Dutch man prosecuted for creating deepfake sex videos of public figures
A 74-year-old Dutch pensioner was prosecuted after creating and distributing deepfake sexual videos of approximately 60 Dutch public figures, including Princess Amalia and television presenters, using the platform MrDeepFakes. The videos reportedly received hundreds of thousands of views and prompted encouraging comments from Dutch users suggesting additional targets.
What happened
A 74-year-old retired man from Noord-Holland was prosecuted after he allegedly created and distributed deepfake sex videos of approximately sixty Dutch public figures and politicians from his home. The investigation began following an investigation by media outlet AD into the platform MrDeepFakes, which led to more than twenty reports to authorities.
Researchers seized the man's computer and storage devices, finding synthetic sexual images of known Dutch figures including presenter Hélène Hendriks, former police spokesperson Ellie Lust, and Princess Amalia. According to prosecutors, the man was the most active Dutch user on the platform and was responsible for the majority of illegal videos reported to authorities.
Reported impact
Some of the deepfake videos were viewed more than 100,000 times each and often contained vulgar and misogynistic titles. Dutch viewers encouraged the uploader in comments and suggested additional victims for future deepfakes.
Presenter Sylvana IJsselmuiden, herself a victim of the deepfakes, stated that she had experienced firsthand the impact of such synthetic images and emphasized the importance of establishing clear boundaries around AI-generated content.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.