Deepfake Porn in Czechia: Police Open 35 Criminal Cases in Six Months

In the first seven months of this year, Czech police recorded 35 crimes involving the creation of pornographic images using artificial intelligence. Charges under the new §191a of the Criminal Code have already been brought against five men, police presidium spokesman Jakub Vinčálek reported.

The most recent known case took place in July in the Pardubice Region: a young man took a photo of a woman he knew and used AI to digitally "undress" her, removing the clothing from the upper part of her body in the image. He then sent the doctored photo not only to the victim herself but also to mutual acquaintances. He now faces trial.

Who's Under Investigation

According to Vinčálek, all five suspects are male. Four of them are over fifteen, and the investigations into their cases are ongoing. The fifth was a boy under fifteen; due to his age, criminal proceedings against him were dropped.

Most such cases were recorded in Prague, the Central Bohemian Region, and, surprisingly, the relatively small Pardubice Region — five cases each. Notably, police in Pardubice added the aforementioned photo-manipulation case to their tally in July.

Porn in 15 Seconds

Not long ago, creating a convincing fake pornographic image using someone else's face required real skill with photo-editing software. "These days, all it takes is fifteen seconds to find a free online tool that will do it for you," said police officer David Kovář, who works on combating online sexual abuse of children, in an earlier interview.

The motives behind such content vary, Vinčálek notes: some create these images for fun or as a joke, while others use them for blackmail, threatening to distribute the material unless the victim complies with their demands. Financial gain and the desire to extract further intimate content from victims are also cited as common motives.

Source: novinky.cz