logo
AI porn case student facing criminal probe by Hong Kong privacy watchdog

AI porn case student facing criminal probe by Hong Kong privacy watchdog

The Star16-07-2025
Law student at the University of Hong Kong is accused of using AI to generate pornographic images of classmates and other women. — SCMP
Hong Kong's privacy watchdog has started a criminal investigation into a university student accused of using AI to generate pornographic images of classmates and other women, while the city's leader has pledged to examine regulations elsewhere and look for 'best practices'.
A spokesman for the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data warned on July 15 that anyone who disclosed another person's information without their consent with the intent to harm or with reckless disregard for potential harm could be criminally liable.
'The Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data has begun a criminal investigation into the said matter. We have no further comments at this stage,' the spokesman said.
The case centres on a University of Hong Kong (HKU) law student who received a warning from the institution after he was found to have used AI to generate explicit images.
Three of the victims made public their accusations against the student referred to as 'X' in social media posts on Saturday as they alleged the university had not done enough to hold the man accountable.
The trio said they had no plans to report the incident to police, as they had learned that 'such acts had not been regulated by the local criminal framework'.
Weighing in on the case on Tuesday, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu called on institutions to deal with students' misconduct seriously, saying any illegal acts should also be reported to law enforcement agencies.
Lee pointed to current legislation such as the Crimes Ordinance, which covered Internet activities and countered threats to publish intimate images without consent and access to a computer with dishonest content.
But he conceded that artificial intelligence (AI) was an emerging technology that was evolving 'very rapidly', with new capabilities and developments appearing in a very short period of time.
'The government will closely monitor the situation regarding the fast development and application of AI, examine global regulatory trends, and conduct in-depth research into international best practices to see what we should do in regard to the case,' Lee said before his weekly meeting with the government's top decision-making Executive Council.
He warned that any conduct that caused harm to others could constitute a criminal offence and infringe individual rights and privacy.
'Universities should deal with student misconduct seriously,' he said, stressing that institutions were responsible not only for imparting knowledge but also for cultivating students' moral character.
'While some misconduct may be dealt with under internal university rules, any act that may [run] counter [to] the law should be reported to law enforcement agencies for action.'
In their earlier statement on social media, the three victims said a friend of X had discovered pornographic images of multiple women on his personal laptop in mid-February. When questioned, X admitted he had used photos of the victims – mainly screenshots from social media – as material to generate pornographic images using free online AI software.
But questions have been raised about whether he can be charged under the law as the city's regulations covered acts of voyeurism and the publication or distribution of images – rather than just their creation.
The Innovation, Technology and Industry Bureau earlier said that existing laws would be reviewed if necessary.
HKU said on Monday that it was conducting a review of the incident and pledged to take further action after several victims demanded that more be done.
In a letter addressed to students of HKU's law faculty on Sunday, dean Fu Hualing expressed his 'deepest concern' regarding the incident that involved 'offensive, abusive and deplorable' behaviour.
'The faculty unequivocally condemns all forms of gender discrimination, harassment, and misconduct,' he said, vowing to conduct a thorough review of the case and take appropriate action to ensure a safe and respectful learning environment for all students and staff.
Acknowledging the challenges created by emerging AI tools in the school environment, he said the faculty had been working closely with the university to review and strengthen existing policies and outreach efforts to address the issue. – South China Morning Post
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Fake water leak alert lures Hongkonger, 70, into HK$4mil online love scam
Fake water leak alert lures Hongkonger, 70, into HK$4mil online love scam

The Star

time4 hours ago

  • The Star

Fake water leak alert lures Hongkonger, 70, into HK$4mil online love scam

The victim is among nearly 20 people who lost HK$10mil in online romance scams over past two weeks. — SCMP Nearly 20 Hongkongers have lost HK$10mil (RM 5.37mil or US$1.3mil) to online romance scams over the past two weeks, with 40% of the victims above the age of 60, according to police. The force said on Wednesday that one of the cases involved a 70-year-old man who was conned out of more than HK$3mil (RM 1.61mil) in life savings and was also left with an additional HK$1mil (RM 537,435) debt.

Google ordered to pay Argentine pictured naked in his yard
Google ordered to pay Argentine pictured naked in his yard

The Star

time6 hours ago

  • The Star

Google ordered to pay Argentine pictured naked in his yard

The policeman had sought payment from the Internet giant for harm to his dignity, arguing he was behind a two-meter (6.6-foot) wall when a Google camera captured him in the buff, from behind, in small-town Argentina in 2017. — Reuters BUENOS AIRES, Argentina: An Argentine captured naked in his yard by a Google Street View camera has been awarded compensation by a court after his bare behind was splashed over the Internet for all to see. The policeman had sought payment from the Internet giant for harm to his dignity, arguing he was behind a two-meter (6.6-foot) wall when a Google camera captured him in the buff, from behind, in small-town Argentina in 2017. His house number and street name were also laid bare, broadcast on Argentine TV covering the story, and shared widely on social media. The man claimed the invasion exposed him to ridicule at work and among his neighbours. Another court last year dismissed the man's claim for damages, ruling he only had himself to blame for "walking around in inappropriate conditions in the garden of his home". Google, for its part, claimed the perimeter wall was not high enough. Appeals judges, however, concluded the man's dignity had been flagrantly violated, and awarded him an amount in Argentine pesos equivalent to about US$12,500 (RM52,843), payable by Google. "This involves an image of a person that was not captured in a public space but within the confines of their home, behind a fence taller than the average-sized person. The invasion of privacy... is blatant," they wrote. The judges said "there is no doubt that in this case there was an arbitrary intrusion into another's life." And they found there was "no justification for (Google) to evade responsibility for this serious error that involved an intrusion into the plaintiff's house, within his private domain, undermining his dignity. "No one wants to appear exposed to the world as the day they were born." The judges pointed to Google's policy of blurring the faces and license plates of people and vehicles photographed for Street View as evidence it was aware of a duty to avoid harm to third parties. But in this case, "it was not his face that was visible but his entire naked body, an image that should also have been prevented." The court absolved co-accused telecoms company Cablevision SA and news site El Censor of liability for the image spreading, saying their actions had "helped highlight the misstep committed by Google". – AFP

50 UMS student 'ambassadors' in digital literacy effort
50 UMS student 'ambassadors' in digital literacy effort

New Straits Times

time8 hours ago

  • New Straits Times

50 UMS student 'ambassadors' in digital literacy effort

KOTA KINABALU: Fifty student volunteers from Universiti Malaysia Sabah will be the pioneer batch of Nadi ambassadors tasked with promoting the National Information Dissemination Centre (Nadi) Smart Services and advancing digital literacy, particularly in rural communities. Nadi are government-run community facilities equipped with computers linked to the Internet. The facilities are meant to bridge the digital divide in the country and offer local residents accurate information on government programmes. Sabah is also the first state to roll out the Nadi ambassador programme, which is organised by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), in collaboration with UMS and government-run youth volunteer body Yayasan Sukarelawan Siswa. Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil said Nadi ambassadors would also help MCMC raise awareness on Internet safety through the Safe Internet Campaign, by engaging with residents' associations and school students. "Sabah was chosen, among other reasons, because during the Covid-19 pandemic, it faced significant Internet infrastructure challenges," he said after launching the Nadi ambassador programme at UMS yesterday. Fahmi said there were 131 Nadi facilities in Sabah, and the ambassadors would undergo two days of training on how to support digital literacy efforts and promote the benefits of these centres to the public. Fahmi said the student volunteers were selected jointly by MCMC and UMS. The minister said he hoped that the UMS students would offer suggestions on improving telecommunications in Sabah. He said the Nadi ambassador initiative would be expanded to universities nationwide with the help of their student councils. --BERNAMA

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store