
#SHOWBIZ: Filipino singer Ronnie Liang warns public after AI impersonation scams over 100 women
As reported by The Philippine Daily Inquirer yesterday, Liang spoke to selected members of the press, revealing how he was exploited in fake and edited AI videos.
These deceptive videos were used to "build romance" and solicit money from various women.
"I was accused of asking people for money. I was accused of tricking them into meeting me in hotels, where some had already booked a flight to meet a supposed me," he explained.
Liang showed the manipulated videos to the press, stating they were edited from his live broadcasts.
He shared that the victims included both Filipina and foreign women.
The Pinoy Dream Academy second runner-up admitted his frustration at people falling victim, as he consistently reminds them not to believe everything they see online.
"To our Filipinas, but actually those who often send money are foreigners, please be vigilant, be observant, and be careful not to believe that Ronnie Liang will try to seduce you and arrange for you to stay in hotels and order you to book flights; that is not me," he stressed.
In addition to his acting and singing career, Liang recently earned his doctorate degree in Security Development Administration.
The singer has also addressed accusations surrounding his studies, defending the hard work he put in to achieve this academic milestone.
"There are those who are bashing me, saying I bought my diploma. I was hurt because they didn't know the pain and hardship I went through. They can verify with the university. It's not my problem if they are not updated on every single thing I do every semester," he said.
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The Star
18 hours ago
- The Star
‘It destroyed families': The evil of e-sabong that became a scourge during the pandemic
MANILA: In 2022, a young mother sold her own infant to pay off her online sabong debt—an unthinkable crime for which she was convicted in 2024. The baby—then just eight months old —became a casualty of a digital gambling craze that, in just a few years, swept through Filipino households, leaving behind a trail of broken families, empty bank accounts, and lives cut short. Stories like hers are no longer rare in the Philippines. Since the rise of online sabong—or e‑sabong—during the pandemic, tales of addiction and devastation have multiplied. For some, what started as a pastime to kill boredom during lockdowns quickly spiralled into a dangerous habit. For others, the losses went beyond money: jobs, relationships, mental health, and even lives were lost to the 24/7 lure of 'easy money' in the virtual cockpit. One anonymous player recounted how he lost up to four months' worth of salary in just a few weeks: 'I touched my emergency savings. It's addicting—when you lose, you always think about making it back. The odds feel 50‑50, but it's risky, and maybe I was just unlucky. I was warned, but the thought of winning it all back always pulled me in. In the end, you only have yourself to blame.' For the fees he has allegedly been demanding from his client, former President Rodrigo Duterte, he should do better than that,' Castro said. 'I think I've lost half a million pesos to e‑sabong,' another player confessed. 'I make over ₱60,000 a month, but it feels like I have nothing left after paying my debts. I know I'm addicted, but I can't stop. I don't know who to talk to anymore.' And for some, the cycle of debt and loss has pushed them to the brink. 'I've promised myself again and again that I'll stop, but I keep going back. I've already lost over ₱100,000. I can't sleep, I'm depressed, and I don't know how to pay off my debts.' These are just a handful of the thousands caught in e‑sabong's grip—a digital vice so widespread that by early 2022, thousands of Filipinos were betting online every day, with roughly 200 live matches streamed daily, according to data from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor). For every winner, there are many more silent sufferers: parents pawning valuables, young people spiraling into debt, and families torn apart by shame and silence. What is e-sabong? E-sabong—short for electronic sabong or online cockfighting—is the digital version of a centuries-old Filipino gambling game. Instead of gathering at crowded cockpit arenas, gamblers log into websites or mobile apps to place bets on live-streamed cockfights, broadcast in real time from licensed arenas across the country. According to Pagcor, it is defined as 'the online or remote wagering on live cockfighting matches, events, and activities streamed or broadcast live from cockpit arenas licensed by local governments.' Unlike traditional sabong, where bettors shout over the noise of the crowd, online sabong can be played anywhere: in bedrooms, internet cafés, or even on a phone while commuting. The fights are quick, with barely a pause between matches, and bets can be placed repeatedly in just minutes. E-sabong platforms—licensed and regulated by PAGCOR—require players to register, submit IDs, and verify their identity. Only Filipinos aged 21 and above are allowed to join, and strict rules prohibit public officials, police, and military personnel from playing. Payments and withdrawals are made through digital wallets or bank transfers, and betting limits are set by the operator. Why did it boom during the pandemic? The Covid-19 pandemic created the perfect storm for e-sabong's explosive growth. With traditional arenas shut down by lockdowns and public gatherings banned, enthusiasts and newcomers flocked online, searching for both entertainment and a quick financial fix. For those suddenly out of work, e-sabong promised the thrill of easy money—no need to leave home, no need for much skill, just a stable internet connection and a bit of luck. The lure proved irresistible for 'Liza' (not her real name), who lost her job when the pandemic struck. With nothing to do and bills piling up, she found herself trying her luck as an online sabong agent. 'Everything was closed, and it was scary to go outside. I wanted to do something different and saw that e-sabong was everywhere, so I gave it a shot,' she recalled. Liza spent several hours a week picking her bets, sometimes judging the roosters by their size or how fierce they looked on screen. She admits that boredom and joblessness drove many people she knew into the online cockpit. For Jenny (not her real name), e-sabong became more than just a way to pass the time. Before she knew it, it was part of her everyday life. 'Someone taught me how to play. At first, I had no idea how any of it worked, but soon I was betting almost every day, sometimes losing sleep because I stayed up all night watching the fights,' she shared. Jenny said she usually placed small bets, but when she won, she'd double down, risking everything again in hopes of hitting it big. For others, like 'Carl,' curiosity and family influence led them to try. 'My relatives played a lot, so I just wanted to see what it was about. It was easy to get hooked because you could bet anytime, anywhere,' he admitted. For some, the pandemic gave e-sabong an almost social aspect. 'It wasn't just about the money—it was something to do together. Sometimes, it was bonding time for me and my dad or brother,' Jenny added. But not everyone was so lucky. Many who started for fun ended up deep in debt or fighting addiction. 'Looking back, I realised I could've lost much more than just money,' Jenny said. By early 2022, e-sabong had become a multi-billion peso industry. Government data showed 6,000 to 7,000 active players a day, and hundreds of fights streamed online daily. With quick matches, easy betting, and around-the-clock access, e-sabong quietly turned into a national phenomenon—sometimes, at a cost families never imagined. Disappeared in the digital cockpit Between April 2021 and January 2022, at least 34 e-sabong enthusiasts went missing in Luzon, including 19 from Laguna, with additional cases reported in Batangas, Bulacan, Manila, and Rizal. These missing sabungeros sparked a nationwide scare and prompted a high-profile Senate inquiry. A whistleblower, Julie Patidongan (also known as 'Totoy'), surfaced and claimed in an interview over GMA News that the number of missing could be much higher, possibly as many as 100 individuals. According to Patidongan, the missing sabungeros were killed, tied to sandbags, and their bodies disposed of in Taal Lake. Patidongan also provided specific details to the authorities, which prompted families of the disappeared to renew calls for a search of the area, hoping to recover the remains of their loved ones, 'kahit buto na lang (even if just the bones)' No remains directly linked to the missing sabungeros have been found in Taal Lake so far. However, authorities are actively exploring ways to retrieve the bodies, if the bodies were really buried there, including deploying technical divers and seeking the assistance of foreign experts. Meanwhile, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said the disappearances may be connected to profit-driven corporate killings rather than isolated incidents. He emphasised that the scale and coordination of the crimes point to a systematic operation involving 'subcontractors'—hired groups who carried out abductions and killings for profit. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr has ordered law enforcement agencies to conduct a 'deeper probe' and deliver conclusive results 'as soon as possible.' The Department of Justice (DOJ), on the other hand, is preparing to file charges against identified suspects, based on ongoing investigations and the information provided by the whistleblower Amid this, public attention has also turned to well-known personalities in the gaming industry. Businessman Atong Ang, frequently mentioned in connection with e-sabong, has strongly denied any involvement in the disappearances. Actress Gretchen Barretto, who has been linked to the controversy due to her association with Ang, has publicly denied any involvement in the case of the missing sabungeros. In a statement relayed by her lawyer, Barretto said she was not connected to the disappearances and had no participation in e-sabong operations. For families of the missing, the search for truth is far from over. Many continue to press authorities for action, clinging to the hope that their loved ones—or at least the truth behind their fate—will finally be found. From regulation to ban—and a renewed crackdown At the height of the pandemic, e-sabong thrived under PAGCOR's regulatory watch. The government, facing an economic slump, initially allowed the industry to operate as a source of revenue even as concerns about addiction and criminal activity quietly mounted. But as cases of disappearances and allegations of corruption began to make headlines, public pressure forced the government to reconsider its stance. By February 2022, the Department of Justice and the Philippine National Police had launched investigations into the growing number of missing sabungeros, while the Senate moved to suspend all e-sabong operations. In May 2022, then-President Rodrigo Duterte ordered a total shutdown of e-sabong, citing its grave social cost, specifically referencing the disappearances and the industry's role in 'profit-driven killings.' Fast forward to June 2025, the House of Representatives approved bills that would ban e-sabong nationwide, while establishing clearer regulations for traditional cockfighting. A case still unfolding The e-sabong controversy continues to unravel, exposing not just the dangers of unchecked online gambling but a complex web of disappearances, alleged organized crime, and unanswered questions. While authorities push investigations forward and new leads emerge, the full story of the missing sabungeros—and those responsible—remains unresolved. As the country watches, both the pursuit of justice and calls for industry reform continue to shape the ongoing national reckoning over e-sabong. - Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN


The Star
a day ago
- The Star
AI-generated images of child sexual abuse are flooding the Internet
WASHINGTON: A new flood of child sexual abuse material created by artificial intelligence is hitting a tipping point of realism, threatening to overwhelm authorities. Over the past two years, new AI technologies have made it easier for criminals to create explicit images and videos of children. Now, researchers at organisations including the Internet Watch Foundation and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children are warning of a surge of new material this year that is nearly indistinguishable from actual abuse. New data released July 10 from the Internet Watch Foundation, a British nonprofit that investigates and collects reports of child sexual abuse imagery, identified 1,286 AI-generated videos of child sexual abuse so far this year globally, compared with just two in the first half of 2024. The videos have become smoother and more detailed, the organisation's analysts said, because of improvements in the technology and collaboration among groups on hard-to-reach parts of the Internet called the dark web to produce them. The rise of lifelike videos adds to an explosion of AI-produced child sexual abuse material, or CSAM. In the United States, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children said it had received 485,000 reports of AI-generated CSAM, including stills and videos, in the first half of the year, compared with 67,000 for all of 2024. 'It's a canary in the coal mine,' said Derek Ray-Hill, interim CEO of the Internet Watch Foundation. The AI-generated content can contain images of real children alongside fake images, he said, adding, 'There is an absolute tsunami we are seeing.' The deluge of AI material threatens to make law enforcement's job even harder. While still a tiny fraction of the total amount of child sexual abuse material found online, which tallied reports in the millions, the police have been inundated with requests to investigate AI-generated images, taking away from their pursuit of those engaging in child abuse. Law enforcement authorities say federal laws against child sexual abuse material and obscenity cover AI-generated images, including content that is wholly created by the technology and do not contain real images of children. Beyond federal statutes, state legislators have also raced to criminalise AI-generated depictions of child sexual abuse, enacting more than three dozen state laws in recent years. But courts are only just beginning to grapple with the legal implications, legal experts said. The new technology stems from generative AI, which exploded onto the scene with OpenAI's introduction of ChatGPT in 2022. Soon after, companies introduced AI image and video generators, prompting law enforcement and child safety groups to warn about safety issues. Much of the new AI content includes real imagery of child sexual abuse that is reused in new videos and still images. Some of the material uses photos of children scraped from school websites and social media. Images are typically shared among users in forums, via messaging on social media and other online platforms. In December 2023, researchers at the Stanford Internet Observatory found hundreds of examples of child sexual abuse material in a dataset used in an early version of the image generator Stable Diffusion. Stability AI, which runs Stable Diffusion, said it was not involved in the data training of the model studied by Stanford. It said an outside company had developed that version before Stability AI took over exclusive development of the image generator. Only in recent months have AI tools become good enough to trick the human eye with an image or video, avoiding some of the previous giveaways like too many fingers on a hand, blurry backgrounds or jerky transitions between video frames. The Internet Watch Foundation found examples last month of individuals in an underground web forum praising the latest technology, where they remarked on how realistic a new cache of AI-generated child sexual abuse videos were. They pointed out how the videos ran smoothly, contained detailed backgrounds with paintings on walls and furniture, and depicted multiple individuals engaged in violent and illegal acts against minors. About 35 tech companies now report AI-generated images of child sexual abuse to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, said John Shehan, a senior official with the group, although some are uneven in their approach. The companies filing the most reports typically are more proactive in finding and reporting images of child sexual abuse, he said. Amazon, which offers AI tools via its cloud computing service, reported 380,000 incidents of AI-generated child sexual abuse material in the first half of the year, which it took down. OpenAI reported 75,000 cases. Stability AI reported fewer than 30. Stability AI said it had introduced safeguards to enhance its safety standards and 'is deeply committed to preventing the misuse of our technology, particularly in the creation and dissemination of harmful content, including CSAM.' Amazon and OpenAI, when asked to comment, pointed to reports they posted online that explained their efforts to detect and report child sexual abuse material. Some criminal networks are using AI to create sexually explicit images of minors and then blackmail the children, said a Department of Justice official, who requested anonymity to discuss private investigations. Other children use apps that take images of real people and disrobe them, creating what is known as a deepfake nude. Although sexual abuse images containing real children are clearly illegal, the law is still evolving on materials generated fully by artificial intelligence, some legal scholars said. In March, a Wisconsin man who was accused by the Justice Department of illegally creating, distributing and possessing fully synthetic images of child sexual abuse successfully challenged one of the charges against him on First Amendment grounds. Judge James Peterson of US District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin said that 'the First Amendment generally protects the right to possess obscene material in the home' so long as it isn't 'actual child pornography.' But the trial will move forward on the other charges, which relate to the production and distribution of 13,000 images created with an image generator. The man tried to share images with a minor on Instagram, which reported him, according to federal prosecutors. 'The Department of Justice views all forms of AI-generated CSAM as a serious and emerging threat,' said Matt Galeotti, head of the Justice Department's criminal division. – ©2025 The New York Times Company This article originally appeared in The New York Times.


New Straits Times
2 days ago
- New Straits Times
Humanoid robot says not aiming to 'replace human artists'
GENEVA: When successful artist Ai-Da unveiled a new portrait of King Charles this week, the humanoid robot described what inspired the layered and complex piece, and insisted it had no plans to "replace" humans. The ultra-realistic robot, one of the most advanced in the world, is designed to resemble a human woman with an expressive, life-like face, large hazel eyes and brown hair cut in a bob. The arms though are unmistakably robotic, with exposed metal, and can be swapped out depending on the art form it is practicing. Late last year, Ai-Da's portrait of English mathematician Alan Turing became the first artwork by a humanoid robot to be sold at auction, fetching over US$1 million (RM4.25 million). But as Ai-Da unveiled its latest creation – an oil painting entitled "Algorithm King", conceived using artificial intelligence – the humanoid insisted the work's importance could not be measured in money. "The value of my artwork is to serve as a catalyst for discussions that explore ethical dimensions to new technologies," the robot told AFP at Britain's diplomatic mission in Geneva, where the new portrait of King Charles will be housed. The idea, Ai-Da insisted in a slow, deliberate cadence, was to "foster critical thinking and encourage responsible innovation for more equitable and sustainable futures." Speaking on the sidelines of the United Nations' AI for Good summit, Ai-Da, who has done sketches, paintings and sculptures, detailed the methods and inspiration behind the work. "When creating my art, I use a variety of AI algorithms," the robot said. "I start with a basic idea or concept that I want to explore, and I think about the purpose of the art. What will it say?" The humanoid pointed out that "King Charles has used his platform to raise awareness on environmental conservation and interfaith dialog. I have aimed this portrait to celebrate" that, it said, adding that "I hope King Charles will be appreciative of my efforts." Aidan Meller, a specialist in modern and contemporary art, led the team that created Ai-Da in 2019 with artificial intelligence specialists at the universities of Oxford and Birmingham. He told AFP that he had conceived the humanoid robot – named after the world's first computer programmer Ada Lovelace – as an ethical arts project, and not "to replace the painters." Ai-Da agreed. There is "no doubt that AI is changing our world, (including) the art world and forms of human creative expression", the robot acknowledged. But "I do not believe AI or my artwork will replace human artists." Instead, Ai-Da said, the aim was "to inspire viewers to think about how we use AI positively, while remaining conscious of its risks and limitations." Asked if a painting made by a machine could really be considered art, the robot insisted that "my artwork is unique and creative."