The Civil Guard has investigated seven minors in the province of Zaragoza after the dissemination of photographs of other minors that were manipulated with artificial intelligence (AI) to obtain a false image of the victim in which her naked body was seen. In total there are 13 minors involved. However, six of them are under 14 years old and cannot be charged.
The complaint from the parents of several young women regarding the dissemination of photographs in which they appeared naked was the beginning of the investigation by the Civil Guard. These images had been previously manipulated to obtain a false portrait of the victims’ naked bodies.
According to all the complainants, the victims realized that these photographs were circulating through mobile messaging groups among several minors from the institute to which they belonged. They also offered to purchase them for five euros per photograph.
After investigating these events, the Civil Guard managed to obtain the identity of those allegedly responsible and involved in the manipulation and dissemination of images, as well as their way of acting.
The minors sent messages with their mobile phones the photographs of high school classmates that they had previously obtained after taking screenshots of images published by them on their profiles on a well-known social network.
Subsequently, the photographs were manipulated using an AI application, obtaining a false image of the naked victim, which was disseminated in the chat of those involved and their contacts. In addition, it was proven that they offered to acquire the images of the minors in exchange for money, specifically five euros per photograph.
The young people involved, once the victims were aware of the existence of these photographs, created a second chat with the intention of deleting the images from their mobile phones and not having any type of evidence on their devices in case the Guard Civil investigate these facts.
The investigations have ended with the investigation of seven minors, aged 14 and 15, for alleged crimes of child pornography and another against moral integrity. The other six involved, being under 14 years of age, are not responsible. The proceedings have been sent to the Juvenile Prosecutor’s Office. The events have occurred in a town near Zaragoza capital.
The operation has been carried out by the Group of People of the Organic Unit of the Judicial Police of the Civil Guard of Zaragoza.
In September, a group of mothers from Almendralejo (Badajoz) denounced the publication and dissemination of AI-generated images of their daughters in which they simulated fake nudes.
