FBI agent explains how easy it is to ID people posting AI porn without consent

Source: Ars Technica

Case of Cornelius “Neil” Shannon

The other man arrested, 51‑year‑old Cornelius “Neil” Shannon, was allegedly less careful. Powell’s affidavit for that arrest showed that Shannon is accused of publishing approximately 360 AI‑generated albums that have been viewed more than 2 million times, featuring about 90 women—primarily political figures, actresses, and musicians.

Powell’s affidavit suggested it was trivially easy to link Shannon to the porn‑site account because Shannon apparently used his own photo as the profile picture. By cross‑referencing Department of Motor Vehicle records and surveillance photos, investigators alleged that a man seen posing in a Mets baseball shirt on the account’s profile appeared to be Shannon.

Both Hernandez and Shannon face up to two years in prison if prosecutors can prove they violated the Take‑Down Act (TIDA).

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Officials appear motivated to track images posted online and enforce the law.

In a press release announcing the recent arrests, Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, accused the suspects of using “cutting‑edge digital technology to create images that degraded and violated victims across the United States.” James C. Barnacle, Jr., assistant director in charge of the New York FBI field office, confirmed that his agents would continue investigating similar cases.

“This predatory conduct represents a disturbing abuse of technology that inflicts emotional harm on victims, violating their privacy, dignity, and security,” Barnacle said. “The use of this emerging technology to victimize individuals is not innovative—it is criminal and will be pursued with the full force of the law.”

However, some people charged with TIDA violations may continue using the technology to harm victims, as it remains readily available and relatively cheap to produce realistic‑looking content sexualizing real people. An Ohio man who was hailed by the U.S. Justice Department as the first arrest under TIDA notably continued making sexualized deepfakes while on pre‑trial release, apparently undeterred by even the threat of imminent consequences.