AI videos push Combs trial misinformation, researchers say
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Around two dozen YouTube channels are pumping out AI-generated videos with false claims about music mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs's sex trafficking trial, racking up millions of views and profiting from misinformation, researchers say.The flood of false content threatens to distort public perception of the musician's seven-week New York trial, where jurors were deliberating Tuesday to ascertain whether he acted as the ringleader of a criminal organization that facilitated coercive sex marathons with escorts.The sensational AI-driven channels have amassed nearly 70 million views from roughly 900 videos about Combs over the past year, according to data compiled by Indicator, a US publication investigating digital deception.The videos typically feature AI-generated thumbnails showing celebrities on the witness stand alongside images of Combs, often paired with fabricated quotes.One channel called Pak Gov Update uploaded a nearly 30-minute-long video titled "Jay-Z Breaks His Silence on Diddy Controversy," which features a thumbnail of the American rapper.The thumbnail shows Jay-Z breaking down in tears and holding up a CD above a fabricated quote: "I WILL BE DEAD SOON."Pak Gov Update has uploaded similar videos with fake testimonies attributed to other celebrities such as the American comedian Kevin Hart and singer-songwriter Usher.It began posting content about the closely watched trial in recent weeks. The channel previously posted Urdu content about Pakistan."Pak Gov Update is one of 26 YouTube channels identified by Indicator that have used a mix of false claims and AI slop to cash in on the Diddy trial," said Craig Silverman, co-founder of Indicator.YouTube has "terminated several channels" among those highlighted by Indicator for "violating our terms of service and policies covering spam," the site's spokesman Jack Malon told AFP in a statement.AI slop refers to often low-quality visual content -- generated using cheap and widely available artificial intelligence tools -- that increasingly appears to be flooding social media sites, blurring the lines between reality and fiction.Many content creators on YouTube and TikTok offer paid courses on how to monetize viral AI slop on tech platforms, many of which have reduced their reliance on human fact-checkers and scaled back content moderation.Combs, 55, faces life in prison if convicted on five federal charges that include racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation for purposes of prostitution.Conspiracy theories and falsehoods surrounding his trial have flooded social media sites in recent weeks, threatening to shroud the facts and undermine real witnesses, experts say.A song titled "I Lost Myself at a Diddy Party" and falsely attributed to Justin Bieber recently garnered millions of views across social media platforms, sparking a wave of conspiracy theories about the relationship between the two celebrities.An audio clip of the song, which features lyrics about Bieber losing his innocence after attending a Combs party, was likely created using an AI tool, according to the disinformation watchdog NewsGuard.Also gaining traction online was a manipulated image of Combs and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein sitting next to US President Donald Trump on a couch with young women.
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Indian Express
an hour ago
- Indian Express
Who is Sean ‘Diddy' Combs, acquitted of sex trafficking and racketeering charges
US rapper and music producer Sean 'Diddy' Combs was on Wednesday (July 2) acquitted of the serious charges of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking, but convicted of transportation for prostitution to participate in his 'freak-offs', or drug-fuelled sex parties. He now faces a maximum sentence of 20 years, but may ultimately serve a shorter prison term. He has been held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York, since his arrest last September. However, Judge Arun Subramaniam ordered Combs to remain in detention until his sentencing. While the judge proposed October 3 as a sentencing date, Combs' lawyers have sought an expedited schedule and will meet again on July 8, the BBC reported. Combs was accused of heading a criminal enterprise with some of his closest employees, who allegedly used threats, coercive tactics, outright violence, bribery and other crimes to force his ex-girlfriend Cassandra 'Cassie' Ventura, and a woman identified as 'Jane', to participate in his 'freak-offs' with male escorts. His lawyers claimed that the sexual acts were consensual, that Combs' accusers were suing him for financial gain, and that he stood to be disadvantaged by the media trial given his public status. Music producer who enjoyed the limelight Sean Combs is a music mogul who dominated the hip-hop scene in the 1990s and 2000s, and is credited with helping bring it to the mainstream today. The 56-year-old rapper was reportedly nicknamed 'Puff' as a child as he would 'huff and puff' while throwing a tantrum. His first single, 'Can't Nobody Hold Me Down,' was released in the aftermath of the killing of the famous rapper, The Notorious B.I.G. It stayed at Number 1 for six weeks, raising anticipation for the associated album. Titled 'No Way Out,' it debuted at Number 1 on the Billboard 200 chart and earned him Grammy wins for 'Best Rap Album' and 'Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group'. Combs is credited with launching musicians like Usher and Mary J Blige through his record label, Bad Boy Records. As a rapper and producer, he has used the stage names Puff Daddy, P Diddy and Diddy over the decades, and collaborated with artists like Nelly, Jennifer Lopez, Drake, Lil Kim, Pharrell and The Weeknd to chart-topping success. In 2008, he became the first male rapper to get a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He has also ventured into other businesses, like fashion, vodka and television, to amass a portfolio valued by Forbes at $1 billion in 2022. His clothing line Sean John, launched in 1998, enjoyed critical and commercial success, which a 2023 GQ article valued at $525 million in annual sales. Combs once famously likened himself to Jay Gatsby, the protagonist of the 1925 novel 'The Great Gatsby', who was known for hosting extravagant parties and rose from poverty to become incredibly wealthy. Combs hosted parties that were attended by the wealthy and influential, featuring guests such as Beyonce, Mariah Carey, Justin Bieber, Donald Trump, Salman Rushdie and Leonardo DiCaprio. The so-called 'White Parties' featured a white dress code for all in attendance, and were coveted by artists and businesspeople alike who sought to mingle. The parties also helped to boost Combs' personal profile. His former publicist, Rob Shuter, told the BBC that Combs was obsessed with power and desired fame. 'He was just figuring out that how he could get the most attention was to become the party king of New York,' Shuter said. 'The reason he was such a superstar is because all he thinks about is Diddy. From the minute he wakes up until the minute he goes to bed.' Combs had several run-ins with the law over the years. In 1999, he was first charged with assault for beating up a music producer, a case that was dropped following a public apology. He was allegedly involved in a public altercation and a shootout in a nightclub with his then-girlfriend, Jennifer Lopez. In the resulting case, he was cleared of charges of gun possession and bribery, but his protege, Jamal 'Shyne' Barrow, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for assault, gun possession and reckless endangerment. Barrow, who was deported to Belize at the end of his term, alleged in April 2024 that he was the 'fall guy' and had taken the blame to keep Combs out of jail. While several women anonymously accused Combs of sexual assault and coercion over the years, he was able to settle these cases outside court. All that changed when his ex-girlfriend, Casandra 'Cassie' Ventura, sued him in November 2023. Ventura's lawsuit alleged among other things, rape, sexual assault, sex trafficking, sexual battery and human trafficking. It accused him of physically assaulting her and coercing her into drug-induced sexual encounters with hired men. Having met him as a 19-year-old in 2005, she alleged that he exerted complete control over her life and decisions for the next decade. Combs allegedly resorted to multiple intimidation tactics, even blowing up the car of the man she dated while the two were on a break. Combs denied all the allegations and settled the lawsuit out of court for $20 million the very next day. However, in May 2024, CNN released a graphic hotel surveillance video from 2016, which showed Combs stopping Cassie from leaving the premises by physically overpowering and even kicking her. A day later, Combs offered a public apology. Following Cassie's testimony, two more women stepped forward in November 2023 to accuse Combs of rape, with one survivor reportedly aged 17 at the time of her encounter, The New York Times reported. Two more women came forward in May and September 2024, accusing him of sustained sexual abuse and physical violence for years. Ventura was the star witness in the federal case brought against him last year, which presented him as the bigwig at the helm of a racketeering conspiracy using a changing set of staff to help him commit crimes. The case relied on accounts by Ventura and 'Jane' of forced sex under the influence of drugs in hotels countrywide. These accounts recounted the extensive use of party drugs like MDMA or Ecstasy. Both women claimed that Combs directed the women to use baby oil and engage in sex with the escorts, while he watched. Credence to these claims was lent by the recovery of 200 bottles of the oil from Combs' Los Angeles home in March 2024 by federal investigators from Homeland Security. The NYT reported that jurors saw video clips of the sexual encounters, while they remain hidden from the public eye. Combs' legal team claimed that the federal case, alleging sex trafficking and racketeering, was an overreach, while they acknowledged the domestic violence against Ventura. 'Domestic violence is not sex trafficking,' Combs' attorney Teny Geragos argued in May.
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
The Sandman season 2 opens to unfavourable reviews in the wake of Neil Gaiman scandal
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Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Puneet Issar opens up on working with Abhishek Bachchan in 'Refugee' after Amitabh Bachchan's 'Coolie' accident: 'Bohot hi courteous hai, hum dono hanuman bhakt'
Puneet Issar is remembered for 'almost killing' Amitabh Bachchan during 'Coolie'. He had punched Bachchan in the stomach which ruptured his intestine but it was just an accident which took place just as sometimes the timing in action differs. In a recent interview, he recalled the greatness of Big B who called to meet him after the incident and said that it wasn't his fault. He also shared how he lost out on a lot of work after this accident took place and nobody was ready to cast him as a villain. He said in an interview with Siddharth Kannan, "The greatness of Mr Bachchan, he said he wanted to meet me. When he called for me, I was in tears. I kept thinking, 'All this happened because of me.' He said, "I was in tears but he told me, 'Puneet, it's not your fault. Accidents happen during action scenes.'' Puneet added that Bachchan then recalled an incident with Vinod Khanna. He said, "Uss avastha mein he told me he was shooting for an action scene with Vinod Khanna and had to hit him with the glass. During the rehearsals, 10 times, it went fine but during the take, the timing went wrong either by him or Khanna and the glass hit Khanna's chin and he got 7-8 stitches and I was feeling the same thing which you're feeling today." by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like American Investor Warren Buffett Recommends: 5 Books For Turning Your Life Around Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo Interestingly, Puneet worked with Abhishek Bachchan in his debut film 'Refugee'. When asked about how Abhishek is as a person, Puneet said, "Abhishek Bachchan bohot hi shahista, ek parivaar se aata hai. Bohot hi farmabardar joh kehta hai, courteous, bohot hi courteous hai. Hamare mein common baat thi, woh hanuman bhakt hai aur main bhi hanuman bhakt hu. He knew, that maine 'Coolie' ki thi. Hamare JP Dutta director joh the, unse koi aadmi role nahi puch sakta tha. I had done Hathiyar with him, Border with him. I shot for 15-20 days which was long, but when people edit the film, it was cut. The role was just left to 1-2 scenes. When asked if Abhishek ever recalled Bachchan's accident with him, Puneet said, "Never. Infact, Abhishek Bachchan and my younger brother Prashant Issar who we call Sippi, are very good friends." Abhishek recently completed 25 years since the release of his first film 'Refugee'.
