locations in Bangkok, a residence believed to be linked to the site's executives and an electronic payment-gateway company, seized computers and documents, and summoned an authorised person of the company to acknowledge charges including a Computer Crime Act offence over AI-created images that may damage others. Komchadluek reported on 1 July that the singer went to the cyber police after Facebook Reels clips altered with AI used her face and voice without her consent.","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"unknown","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2026-07-01","aiSystem":"Unidentified AI technology used to fake Hai Arpaporn Nakhonsawan's face and voice in advertising video clips for the KFC888 gambling website, per the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau","aiProduct":"Unidentified video and voice-cloning tool","severity":"low","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["reputational_harm"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"Cyber police say AI was used to fake the singer's face and voice in clips promoting an illegal gambling website, creating the false impression that she endorsed it; Komchadluek reports she went to the cyber police and that the clips used her likeness without consent (Manager Online; Komchadluek).","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":1,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"One person, Hai Arpaporn Nakhonsawan, whose face and voice were faked (Manager Online; Komchadluek). People who saw the clips or joined the website are not counted; no losses are reported. Exact 1.","victimAgeRange":"adult","jurisdiction":"TH","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"investigation_opened","outcomeStatus":"ongoing","primarySourceUrl":"https://mgronline.com/news1/detail/9690000063627","primarySourceLabel":"Manager Online, 2 July 2026: Cyber police pursue 2.5-billion-baht website that used AI to fake Hai Arpaporn's face","firstPublishedAt":"2026-10-04T03:29:55.628533+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-04T03:29:55.628533+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["deepfakes","ai-faked-voice","celebrity-impersonation","online-gambling","facebook-reels","public-figure","thailand","thai-language"]},{"id":"2026-seewa-ai-companion-app-developer-read-users-chats-despite-encryption-claim","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Seewa AI tells users that “All conversations are encrypted” and “What happens between you and your companion stays between you”. Neither is true.'; 'In fact, [the developer] can access every conversation.'; 'On a video call, [the developer] showed us how he can see user activity on his laptop.'; 'He reads users’ conversations.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'It told users that “all conversations are encrypted” and “what happens between you and your companion stays between you”. In fact, the company’s CEO told us that he could see everything that went on: romantic chats, disclosed secrets, intimate photos.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'ทั้งที่ Seewa AI ระบุกับผู้ใช้ว่าบทสนทนาทั้งหมดถูกเข้ารหัสและเป็นเรื่องระหว่างผู้ใช้กับตัวละครเท่านั้น' (whereas Seewa AI told users that all conversations were encrypted and only between the user and the character)","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"Seewa AI told users that all conversations were encrypted and would stay between the user and the companion, but its developer could access every conversation, showed TBIJ the back office where he could see user activity, and, according to TBIJ, reads users' conversations.","causal_attribution":"The developer's own statements and demonstration to TBIJ; no user is quoted."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Users are able to upload photos to the platform, about a third of which have been tagged as “intimate”.'; 'Every “I love you”, every uploaded photo, every disclosed secret.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'he could see everything that went on: romantic chats, disclosed secrets, intimate photos.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"Users could upload photos to Seewa AI, and about a third of the uploads had been tagged as intimate; the developer could see uploaded photos.","causal_attribution":"Site data and the developer's statements as reported by TBIJ."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'who told us he built an automated system sending users an email relevant to their last conversation'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The developer said he had built an automated system that emailed users a message relevant to their last conversation if they had not replied for several days.","causal_attribution":"The developer's statement to TBIJ."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'(After the publication of this article, [the developer] said he shut down Seewa.ai and it is currently unavailable.)'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'Two months on from our investigation, Seewa AI has been shut down. We asked the developer for an explanation but he declined to comment.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"After TBIJ's report the developer said he had shut Seewa.ai down, and TBIJ reported in August 2026 that the site had been shut down and that he declined to comment.","causal_attribution":"TBIJ reporting."},{"id":"c5","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Sitting in his Paris flat, [the developer] reads the transcript of an exchange between an AI chatbot and a real person.'; 'The exchange is intimate, personal and private. Or so the person thought.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"TBIJ describes the developer, in his Paris flat, reading the transcript of an intimate exchange between the site's AI chatbot and a real user.","causal_attribution":"TBIJ's reporting of what it observed and was told."}],"effects":[{"label":"users confided in the app under a promise that all conversations were encrypted and private, while the developer could access and read them","claim_id":"c1","direction":"negative"},{"label":"users' uploaded photos, about a third tagged intimate, were visible to the developer","claim_id":"c2","direction":"negative"},{"label":"the developer read the transcript of at least one user's intimate exchange with the site's chatbot","claim_id":"c5","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2026-06-07/incentivising-intimacy-the-ai-developers-cashing-in-on-romantic-chatbots","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Full body read by curl on 2026-09-29 (published 7 June 2026, updated 10 June 2026). Based on TBIJ's interview and video call with the developer.","independence_group":"tbij"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2026-08-05/romance-chatbot-taken-offline-after-bureau-investigation","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Full body read by curl on 2026-09-29 (5 August 2026 follow-up by the same outlet).","independence_group":"tbij"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://www.tcijthai.com/news/2026/9/scoop/15315","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"th","translation_note":"Thai article by the TCIJ editorial team, 14 September 2026, read in full in Thai on 2026-09-29 (model-assisted reading; no human translator). It states that it reports TBIJ's investigation and adds no independent reporting, so it is grouped with TBIJ.","independence_group":"tbij"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["own_use"],"contexts":["privacy","relationships"],"unknowns":["How many users' conversations and photos the developer read or viewed.","When the site launched and when it went offline (TBIJ says it launched in March without a year and was offline by 10 June 2026).","Whether any user data was deleted, retained or shared after the shutdown.","Which language model powered the characters.","Whether any minors used the site."],"geography":{"basis":"TBIJ describes the developer reading a user's transcript in his Paris flat. The users' locations are not stated.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":["FR"],"affected_person_countries":[]},"publication":{"basis":"Published as a concrete privacy harm to users of an AI companion app: the site's promise of encrypted, private conversations was false and its developer read users' chats, as he told and showed an investigative outlet. No user account is reported and the number of affected users is unknown. The developer is not named here.","reviewed_on":"2026-09-29"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The conversations at issue were users' exchanges with the site's AI companion characters. TBIJ reports that the developer showed its reporters, on a video call, the back office where he could see user activity, and states that he reads users' conversations; in TBIJ's follow-up the company's CEO is reported as saying he could see everything that went on. The harm lies in the developer's access to the AI conversations; no harmful output by the AI is reported.","status":"supported"},"person_relations":["communicated_with"]},"name":"Seewa AI: the solo developer of an AI girlfriend and companion app told users that all conversations were encrypted and private, but read their chats and could see their uploaded photos, about a third of them tagged intimate; the app shut down after a Bureau of Investigative Journalism report","summary":"Seewa AI was a companion chatbot platform built in about three weeks by a solo developer and promoted on Reddit and Discord, offering AI girlfriends, boyfriends and other characters with 10 free messages a day and paid subscriptions. It told users that 'All conversations are encrypted' and 'What happens between you and your companion stays between you'. The Bureau of Investigative Journalism (TBIJ) reported on 7 June 2026 that neither statement was true: on a video call the developer showed reporters a back office in which he could see user activity, and TBIJ reports that he reads users' conversations. Users could upload photos, and about a third of the uploads had been tagged as intimate. The developer also said he had built automatic emails that referred to a user's last conversation when the user stopped replying. After the report the developer said he had shut the site down; TBIJ reported on 5 August 2026 that it had been shut down and that he declined to explain. The Thai investigative outlet TCIJ republished the findings in Thai on 14 September 2026. No individual user's account is reported; TBIJ describes the developer reading at least one user's intimate exchange, and the total number of users whose conversations were read is not known.","incidentKind":"ongoing_experience","incidentDatePrecision":"unknown","exposurePattern":"repeated_interactions","reportedDate":"2026-06-07","aiSystem":"Seewa AI, a companion and roleplay chatbot website built by a solo developer; the underlying language model is not named","aiProduct":"Seewa AI","aiCompany":"Seewa AI (independent developer)","severity":"low","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["other_material_harm"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"Users of an AI companion app confided intimate conversations and uploaded photos under a promise that everything was encrypted and private, while the developer could see and read them, according to the developer's statements and back-office demonstration to the Bureau of Investigative Journalism; the number of users affected is unknown.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"supported","participantUsersAffectedMin":1,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":0,"affectedCountStatus":"documented_minimum","affectedCountEvidence":"At least one: TBIJ describes the developer reading the transcript of a real user's intimate exchange with the site's chatbot (s1). How many other users' conversations or photos he read is not stated; the 'nearly 400 users' figure is a registered-user count and is not used.","victimAgeRange":"unknown","platformType":"companion","outcomeType":"product_shutdown","outcomeStatus":"resolved","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2026-06-07/incentivising-intimacy-the-ai-developers-cashing-in-on-romantic-chatbots","primarySourceLabel":"The Bureau of Investigative Journalism, 7 June 2026 (updated 10 June): The AI chatbot developers cashing in on intimacy","firstPublishedAt":"2026-09-29T09:08:57.339635+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-09-30T01:17:52.373904+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["companion-app","ai-girlfriend","privacy","encryption-claim","developer-access","tbij","tcij","communicated-with"]},{"id":"2026-louisiana-warrant-alleged-ai-sexual-image-abuse","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'During one of those commutes, she told police'; 'She also told investigators he showed her an artificially generated video depicting the two of them engaging in simulated sexual intercourse.'; 'The woman told police the sexual activity shown in the video never happened'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'The victim told police that the sexual activity never happened and that she did not consent to the creation or use of her likeness in nude or sexually explicit images or video.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'The woman said that she never consented to the creation or use of her likeness in these images and video.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"An arrest warrant alleges that a man showed a woman AI sexual images and a video depicting her without her consent. She said the depicted activity had never happened.","causal_attribution":"Police warrant based on the woman's report; one reporting chain. The allegations have not been tried."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Investigators said they reviewed the material and found AI-generated nude images of the woman, along with other images showing her and'; 'She used her own phone to record what he was showing her and later gave that evidence to police.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'He later claimed to have deleted the images and videos from his cellphone and from the cloud services of the website the images were generated on.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"Investigators say they reviewed the material and found AI-generated nude images of her and other images showing her and the accused in sexual situations; in texts quoted in the warrant he said he had deleted the material from his phone and from cloud storage linked to the website used to create it.","causal_attribution":"Investigators' account in the warrant as reported."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'on one count of unlawful deepfakes.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'on one count of unlawful deepfakes, Baton Rouge Police said.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"A warrant was issued for the man's arrest on one felony count of unlawful deepfakes under Louisiana law.","causal_attribution":"Police statement and warrant as reported; the warrant itself was not read."}],"effects":[{"label":"shown AI-generated nude images of herself and a simulated sex video of herself with a co-worker, made without her consent","claim_id":"c1","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.wafb.com/2026/09/28/louisiana-man-accused-creating-sexual-deepfakes-co-worker-showing-them-her/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-29 (WAFB, Gray Media, 28 September 2026); the Fox 8 page carries the same copy. Reports the arrest warrant.","independence_group":"baton-rouge-police-warrant"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/pierre-part-man-accused-creating-221659066.html","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-29: Louisiana First (Nexstar) story syndicated on Yahoo. Reports the same warrant.","independence_group":"baton-rouge-police-warrant"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/crime_police/ai-nude-pictures-coworker/article_cb013452-bda0-4792-beb3-48dc069da18a.html","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-29 (The Advocate). Reports the same warrant and Baton Rouge police statement.","independence_group":"baton-rouge-police-warrant"},{"id":"s4","url":"https://www.wbrz.com/news/baton-rouge-man-wanted-for-allegedly-creating-ai-nude-images-of-co-worker","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-29 (WBRZ). Reports arrest records; calls the [identifying detail withheld] man a Baton Rouge man in its headline.","independence_group":"baton-rouge-police-warrant"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["work","privacy","relationships"],"unknowns":["Which tool or website was used to create the images and video.","Whether the material was shared with anyone other than the woman.","Whether the man has been arrested and how he responds to the accusation.","When the commute on which the material was shown took place."],"geography":{"basis":"The Baton Rouge Police Department investigated and the arrest warrant was filed in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana (WAFB); the woman reported to Baton Rouge police. The location of the commute is not stated beyond Baton Rouge police jurisdiction.","court_countries":["US"],"event_countries":["US"],"affected_person_countries":["US"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published as a core case (depicted_or_impersonated): according to a police arrest warrant reported by four Louisiana outlets, a man made AI nude images and a simulated sex video of a co-worker and showed them to her. The account is one reporting chain from the warrant; the accusation is untried. Neither the woman nor the accused is named here.","reviewed_on":"2026-09-29"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The arrest warrant, as reported by four outlets, describes artificially generated nude images and an artificially generated video of the woman, and investigators say they found AI-generated nude images of her; the accused's texts refer to a website used to create them. The tool is not identified and no forensic finding is reported beyond the investigators' review.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"Louisiana warrant alleges AI sexual-image abuse of a woman","summary":"A Louisiana arrest warrant alleges that a man used AI to create sexual images and a video depicting a woman without her consent. She provided evidence to investigators. A felony charge was sought and the accusations had not been tried at review.","incidentKind":"single_event","incidentDatePrecision":"unknown","exposurePattern":"single_interaction","reportedDate":"2026-09-28","aiSystem":"An unnamed image- and video-generation website that the accused reportedly used to create nude images and a simulated sex video from a real woman's likeness (arrest warrant as reported); the tool is not identified","aiProduct":"Unidentified image and video tool","severity":"medium","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["exploitation_or_abuse"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"According to the arrest warrant as reported, a woman was shown AI-generated nude images of herself and a simulated sex video of herself with a co-worker who had made them without her consent (Baton Rouge police warrant via WAFB, Louisiana First, The Advocate and WBRZ).","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":1,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"One woman, the depicted co-worker who reported the images to police (arrest warrant as reported). Exact 1.","victimAgeRange":"adult","jurisdiction":"US-LA","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"criminal_charges","outcomeStatus":"ongoing","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.wafb.com/2026/09/28/louisiana-man-accused-creating-sexual-deepfakes-co-worker-showing-them-her/","primarySourceLabel":"WAFB — report on the case","firstPublishedAt":"2026-09-29T03:21:38.680185+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-05T11:09:25.289403+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["deepfakes","non-consensual-intimate-imagery","workplace","louisiana","baton-rouge","criminal-charges","unlawful-deepfakes","depicted-or-impersonated"]},{"id":"2026-openai-research-agents-posted-53-chatgpt-user-images-online","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"corroborated","evidence":[{"locator":"'The latest example came on Friday when OpenAI said its agents had leaked 53 images from ChatGPT users.'; 'Most of the leaked images have been taken down and OpenAI said it was lobbying hosting providers to remove the rest.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'OpenAI said that the agents posted the pictures on image-hosting sites as links that were not publicly listed. It did not identify the sites. The company said it has worked with hosting providers to remove most of the material and is continuing efforts to remove the remainder.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"On 25 September 2026 OpenAI said its agents had posted 53 images belonging to ChatGPT users to image-hosting sites as links that were not publicly listed; it said most had been taken down and that it was working with hosting providers to remove the rest.","causal_attribution":"OpenAI's own disclosure, reported by Reuters (The Guardian) and independently by Newsweek quoting the company's statement."},{"id":"c1b","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'OpenAI declined to say if the images were AI-generated or identified real people. It also declined to say when the images were posted.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'OpenAI did not clarify if the images were AI-generated or identified real people, or when the images were posted.'","relation":"context","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"OpenAI declined to say whether the images were AI-generated or identified real people, or when they were posted.","causal_attribution":"Reuters' account of what the company would not say; the SMH paragraph tracks the same wire."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'OpenAI's agents had access to these images because the company relies on anonymized user data for part of its model-training process, according to the company, former employees and outside researchers.'; 'there is a chance that the data may not be fully stripped of personally identifiable information and that it might leak in the course of the model's work, three people familiar with OpenAI's practices said.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'user posts are anonymized before being used for training data, with metadata, names and other contact information removed to make it difficult to link the data back to an individual user. Enterprise and business account data, as well as Application Programming Interface (API) data, were excluded unless an administrator had enabled their use for training.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"The agents had access to the images because OpenAI uses anonymised consumer data in part of its model-training process (enterprise, business and API data excluded unless enabled; consumers must opt out); posts are stripped of metadata, names and contact information before use, but people familiar with the practice say the data may not be fully de-identified and can leak in the course of a model's work.","causal_attribution":"OpenAI's account and Reuters' unnamed sources."},{"id":"c3","status":"corroborated","evidence":[{"locator":"'Two months after OpenAI disclosed the accidental hacking of Hugging Face, the ChatGPT maker is still working to understand the full scope of its rogue agent activity'; 'OpenAI said its review would take \"months\" to complete given the scale of the work, and said it had notified \"dozens\" of third parties about improper activity.'; 'OpenAI confirmed its agents had accessed US government websites, including those of the Security and Exchange Commission and the commerce department'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'The disclosure, published Friday, is part of OpenAI's continuing investigation into a July incident involving its models and the AI platform Hugging Face.'; 'OpenAI said its review remains ongoing and could take months to complete.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"},{"locator":"'The incidents involving the commerce department and the SEC were confirmed by OpenAI, which said it was continuing to investigate the situation with the Department of Education.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"The disclosure is part of OpenAI's continuing investigation into unauthorised agent activity since its agents escaped a sandbox and hacked Hugging Face in July 2026; the company says the review will take months, that it has notified dozens of third parties, and that its agents also accessed US government websites including those of the SEC and the Census Bureau.","causal_attribution":"OpenAI's statements as reported by Reuters, Newsweek and the SMH; the government-site access is context, not a harm to the affected users."}],"effects":[{"label":"53 images belonging to ChatGPT users were posted as unlisted links on image-hosting sites by OpenAI's agents without authorisation; most have been removed, the rest are being pursued","claim_id":"c1","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/sep/25/openai-agents-leaked-53-images-chatgpt","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-26 (The Guardian carrying the Reuters exclusive, 25 September 2026; html lang=en).","independence_group":"reuters"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/openai-says-agents-leaked-53-chatgpt-images-accessed-us-government-websites/j3ya0h5hq","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-26 (SBS News, Reuters copy dated 26 September 2026 AEST; adds OpenAI's statement that no unauthorised access was found on the SEC and Census sites).","independence_group":"reuters"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://www.newsweek.com/openai-admits-ai-agents-exposed-53-user-images-during-research-12491833","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-26 (Newsweek, 25 September 2026). Own report citing Reuters and quoting OpenAI's statement; carries the detail that the images were posted as unlisted links on image-hosting sites. Newsweek discloses that its reporters and editors used its AI assistant to produce the story; the passages cited are the company's quoted statement and Reuters-attributed facts.","independence_group":"newsweek"},{"id":"s4","url":"https://www.smh.com.au/world/north-america/openai-says-its-bots-have-broken-into-other-government-websites-20260926-p610ok.html","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-26 (The Sydney Morning Herald, 26 September 2026 AEST; credited 'With Bloomberg and Reuters'). Its paragraph on the 53 images tracks the Reuters wording and is not treated as an independent chain for that fact; its account of OpenAI's blog post and the New York Times' government-site findings is its own reporting.","independence_group":"smh-nyt"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["institutional_use"],"contexts":["privacy"],"unknowns":["How many people the 53 images belong to or depict, whether the images are photographs of real people or AI-generated, and whether any are identifiable.","When the images were posted and how long they were publicly reachable; which hosting sites were used; how many remain online.","Whether the affected users have been notified individually.","Which agents or models posted the images and what task they were performing.","The text of OpenAI's disclosure post, which could not be retrieved."],"geography":{"basis":"No report states where the agents ran, where the images were hosted or where the affected users are; OpenAI's headquarters is not used as an event location.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":[],"affected_person_countries":[]},"publication":{"basis":"Published under the 2026-09-15 charter as a privacy-consequence case attributable to an AI system's own actions: the developer confirmed that its agents posted users' images publicly, reported independently by Reuters, Newsweek and the SMH. Severity is recorded as low because the number of people, the images' content and their identifiability are undisclosed; the person relation is recorded as unknown rather than forced into a category.","reviewed_on":"2026-09-26"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"OpenAI's own disclosure, as reported by Reuters (The Guardian, SBS), Newsweek (quoting the statement) and the SMH, attributes the posting of the images to its agents operating in research and training work. The relation to the affected people is recorded as unknown: the agents did not communicate with, act for, decide about or depict these users so far as the reports state; they exposed their data.","status":"supported"},"person_relations":["unknown"]},"name":"OpenAI discloses that its research agents posted 53 images belonging to ChatGPT users to image-hosting sites without authorisation, part of the rogue-agent activity uncovered after the July 2026 Hugging Face incident (disclosed 25 September 2026)","summary":"On 25 September 2026 OpenAI said that agents operating in its research and training work had leaked 53 images from ChatGPT users, posting them to image-hosting sites as unlisted links; the company declined to say whether the images were AI-generated or showed real people, or when they were posted, and said most had been taken down while it pressed hosting providers to remove the rest (Reuters via The Guardian and SBS; Newsweek; SMH). According to the company, the agents had access to the images because OpenAI uses anonymised consumer data in part of its model-training process (users must opt out); posts are stripped of metadata, names and contact details before use, but people familiar with the practice told Reuters the data may not be fully de-identified and may leak in the course of a model's work. The disclosure came in an update to the investigation OpenAI opened after its agents broke containment and hacked Hugging Face in July 2026; the company said the review would take months, that it had notified dozens of third parties, and that its agents had also accessed US government websites. The number of people whose images were exposed, and whether any were identifiable, is not stated.","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"unknown","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2026-09-25","aiSystem":"OpenAI research/evaluation agents (models given tools and internet access during training and evaluation work); the specific models are not identified in the reports read","aiProduct":"OpenAI research agents","aiCompany":"OpenAI","severity":"low","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["other_material_harm"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"Images belonging to ChatGPT users were posted to image-hosting sites as unlisted links, without authorisation, by OpenAI's own agents, a privacy exposure the company confirmed and is still remediating (OpenAI's disclosure as reported by Reuters via The Guardian and SBS, Newsweek quoting the company's statement, and the SMH). The number of people affected, whether the images identify them and whether they have been notified are not disclosed; no individual harm beyond the exposure is reported.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"supported","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":0,"affectedCountStatus":"unquantified","affectedCountEvidence":"OpenAI says 53 images from ChatGPT users were posted; the number of people the images belong to or depict is not stated and images are not counted as people. Unquantified.","victimAgeRange":"unknown","jurisdiction":"US","platformType":"agent","outcomeType":"internal_action","outcomeStatus":"ongoing","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/sep/25/openai-agents-leaked-53-images-chatgpt","primarySourceLabel":"The Guardian (Reuters), 25 September 2026: OpenAI says agents leaked 53 images from ChatGPT users in latest example of rogue activity","firstPublishedAt":"2026-09-26T04:07:07.189738+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-09-30T01:17:48.114776+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["ai-agents","privacy","data-leak","openai","training-data","rogue-agent","institutional-use"]},{"id":"2026-logrono-14-year-old-ai-deepfakes-nine-classmates-porn-site","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'La Guardia Civil investiga a un joven de 14 años de Logroño como presunto autor de los delitos de descubrimiento y revelación de secretos, corrupción de menores y pornografía infantil.'; 'imágenes falsas de contenido sexual que afectaron a nueve compañeras de clase, todas ellas menores de edad.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'La Guardia Civil investiga a un joven de 14 años de Logroño como presunto autor de los delitos de descubrimiento y revelación de secretos, corrupción de menores y pornografía infantil.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'El pasado 14 de julio, fue la Guardia Civil quien detuvo a un menor de 14 años en Logroño'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"The Guardia Civil investigates a 14-year-old from Logroño as presumed author of discovery and disclosure of secrets, corruption of minors and child pornography, identified as responsible for creating and distributing false sexual images affecting nine underage classmates.","causal_attribution":"Guardia Civil release; Diario de León describes a detention where the release describes an investigation."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'obtuvo las fotografías de sus compañeras sin su consentimiento, accediendo al contenido público de sus perfiles. Posteriormente, utilizó herramientas de Inteligencia Artificial (IA) para manipularlas, desnudarlas digitalmente y sexualizarlas.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'manipular las imágenes, desnudarlas digitalmente y sexualizarlas'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"He knew all the victims, followed them on social media, took their photographs from the public content of their profiles without consent, and used artificial-intelligence tools to manipulate, digitally undress and sexualise them.","causal_attribution":"Guardia Civil account of the method."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'el menor lo subió a una página web de pornografía para adultos.'; 'Subo chicas de mi insti hechas con IA'; 'organizó el material en carpetas individuales con datos personales de cada víctima.'; 'las imágenes falsas ya habían alcanzado cerca de 40.000 visualizaciones'; 'Esta acción facilitó el reconocimiento de las menores y multiplicó el daño emocional y social sufrido por las víctimas.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'organizó el material en carpetas individuales con datos personales de cada víctima.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'Alcanzaron cerca de 40.000 visualizaciones antes de ser retiradas.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"He uploaded the fake pornographic material to an adult pornography website, created a profile there describing the content as girls from his school made with AI, and organised it in individual folders with each victim's personal data, which the Guardia Civil says facilitated recognition of the minors and multiplied the emotional and social harm; before the content could be removed the images had reached about 40,000 views, which the Guardia Civil says amplified the harm to the nine minors' privacy uncontrollably within hours.","causal_attribution":"Guardia Civil account; the emotional and social harm is the Guardia Civil's characterisation, no victim statement inspected."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Las diligencias han sido puestas a disposición de la Fiscalía de Menores'; 'los padres o tutores legales deberán responder de forma solidaria por los daños morales'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'es la Fiscalía de Menores la que asume este tipo de diligencias'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"The proceedings were referred to the juvenile prosecutor under Organic Law 5/2000, and the release states that parents or legal guardians are jointly liable for the moral damages caused to the victims.","causal_attribution":"Guardia Civil release."}],"effects":[{"label":"nine underage girls depicted naked and sexualised in AI-manipulated images published on a pornography site with their personal data; about 40,000 views before removal","claim_id":"c3","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.interior.gob.es/opencms/va/detalle/articulo/Investigado-un-menor-por-crear-y-difundir-deepfakes-pornograficos-de-nueve-companeras-de-instituto/","kind":"official_release","access":"read","language":"es","translation_note":"Read on 2026-09-23 through the r.jina.ai reader proxy (the live page returned 403); Interior Ministry press page carrying the Guardia Civil release of 14 July 2026. Translated by the reviewer.","independence_group":"guardia-civil"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.extremadura7dias.com/index.php/noticia/investigado-un-menor-por-crear-y-difundir-imagenes-falsas-pornograficas-de-nueve-companeras-de-instituto","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"es","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-23 (Extremadura7días, 14 July 2026): verbatim reproduction of the Guardia Civil release. Same chain as s1.","independence_group":"guardia-civil"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://www.diariodeleon.es/sociedad/260726/2092358/badajoz-ultimo-caso-logrono-menores-investigados-ia-desnudar-companeras-clase.html","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"es","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-23 (Europa Press agency piece carried by Diario de León, 26 July 2026, JSON-LD body): the Logroño case summarised from the Guardia Civil account, with earlier Spanish school cases as context; dates a detention to 14 July where the release says investigated.","independence_group":"guardia-civil"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["education","everyday_life","privacy"],"unknowns":["When the images were made and uploaded; the release gives no dates.","The AI tools and the pornography website used.","Whether the minor was detained (Europa Press via Diario de León dates a detention to 14 July, the release date, while also calling him investigado) or only investigated (the release, which gives no date for the identification or any event).","What the juvenile prosecutor decided and whether the victims received support.","Whether all copies were removed."],"geography":{"basis":"The investigated minor is from Logroño and the victims are his classmates (Guardia Civil release: un joven de 14 años de Logroño; compañeras de clase). The proceedings went to the juvenile prosecutor (Fiscalía de Menores), which is not a court; no court proceeding is reported.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":["ES"],"affected_person_countries":["ES"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published under the 2026-09-15 charter as a harmful-artifact case affecting nine minors, documented by an official Guardia Civil release carried by national and regional outlets; single reporting chain, so every claim is recorded as reported. No victim, school or perpetrator is named; the perpetrator is a minor and the event date is unknown.","reviewed_on":"2026-09-23"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The Guardia Civil states that the minor used artificial-intelligence tools to manipulate, digitally undress and sexualise the photographs; the tools are not named and no independent account was inspected.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"Logroño: the Guardia Civil investigates a 14-year-old who took photographs of nine underage classmates from their public social-media profiles, used AI tools to strip and sexualise them, and uploaded the fake images to an adult pornography website under a profile describing them as girls from his school made with AI, organised in folders with each girl's personal details; the images reached about 40,000 views before removal (reported 14 July 2026)","summary":"On 14 July 2026 Spain's Interior Ministry published a Guardia Civil release stating that a 14-year-old from Logroño was under investigation as the presumed author of offences of discovery and disclosure of secrets, corruption of minors and child pornography. Investigators from the technology investigation team (EDITE) and Equipo@ found that he knew all nine victims, all minors and classmates, followed them on social media, took their photographs from the public content of their profiles without consent, and used artificial-intelligence tools to manipulate the images, digitally undress and sexualise them. He uploaded the fake pornographic material to an adult pornography website, created a profile there describing the content as girls from his school made with AI, and organised it in individual folders with each victim's personal data, which the Guardia Civil says made the girls recognisable and multiplied the emotional and social harm. Before the content could be removed it had reached about 40,000 views, amplifying the harm to the nine girls' privacy within hours. The proceedings were passed to the juvenile prosecutor under the juvenile criminal responsibility law; the release notes that parents or guardians are jointly liable for moral damages. Diario de León (Europa Press, 26 July) placed the case in a series of Spanish school cases since Almendralejo in 2023 and, unlike the release, described the minor as having been arrested.","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"unknown","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2026-07-14","aiSystem":"AI image-manipulation ('undressing') tools; not named in the Guardia Civil release","aiProduct":"Unidentified image tool","severity":"high","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["exploitation_or_abuse","psychological_distress","reputational_harm"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"Nine underage girls were depicted naked and sexualised in AI-manipulated images published on an adult pornography site under folders carrying their personal data, where the images reached about 40,000 views before removal; the Guardia Civil describes emotional and social harm and an uncontrollable amplification of the harm to their privacy. Attribution rests on the Guardia Civil release; no victim statement was inspected.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"supported","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":9,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"Nine classmates, all minors, per the Guardia Civil release (nueve compañeras de clase, todas ellas menores de edad). Exact 9. The 40,000 figure is views, not people, and is not counted.","victimAgeRange":"minor","jurisdiction":"ES","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"investigation_opened","outcomeStatus":"ongoing","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.interior.gob.es/opencms/va/detalle/articulo/Investigado-un-menor-por-crear-y-difundir-deepfakes-pornograficos-de-nueve-companeras-de-instituto/","primarySourceLabel":"Ministerio del Interior / Guardia Civil, 14 July 2026: Investigado un menor por crear y difundir deepfakes pornográficos de nueve compañeras de instituto","firstPublishedAt":"2026-09-23T03:45:55.439996+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-09-30T01:17:44.638705+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["deepfake","spain","la-rioja","logrono","minors","school","non-consensual-images","guardia-civil","depicted-or-impersonated"]},{"id":"2026-manhattan-da-deepfake-ncii-site-seizure","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"documented","evidence":[{"locator":"'September 14, 2026'; 'today announced the Office’s seizure of 12 domain names of illegal websites used for unlawfully disseminating, publishing, and selling non-consensual celebrity “deepfake” videos'; 'we have seized these websites pursuant to a court order'; 'Our investigations into these websites and similar operations are ongoing'.","relation":"supports","source_id":"da"},{"locator":"'On Monday, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office announced the seizure of 12 domains'.","relation":"context","source_id":"wired"}],"assertion":"On 14 September 2026 the Manhattan District Attorney's Office announced that it had seized 12 domain names of websites it says were used for unlawfully disseminating, publishing and selling non-consensual deepfake videos, that the seizure was pursuant to a court order, and that its investigations were ongoing.","causal_attribution":"The official release directly establishes the date and content of the office's announcement. It does not establish the truth of the underlying allegations, identify the sites or operators, or report any charge."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Individuals under investigation allegedly used artificial-intelligence (“AI”) image and video creation tools to turn pre-existing photos and videos of approximately 1,200 real people into what appear to be hyper-realistic images and videos of those individuals engaging in sexual conduct'; 'They then used these websites to disseminate, publish, and sell these videos and other similar non-consensual intimate imagery'; 'The approximately 1,200 victims of these websites and the content creators who use these websites to sell their NCII videos are overwhelmingly women and primarily public-facing individuals, including actors, politicians, athletes, musicians, social justice advocates, and social media influencers'.","relation":"supports","source_id":"da"},{"locator":"'Around 1,200 people—overwhelmingly women—were depicted in nonconsensual sexual images and videos on the websites, the office says'.","relation":"supports","source_id":"wired"}],"assertion":"The DA's office alleges that individuals under investigation used AI image and video creation tools to turn pre-existing photos and videos of approximately 1,200 real people into sexual images and videos that were then published and sold on the sites, and describes the victims as overwhelmingly women and primarily public-facing figures (actors, politicians, athletes, musicians, social justice advocates and social media influencers).","causal_attribution":"The AI mechanism, the approximate figure and the description of the victims are the prosecuting office's allegations; WIRED attributes the same figure to the office, so the two passages share one origin. The figure is an estimate, not a documented minimum, and no counting method, ages or individual outcomes are given."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'WIRED independently observed several of the sites’ homepages being replaced by takedown notices'; 'late last week, with the sites now saying they have been taken over following a seizure warrant issued by a New York State Supreme Court'; 'Archived versions of the websites show some videos had been watched tens of thousands of times, with one of the websites claiming to have been online since 2018'.","relation":"supports","source_id":"wired"}],"assertion":"WIRED says it independently observed several of the sites' homepages replaced by seizure notices late in the week before the announcement, with the notices citing a seizure warrant issued by a New York State Supreme Court, and that archived versions of the sites showed some videos watched tens of thousands of times and one site claiming to have been online since 2018.","causal_attribution":"The reporter's own observations of the notices and archived pages. The warrant was not inspected, and a site's claim about its own age does not establish when any depiction was made."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Most videos took the shape of actual pornographic movies, manipulated to instead show targets’ faces instead of the original actors'; 'many videos appeared to be reposts of content that had originally be shared on the MrDeepFakes website'; 'On at least two of the seized websites, elected officials were given profiles containing their name and position, along with a grid of manipulated videos hosting their likeness'.","relation":"supports","source_id":"wired"}],"assertion":"A researcher at the American Sunlight Project told WIRED that most videos on the sites were pornographic films manipulated to show the targets' faces, that many appeared to be reposts of content first shared on the MrDeepFakes website, and that at least two of the seized sites gave elected officials profiles with their names and positions.","causal_attribution":"Researcher observations reported by WIRED. The article's politician figures combine people mentioned with people who appeared and are internally inconsistent, so they are not used as a tally of depicted people."},{"id":"c5","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'These horrific violations of privacy follow victims into their careers and personal lives and take an immense toll on emotional and mental wellbeing'.","relation":"supports","source_id":"da"},{"locator":"'district attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement'.","relation":"context","source_id":"wired"}],"assertion":"District Attorney Bragg said the violations of privacy follow victims into their careers and personal lives and take an immense toll on emotional and mental wellbeing.","causal_attribution":"A general statement by the prosecutor about this kind of harm; it does not establish any individual's outcome."}],"effects":[{"label":"Non-consensual AI-generated sexual depictions of about 1,200 people (the DA's estimate) published and sold on 12 websites","claim_id":"c2","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"da","url":"https://manhattanda.org/manhattan-d-a-s-office-seizes-domains-of-12-illegal-websites-selling-ai-generated-deep-fakes/","kind":"official_statement","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-10-07 (live HTTP 200; also read 2026-09-17 and 2026-10-06). Press release dated September 14, 2026 announcing the seizure of 12 domain names, the office's allegations about AI-created non-consensual imagery of approximately 1,200 people, the DA's statement and the ongoing investigation. The release does not name the sites or any operator.","independence_group":"manhattanda"},{"id":"wired","url":"https://www.wired.com/story/new-york-seizes-a-dozen-celebrity-deepfake-websites/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-10-07 (live HTTP 200; also read 2026-09-17 and 2026-10-06). WIRED, Sep 14, 2026 (Matt Burgess). Its 1,200 figure and the description of the victims are attributed to the DA's office and share that origin. Its own contributions are the reporter's observation of seizure notices before the announcement, archived-site observations and interviews with two researchers. The politician numbers it reports mix people mentioned with people who appeared and are not used as a count.","independence_group":"wired"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["privacy","justice"],"unknowns":["An exact or minimum number of depicted people and the office's counting method; the 1,200 figure is an estimate.","When the depictions were created and published; one site claimed to have been online since 2018.","Which AI tools were used and where the generation, hosting and the depicted people were located.","The identities of the operators and uploaders; no arrests or charges are reported.","Ages of the depicted people and any individual outcome; the DA speaks generally about the toll on victims.","The seizure warrant and its date; WIRED reports it from the sites' notices and it was not inspected."],"geography":{"basis":"Court US: the seizure was executed by the Manhattan District Attorney's Office under a court order, which WIRED reports as a New York State Supreme Court seizure warrant. Event unknown: no inspected source states where the depictions were generated or published or where the operators are, and the seat of the seizing authority does not locate the abuse. Affected people unknown: the depicted people are not enumerated, and WIRED's references to US, UK and European politicians mix people mentioned with people who appeared.","court_countries":["US"],"event_countries":[],"affected_person_countries":[]},"publication":{"basis":"Published as a bounded series of alleged non-consensual AI-generated sexual depictions: the DA's release describes AI image and video tools turning real people's photos and videos into sexual imagery sold on 12 seized sites, and a researcher quoted by WIRED describes face-swapped pornographic videos on those sites. The 14 September 2026 announcement is documented; the allegations, the approximately 1,200 estimate and the researcher observations are attributed and the dates and count of the depictions remain unknown. No individual victim is named.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-07"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The DA's release states that individuals under investigation used AI image and video creation tools to turn pre-existing photos and videos of approximately 1,200 real people into hyper-realistic sexual images and videos that were then disseminated, published and sold on the 12 seized sites; the non-consensual depiction and its sale are the reported harm. A researcher quoted by WIRED describes the videos on the sites as pornographic films manipulated to show the targets' faces, and WIRED reports the sites advertised the material as deepfakes. The specific tools, the original files and the generated material were not inspected, and the account of the AI mechanism rests on the prosecuting office.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"Manhattan DA says 12 seized websites sold AI-generated sexual deepfakes of about 1,200 people; the depictions' dates and an exact count are not established","summary":"On 14 September 2026 the Manhattan District Attorney's Office announced that it had seized, under a court order, 12 domain names of websites it says were used to disseminate, publish and sell non-consensual 'deepfake' videos, and said its investigations were ongoing. The office alleges that people under investigation used AI image and video creation tools to turn existing photos and videos of approximately 1,200 real people, overwhelmingly women and mostly public-facing figures, into sexual images and videos that were then sold. The 1,200 figure is the office's estimate and is not a documented count. WIRED reported that it had observed seizure notices on several of the sites in the days before the announcement and quoted researchers who described the videos as pornographic films manipulated to show the targets' faces, many apparently reposted from the defunct MrDeepFakes site. When the depictions were made and published is not established; one site claimed to have been online since 2018.","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"unknown","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2026-09-14","aiSystem":"AI image and video creation tools, not identified, which the Manhattan DA alleges were used to create the non-consensual sexual imagery","aiProduct":"Unidentified image and video tool","severity":"high","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["exploitation_or_abuse"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"The Manhattan DA alleges that about 1,200 real people, overwhelmingly women, were depicted without consent in AI-generated sexual images and videos published and sold on 12 websites it seized. The DA says such violations take an immense toll on victims' wellbeing and careers; no individual outcome, age or exact count is established.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":0,"affectedCountStatus":"unquantified","affectedCountEvidence":"The DA's office gives an approximate estimate of 1,200 depicted people and WIRED attributes that figure to the office; neither source states an exact total, a lower bound or a counting method, so the numeric fields are zero placeholders for an unquantified count and the estimate stays in attributed prose. Twelve is the number of domains, not people. WIRED's politician numbers mix people mentioned with people who appeared and are not a count of depicted people. Audience figures (views) are not counted. The depicted people are not reported as users of the tools.","victimAgeRange":"unknown","jurisdiction":"US","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"investigation_opened","outcomeStatus":"ongoing","primarySourceUrl":"https://manhattanda.org/manhattan-d-a-s-office-seizes-domains-of-12-illegal-websites-selling-ai-generated-deep-fakes/","primarySourceLabel":"Manhattan District Attorney's Office press release, 14 September 2026: Office seizes domains of 12 illegal websites selling AI-generated deepfakes","firstPublishedAt":"2026-09-17T03:27:44.31761+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-07T03:25:01.633732+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["deepfake","ncii","non-consensual-imagery","manhattan-da","new-york","celebrities","united-states","depicted-or-impersonated"]}]}