FBI arrests two men over alleged AI-made nonconsensual sexual images

In short: US prosecutors say the FBI arrested two men for allegedly posting and selling AI-made sexual images of real women without consent.

What happened

The FBI arrested 20-year-old Arturo Hernandez and 51-year-old Cornelius “Neil” Shannon under the Take It Down Act, a US law that targets nonconsensual intimate images, including AI-made fakes. A “deepfake” is an image or video made by AI that can make it look like someone did something they never did.

According to court documents, agents said they found the alleged content by visiting porn sites and clicking obvious labels like “#Deepfakes” and titles that referenced AI. Investigators say Hernandez posted 113 albums that were viewed nearly a million times and included AI-made sexual images and videos of about 50 women. The alleged victims included public figures and women he knew, including people from his Texas high school.

The FBI said it linked Hernandez to the accounts using location data, internet connection details (like a return address for online activity), and a payment trail tied to PayPal. Agents also said they found that he had saved, inside his own Instagram account, the exact photo used to create one widely viewed piece of AI porn.

In Shannon’s case, investigators said it was even easier because the porn account allegedly used his own photo as the profile picture. He is accused of posting about 360 albums viewed more than 2 million times, featuring about 90 women.

Both men face up to two years in prison if convicted.

Why it matters

These arrests suggest law enforcement can often trace this kind of content back to real people using everyday clues like photos, usernames, payment accounts, and internet records. The case also highlights a limit of the law, victims may still have to find and report harmful posts before they are taken down.

Source: Arstechnica