Man detained for unauthorized AI deepfake of Taiwan opposition leader in livestream sales
A man surnamed Xing in Datong, Shanxi was detained after using an AI tool to create a deepfake of Taiwan opposition KMT Chair Zheng Liwen to livestream merchandise sales without authorization. Police said he created the fake image and sales scripts to capitalize on high public interest from Zheng's April mainland visit, causing harmful social impact and violating Chinese law on identity fraud and illegal profit-making.
What happened
A man surnamed Xing in Datong, Shanxi used an AI tool to generate a deepfake image of Taiwan KMT Chair Zheng Liwen and associated sales scripts without authorization.
Xing conducted livestream merchandise sales using the fake persona, taking advantage of high public interest from Zheng's April visit to mainland China to boost traffic.
Reported impact
The unauthorized use of Zheng's likeness raised public suspicion and caused severe disruption to normal internet order.
The incident received significant social media attention and caused harmful effects.
Index analysis
Xing was found to have violated China's Administrative Penalties for Public Security Law by impersonating another person's identity for fraudulent purposes to pursue illegal profit.
Governance controls
The Datong Public Security Bureau issued an administrative detention order against Xing.
China's Cybersecurity Bureau warned that AI technology use must comply with law and regulations, respect public morality and social order, and said police would intensify crackdowns on internet rumors and illegal profit-making using AI, particularly those using deepfake technology to impersonate public figures.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.