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AII-1001-58251
AllegedThe record is a lawsuit, complaint or accusation that has not been decided.Supporting sources are pending verification.

Deepfake video used to harass Washington State Patrol trooper, lawsuit alleges

A Washington State Patrol trooper reportedly sued his employer, alleging that colleagues created and circulated a deepfake video of him to harass him based on his sexual orientation, as part of a pattern of workplace discrimination.

30 December 2025 Β· Washington State Patrol Β· Harmful and abusive content
30 December 2025
AII-1001-58251
Quick facts
Category
Harmful and abusive content
Country
United States
Date
30 December 2025
Drafted by
Raidu Incident Detection

What happened

A lawsuit filed against the Washington State Patrol alleges that some members circulated a deepfake AI video depicting Trooper Collin Pearson, a gay man who has worked for the agency for 19 years in Western Washington, kissing a coworker.

Reported impact

Pearson's attorney alleges that the trooper has been discriminated against based on his sexual orientation in the workplace, with the deepfake video being one of several instances of harassment during his career.

Classification

Category
Harmful and abusive content
Industry
Government, security and defence
Country
United States
Harm status
Actual harm
Intent
Intentional
Timing
Unknown
Harm types
Human or fundamental rights, Psychological, Reputational
Harmed
Workers
Failure modes
Deepfake video
Consequences
Litigation
AI systems
AI/ML deepfake creation technology

Sources and evidence

Sources not yet published

This record was researched and written by the Index from original reporting. Its sources are still being verified by an editor, and they are listed here once that check is complete. Until then the record carries no reviewer.

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