HKU male law student creates 700+ AI deepfake pornographic images of 20-30 female classmates and teachers from social media photos, receives only warning letter

Summary

In February 2025, a male law undergraduate student at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) was discovered to have created over 700 AI-generated pornographic images of 20-30 women without their consent, including female classmates, friends, and secondary school teachers. His girlfriend found the images on his laptop; he admitted to using free AI software to generate them from screenshots taken from victims' social media profiles. Images were organised in folders named after each victim. In July 2025, three victims posted anonymously on Instagram prompting public outcry. HKU initially issued only a warning letter and requested an apology, which victims called insufficient. Hong Kong's Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data launched a criminal investigation on July 15, 2025. The case prompted calls for legal reform, as creating such images was not explicitly illegal under existing Hong Kong law.