mediumCalifornia2024criminal
State v. Anonymous Defendant (AI Deepfake Harassment)
Defendant created and distributed deepfake pornographic videos of ex-partner without consent. First prosecution under California's new deepfake law.
Charges
- •Distributing Sexually Explicit Deepfake (CA Penal Code § 647(j)(4))
- •Cyber Harassment (CA Penal Code § 653.2)
- •Violation of Restraining Order (CA Penal Code § 273.6)
Case Facts
Review the established facts of this case
- 1Defendant and victim ended relationship in January 2024
- 2Between February and April 2024, defendant created 12 deepfake videos
- 3Videos used AI to superimpose victim's face onto pornographic content
- 4Defendant sent videos to victim's employer, family members, and posted on social media
- 5Victim suffered severe emotional distress and lost job
- 6Defendant used publicly available AI software and victim's social media photos
- 7Digital forensics traced videos to defendant's computer and IP address
- 8Defendant initially denied involvement, later admitted creating videos
- 9Defendant claims it was 'just a joke' and didn't think it was illegal
- 10Victim had to hire reputation management service to remove content
- 11Videos were viewed over 50,000 times before removal
- 12Defendant has prior restraining order from victim
Your Verdict
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