Hong Kong Launches Criminal Investigation into AI-Generated Deepfake Porn Scandal at University

Hong Kong opens criminal probe into AI-generated porn scandal at city's oldest university

HONG KONG -- Chinese authorities in Hong Kong have launched a criminal investigation after more than a dozen female students and teachers at the University of Hong Kong accused a male law student of using AI to generate deepfake porn images of them. The probe, announced Tuesday by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data, came after an outcry from students at the university, the city's oldest, who said it hadn't done enough to protect them or punish the accused. "The images were organized into folders named after the victims, totaling 700+ images (including the original photos)," read a widely circulated letter that was posted Saturday on Instagram from an account run by three unnamed victims. The accused, referred to in the letter only as "a male law student," took photos of the victims from social media and used AI software to generate pornographic images with their faces, according to the letter. The images were discovered on his laptop reported to the university in February. They were not known to have been widely distributed. In March, the university interviewed some of the victims, and in April informed one of them that the accused student had written a 60-word "apology letter." While NBC News was unable to confirm the authenticity of that letter, and the account did not respond to a request for comment, the university said it was "aware of the social media posts concerning a student allegedly using AI tools to create indecent images." "The University has already issued him a warning letter and demanded him a formal apology to his affected peers," the university said Saturday in a statement. Deepfake porn is a type of nonconsensual pornography that involves altering existing images or creating entirely new ones using readily available AI tools to make it appear that a person has participated in sexual acts. Regulations in Hong Kong around the technology are currently sparse. While it criminalizes "publication or threatened publication of intimate images without consent," it does not explicitly outlaw their generation. In the U.S., regulations govern dissemination, with President Donald Trump signing legislation in May that bans nonconsensual online publication of AI-generated porn, but federal law does not explicitly prohibit personal possession, and a district judge ruled in February that possessing such images was protected by the First Amendment. After it was rocked by a number of scandals similar to the one playing out in Hong Kong, South Korea passed a law last year that criminalizes not only the possession but also the consumption of such content. Though the University of Hong Kong said that it had undertaken various steps on behalf of the victims, "including class adjustments," the victims wrote in the letter that the university's inaction had resulted in them being forced to share the classroom with the suspect "at least four times, causing unnecessary psychological distress." Outrage has since grown in the wider student community, which has demanded more stringent action. That prompted a response from the city's top official, Chief Executive John Lee, who said at a news briefing Tuesday that universities have the "responsibility of developing students' moral character," adding institutions should "deal with student misconduct seriously." "Any conduct that causes harm to others may constitute a criminal offense and may also infringe individual rights and also privacy," he said. The university did not respond to a request for comment from NBC News, but it told the South China Morning Post this week that it was conducting a review of the incident and vowed further action if victims demanded more. "The university is now further reviewing the case and will take further actions when appropriate to ensure a safe and respectful learning environment," it said.

AI-generated porn scandal rocks University of Hong Kong after law student allegedly created deepfakes of 20 women

Hong Kong's privacy watchdog said Tuesday it has launched a criminal investigation into an AI-generated porn scandal at the city's oldest university, after a student was accused of creating lewd images of his female classmates and teachers. Three people alleged over the weekend that a University of Hong Kong (HKU) law student fabricated pornographic deepfakes of at least 20 women using artificial intelligence, in what is the first high-profile case of its kind in the Chinese financial hub. The university sparked outrage over a perceived lenient punishment after it said Saturday it had only sent a warning letter to the student and demanded he apologize. But Hong Kong's Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data said Tuesday that disclosing someone else's personal data without consent, and with an intent to cause harm, could be an offense. The watchdog "has begun a criminal investigation into the incident and has no further comment at this stage," it said, without mentioning the student. The accusers said in a statement Saturday that Hong Kong law only criminalises the distribution of "intimate images," including those created with AI, but not the generation of them. There is no allegation so far that the student spread the deepfake images, and so "victims are unable to seek punishment... through Hong Kong's criminal justice system", they wrote. The accusers said a friend discovered the images on the student's laptop. Experts warn the alleged use of AI in the scandal may be the tip of a "very large iceberg" surrounding non-consensual imagery. "The HKU case shows clearly that anyone could be a perpetrator, no space is 100 percent safe," Annie Chan, a former associate professor at Hong Kong's Lingnan University, told AFP. Women's rights advocates said Hong Kong was "lagging behind" in terms of legal protections. "Some people who seek our help feel wronged, because they never took those photos," said Doris Chong, executive director at the Association Concerning Sexual Violence Against Women, referring to cases at the group's crisis center. "The AI generations are so life-like that their circulation would be very upsetting." Asked about the case at a Tuesday press briefing, Hong Kong leader John Lee said most of the city's laws "are applicable to activities on the internet." HKU said on Saturday it will review the case and take further action if appropriate. AI-generated pornography has also made headlines in the U.S. A study found 6% of American teens have been targets of nude deepfake images that look like them. Last month, Meta removed a number of ads promoting "nudify" apps -- AI tools used to create sexually explicit deepfakes using images of real people -- after a CBS News investigation found hundreds of such advertisements on its platforms. In May, one of the largest websites dedicated to deepfake pornography announced that it shut down after a critical service provider withdrew its support, effectively halting the site's operations.

Hong Kong opens probe into AI-generated porn scandal at university - VnExpress International

Three people alleged over the weekend that a University of Hong Kong (HKU) law student fabricated pornographic images of at least 20 women using artificial intelligence, in what is the first high-profile case of its kind in the Chinese financial hub. The university sparked outrage over a perceived lenient punishment after it said Saturday it had only sent a warning letter to the student and demanded he apologize. But Hong Kong's Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data said Tuesday that disclosing someone else's personal data without consent, and with an intent to cause harm, could be an offense. The watchdog "has begun a criminal investigation into the incident and has no further comment at this stage", it said, without mentioning the student. The accusers said in a statement Saturday that Hong Kong law only criminalizes the distribution of "intimate images", including those created with AI, but not the generation of them. There is no allegation so far that the student spread the deepfake images, and so "victims are unable to seek punishment... through Hong Kong's criminal justice system", they wrote. The accusers said a friend discovered the images on the student's laptop. Experts warn the alleged use of AI in the scandal may be the tip of a "very large iceberg" surrounding non-consensual imagery. "The HKU case shows clearly that anyone could be a perpetrator, no space is 100 percent safe," Annie Chan, a former associate professor at Hong Kong's Lingnan University, told AFP. Women's rights advocates said Hong Kong was "lagging behind" in terms of legal protections. "Some people who seek our help feel wronged, because they never took those photos," said Doris Chong, executive director at the Association Concerning Sexual Violence Against Women, referring to cases at the group's crisis center. "The AI generations are so life-like that their circulation would be very upsetting." Asked about the case at a Tuesday press briefing, Hong Kong leader John Lee said most of the city's laws "are applicable to activities on the internet". HKU said on Saturday it will review the case and take further action if appropriate.