No charges laid over explicit, AI-generated photos of Winnipeg students
![Cellphone Cellphone](/content/dam/ctvnews/en/images/2019/1/21/cellphone-1-4262259-1702662750782.jpg)
No charges will be laid after explicit, AI-generated photos of Winnipeg high school students were circulated online.
The Winnipeg Police Service (WPS) wouldn’t give full details on its decision to not lay charges. However, police said, generally speaking, there could be issues with evidence, victims choosing not to move forward, a low likelihood of conviction and the nuances of crimes involving AI.
This news comes after CTV News Winnipeg previously reported that Collège Béliveau in the Louis Riel School Division said some of its students had come forward about the doctored photos.
The school said the photos were taken from social media and then explicitly altered.
David Gerhard, the head of computer science at the University of Manitoba, said AI-generated explicit photos are likely much more common than people think.
“I suspect that there are a lot of folks that are doing this in the privacy of their own homes, not sharing them with anybody and nobody knows,” he said in an interview on Thursday.
“This is a problem with this kind of technology.”
Gerhard added that when it comes to technology, the law is often playing catch up.
“At this point, broadly speaking, it’s not illegal to generate an image and then share that,” he said.
He noted he thinks there needs to be legislation that indicates that this is a problem that will be addressed, adding that there also needs to be tools in place for victims to seek legal help.
“The reality is, it’s unlikely that we’re going to be able to remove these images from the internet because anything on the internet is there forever,” Gerhard said.
“But we can prosecute people who engage in these behaviours and make clear that these are entirely inappropriate uses of this technology.”
- With files from CTV’s Charles Lefebvre, Daniel Halmarson and William Reimer.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6978649.1722015109!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
Missing 3-year-old boy found dead in creek in Mississauga, Ont.: police
A three-year-old boy has been found dead a day after he went missing in a park in Mississauga, Ont., Peel police say.
Celine Dion delivers stirring comeback performance at Paris Olympics opening ceremony
Against the rainy Paris night sky, Celine Dion staged the comeback of her career with a powerful performance from the Eiffel Tower to open the Olympic Games.
Jasper wildfire: 'Several weeks' before residents can return, premier says
Premier Danielle Smith said Friday afternoon in Hinton while weather conditions are cooler, the Jasper fire is still considered out of control and that Jasper residents can expect to be away from their homes 'for several weeks.'
Irish museum pulls Sinead O'Connor waxwork after just one day due to backlash
An Irish museum will withdraw a waxwork of singer-songwriter Sinéad O'Connor just one day after installing it, following a backlash from her family and the public, it told CNN in a statement on Friday.
Winnipeg senior's account overdrawn for $146,000 water bill
A Winnipeg senior is getting soaked with a six-figure water bill.
FBI says Trump was indeed struck by bullet during assassination attempt
Nearly two weeks after Donald Trump’s near assassination, the FBI confirmed Friday that it was indeed a bullet that struck the former president’s ear, moving to clear up conflicting accounts about what caused the former U.S. president’s injuries after a gunman opened fire at a Pennsylvania rally.
Driver charged after flashing high beams at approaching police
Orillia OPP arrested and charged a driver with impaired driving after flashing their high beams.
Turpel-Lafond won't sue CBC over Cree heritage report that took 'heavy toll': lawyer
The lawyer for a former judge whose claims to be Cree were questioned in a CBC investigation says his client is not considering legal action against the broadcaster after the Law Society of British Columbia this week backed her claims of Indigenous heritage.
Major Canadian bank experiences direct deposit outage on payday
Scotiabank says it has fixed a technical issue that impacted direct deposits on Friday morning.