A student from a private high school in Taichung was involved in an AI Deepfake of a classmate! They spread sexual images on TG, and it is suspected they may still be attending a university.

A male student at a private high school in Taichung used AI Deepfake to synthesize inappropriate photos of 20 people and distributed them on Telegram, with the victims including underage female students. The school has currently launched a gender-equity investigation, and prosecutors and police have also become involved.

Taichung private high school students allegedly used Deepfake to target female students and spread sexual images on TG

According to reports from the Central News Agency and Mirror News, two senior male students (both third-year students in high school) at a private high school in Taichung used AI Deepfake (deepfake) technology to synthesize inappropriate photos of underage female students from the same school, and used the messaging app Telegram to create groups with thousands of members for distribution. There were 20 victims, and the case was exposed in mid-March.

An anonymous whistleblower accused that the school, in order to protect its reputation, covered up the incident and arranged for the two involved male students to switch to online classes. One of the male students had already been admitted to college through the “Star Plan,” and the whistleblower also claimed that homeroom instructors (or school staff) allegedly required confidentiality to avoid “secondary harm,” which sparked public doubts about the school’s attitude and called on the universities that admitted the involved student to carefully evaluate their qualifications.

The school has launched a gender-equity investigation; police have reported the case to prosecutors

Regarding this case, the Taichung City Education Bureau told the media that after the private high school learned of the matter, it had, in accordance with the law, initiated the gender equality investigation process.

The school also completed the required campus safety reporting in accordance with regulations, and referred the case to the school’s Gender Equality Education Committee. At present, the gender equality committee has already decided to launch an investigation. However, due to confidentiality principles, the details of the case have not been made public.

The police in the jurisdiction stated that the case has been reported to prosecutors for investigation, and that further investigations are pending to clarify the facts.

From the Xiaoyu incident to South Korea’s Nth Room: Deepfake crimes tend to involve younger age groups

As generative AI and Deepfake technology continue to evolve, more cases are emerging in which malicious individuals use them to create sexual exploitation images.

For example, between 2020 and 2021, Taiwanese internet personality Zhu Yucheng (Xiaoyu) abused Deepfake technology to synthesize sexual images of female public figures for profit. In 2024, South Korea also saw a surge of illegal Deepfake pornography, with victims including underage girls and members of well-known girl groups, and related crimes spreading across campuses.

At the time, South Korea’s official data showed that 75% of the offenders who were caught belonged to the 10 to 19 age group, and another survey indicated that 37% of Deepfake victims this year are minors.

• Related coverage: TWICE also became victims! South Korea’s deepfake pornography scandal sparks “Nth Room 2.0,” and Telegram is under investigation again

Now, reports have surfaced that students at a private junior high school in Taiwan may be involved in similar cases, once again highlighting the phenomenon that Deepfake sexual exploitation crimes tend to involve younger age groups. How to prevent such crimes while also strengthening sex education for adolescents and legal concepts has become a major challenge.