ChatGPT User Arrested in China for Creating and Spreading Fake News
Chinese police have detained an individual for creating a fake news story about a non-existent train crash using ChatGPT, an AI-powered chatbot. This move was one of the initial enforcement actions under Chinese law regulating "deepfakes". Deepfakes refer to fabricated digital images, videos, or other media that appear to be real. These machines use AI-powered deep synthesis technologies such as machine learning and virtual reality to fabricate content that appears genuine, making it difficult for people to differentiate between authentic and fake content.
A man with the surname Hong used ChatGPT to create a fake news article about a crash, which supposedly led to the deaths of nine construction workers in Gansu. The individual spread this fake news through 21 accounts owned by a media company based in southern China, who all posted it on a popular social platform that has hundreds of thousands of users in China. By the time Gansu security officials realized that the article was fake, it had already reached over 15,000 views.
Chinese authorities raided Hong's residence to collect evidence and then took "criminal coercive measures" against him. The new Chinese deepfake law, which took effect on January 10th, bans several categories of fake media produced by "deep synthesis technologies" such as machine learning and virtual reality. This law offers only vague definitions for many of these forbidden categories but aims to protect national security, societal public interest, and the country's image.
The new law prohibits utilizing deepfakes to produce, publish or transmit fake news and to engage in activities that endanger national security or disturb "economic or social order." Most foreign websites and applications, including ChatGPT, are technically unavailable in China due to the country's robust firewall, but determined individuals can gain access through commonly available “virtual private network” software to bypass the firewall.
