Hong Kong Opens Criminal Probe Into Ai-generated Porn Scandal At City's Oldest University

HONG KONG — Chinese authorities successful Hong Kong have launched a criminal investigation aft much than a twelve female students and teachers astatine nan University of Hong Kong accused a antheral rule student of utilizing AI to make deepfake porn images of them.

The probe, announced Tuesday by nan Office of nan Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data, came aft an outcry from students astatine nan university, nan city's oldest, who said it hadn't done capable to protect them aliases punish nan accused.

"The images were organized into folders named aft nan victims, totaling 700+ images (including nan original photos)," publication a wide circulated missive that was posted Saturday connected Instagram from an relationship tally by 3 unnamed victims.

The accused, referred to successful nan missive only arsenic “a antheral rule student,” took photos of nan victims from societal media and utilized AI package to make pornographic images pinch their faces, according to nan letter. The images were discovered connected his laptop reported to nan assemblage successful February. They were not known to person been wide distributed.

In March, nan assemblage interviewed immoderate of nan victims, and successful April informed 1 of them that nan accused student had written a 60-word "apology letter."

While NBC News was incapable to corroborate nan authenticity of that letter, and nan relationship did not respond to a petition for comment, nan assemblage said it was "aware of nan societal media posts concerning a student allegedly utilizing AI devices to create indecent images."

“The University has already issued him a informing missive and demanded him a general apology to his affected peers,” nan assemblage said Saturday successful a statement.

Deepfake porn is simply a type of nonconsensual pornography that involves altering existing images aliases creating wholly caller ones utilizing readily disposable AI devices to make it look that a personification has participated successful intersexual acts.

Regulations successful Hong Kong astir nan exertion are presently sparse. While it criminalizes “publication aliases threatened publication of friendly images without consent,” it does not explicitly outlaw their generation.

In nan U.S., regulations govern dissemination, pinch President Donald Trump signing legislation successful May that bans nonconsensual online publication of AI-generated porn, but national rule does not explicitly prohibit individual possession, and a district judge ruled successful February that possessing specified images was protected by nan First Amendment.

After it was rocked by a number of scandals akin to nan 1 playing retired successful Hong Kong, South Korea passed a rule past year that criminalizes not only nan possession but besides nan depletion of specified content.

Though nan University of Hong Kong said that it had undertaken various steps connected behalf of nan victims, “including people adjustments,” nan victims wrote successful nan missive that nan university’s inaction had resulted successful them being forced to stock nan schoolroom pinch nan fishy “at slightest 4 times, causing unnecessary psychological distress.”

Outrage has since grown successful nan wider student community, which has demanded much stringent action. That prompted a consequence from nan city’s apical official, Chief Executive John Lee, who said astatine a news briefing Tuesday that universities person nan “responsibility of processing students’ civilized character,” adding institutions should “deal pinch student misconduct seriously.”

“Any behaviour that causes harm to others whitethorn represent a criminal discourtesy and whitethorn besides infringe individual authorities and besides privacy,” he said.

The assemblage did not respond to a petition for remark from NBC News, but it told the South China Morning Post this week that it was conducting a reappraisal of nan incident and vowed further action if victims demanded more.

“The assemblage is now further reviewing nan lawsuit and will return further actions erstwhile due to guarantee a safe and respectful learning environment,” it said.