YouTuber "Xiaoyou" sentenced to 6 years 4 months for deepfake pornography
A Taiwanese YouTuber was sentenced to 6 years and 4 months in prison for creating and selling deepfake pornography featuring 119 non-consenting victims including entertainers and government officials. He earned approximately 1.2 billion Taiwan dollars through a membership-based platform distributing the fake intimate videos. The Supreme Court upheld the sentence after rejecting his appeal.
What happened
YouTuber 朱玉宸 (Xiaoyou), a former millionaire-subscriber content creator, used deepfake AI technology to create non-consensual intimate videos. He and an assistant named 莊 created fan groups including "台灣網紅挖面" on Twitter and Telegram, operating a membership-based system where users paid fees to purchase deepfake pornography.
The victims included multiple female entertainers, internet personalities, former legislator 高嘉瑜, and legislator 黃捷. Xiaoyou earned approximately 1.2 billion TWD through the scheme. Police received reports from multiple victims in 2020 and searched his studio and residence in October 2021.
Reported impact
The court identified 119 victims affected by the deepfake creation and distribution. The case was classified as a form of digital sexual violence involving the creation of fake intimate images of non-consenting individuals.
Index analysis
The deepfake technology enabled mass production of non-consensual intimate imagery targeting specific identifiable victims. The membership-based distribution model created systematic profit from the abuse.
Governance controls
The case was prosecuted under Taiwan's Personal Data Protection Act, defamation laws, and obscenity statutes. The investigation involved multiple court proceedings across trial, appeal, and final appeal levels.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.