ChatGPT user detained in China for generating and spreading fake newsRecently, Chinese police detained a ChatGPT user for creating and spreading a fake news story about a train crash. This marks one of the first enforcement actions under the new Chinese law regulating deepfakes, which are realistic but fabricated digital images or videos created with AI-powered tools.The police report from the northwest Chinese province of Gansu stated that a man with the surname Hong used ChatGPT to create a fake news article about a crash that supposedly caused the death of nine construction workers. Within a short time, 21 accounts on a popular social platform, all owned by a media company in southern China, spread the fake story. According to the report, the article had received 15,000 views by the time Gansu officials realized it was fake.Although ChatGPT is technically not available in China due to the country's internet censorship, individuals can gain access through commonly available virtual private network software that bypasses the firewall. The police report does not describe how Hong managed to use ChatGPT.The police raided Hong's residence to obtain evidence and then took "criminal coercive measures" against him. The new Chinese deepfake law, which came into effect on January 10th, prohibits several categories of fake media produced by deep synthesis technologies. The law offers vague definitions for many of these forbidden classes.The law prohibits deepfakes used in activities that endanger national security, have a negative impact on the nation's image or societal public interest, or disrupt the economic or social order. It specifically prohibits the use of such technologies to produce, publish or transmit fake news.It is worth noting that the creation and spread of fake news is not unique to China. Many other countries struggle with the same issue, and more efforts need to be made to address it globally.