Barcelona Prosecutor’s Office is investigating two cases in which photos of naked minors were manipulated by artificial intelligence

For now, the Barcelona Public Prosecutor’s Office has not received any complaints regarding the use of artificial intelligence in adults, as confirmed. María Jesús Méndez, prosecutorial delegate of the gender-based violence service. However, the juvenile prosecutor’s office is examining two of them, although sources consulted declined to give details because these procedures affect minors. Researchers remain elusive in finding evidence of this action. The truth is that Most of the companies that manage this technology are abroad, For this reason, in order to request information from them, a rogatory commission or international assistance is required. For investigations, it is essential to intervene in the computer of the person who committed this action in a timely manner.

An example Police operation to arrest Syrian teenager. During a search of the arrested man’s home, agents found numerous files of child pornography containing sexual images, some of them graphic, as well as photographs of children taken through the window. These files were found when the police examined the electronic devices seized in his room.

The photographs found were taken by the prisoner himself, from his home and inside it. little children playing in front of their houses appear, Whether in shorts or in a bikini. He then used artificial intelligence to eliminate the clothes and distribute them to internet networks after the images were changed. According to police sources, it was learned that the arrested person had been committing crimes since the age of 14 and was handed over to the juvenile prosecutor’s office, and it is assumed that this is one of the two cases being investigated.

The investigation began after police identified more than 300 pedophile files They were advertised on social networks and instant messaging applications, and the person who distributed them massively also offered to convert any photo. Once the author was located, agents confirmed that he was a 17-year-old youth and therefore a minor. The most significant case in Spain occurred last October in the Extremadura town of Almendralejo, following dozens of complaints from the families of many young children.

‘Revenge porn’

On the other hand, according to the Barcelona Prosecutor’s Office, there were many cases of ‘revenge porn’. That is, the dissemination of intimate images of former partners. In 2023 alone, the service against gender violence, headed by María Jesús Méndez, filed three charges, but most of the matters are handled as threats, coercion or harassment. In other words, the victim is threatened to make her private photos public and no action is taken. Announcing that sexually explicit images of a former partner will be made available to the public will constitute 10% of the total crime of threatening gender-based violence.

Prosecutor Méndez assures that cases of gender-based violence are increasing. It decreased due to the impossibility of leaving the house during the Covid epidemic, but reappeared in the following months. There was a recovery due to the attacks that took place in the months. quarantine. In his opinion, the hidden number of these crimes is increasingly revealed only due to the concern of public forces and legal representatives.but due to the “sensitivity” of the citizen, prevention policy and women’s “courage” in reporting. However, sometimes they find that they cannot obtain a conviction against the abuser unless the victim withdraws her complaint or exercises her right not to testify against her partner or ex-partner, or at her own expense (estimated at 15%). Violence prosecution service in 2022 More than 10,000 cases filed against women (47 of which were summary charges for serious crimes). Of this total, 1,398 were for violations of a protective order or judicial order prohibiting approaching the complainant.