Tabata Amaral Files Legal Action Over Sexual AI-Generated Deepfakes
Federal deputy Tabata Amaral, a mayoral candidate in São Paulo, filed a criminal complaint after non-consensual sexual deepfakes of her face were created and shared on X and other platforms since early 2024. She seeks the prosecution of those responsible and investigation by police.
What happened
Sexual manipulated images and deepfakes depicting federal deputy Tabata Amaral were shared on social media starting from early 2024 and resurfaced in early September 2024. The deepfakes superimposed her face onto images of an adult content creator and were presented as authentic photographs.
By 12 September 2024, posts containing the manipulated images on X accumulated nearly 200,000 views. The identities of those responsible for creating and posting the content remain unknown.
Reported impact
Amaral, who was a candidate for mayor of São Paulo, filed a criminal complaint alleging electoral defamation. The sexual nature of the manipulated content exposed her to reputational harm during her electoral campaign.
Index analysis
The case demonstrates vulnerability to synthetic media exploitation targeting political candidates. AI-generated deepfakes were weaponised to distribute non-consensual sexual imagery at scale across social platforms.
Governance controls
Amaral's legal team requested that X and Outer Space forum be notified to provide access records to identify the users responsible for posting the manipulated images. The complaint seeks either prosecution of the responsible parties or the opening of a police investigation to establish facts and identify perpetrators.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.