FOI Deepfakes (341-2024/25)

Request

I am seeking information under the Freedom of Information Act. Please provide the following:

Q1. The number of reports made to the police force relating to the creation of “deepfake” pornographic imagery over the past five years, broken down by year

Q2. The referral route of the report where applicable, including but not limited to a member of the public, a company, a social media firm, a school/teachers etc.

Q3. The gender of the alleged victim(s) where stated

Q4. The age of the alleged victim(s) where stated

Q5. The number of arrests made in relation to the creation of the deepfake imagery over the past five years, broken down by year

Q6. The number of people charged in relation to the creation of the deepfake imagery over the past five years, broken down by year

Q7. The number of people released on bail in relation to the creation of the deepfake imagery over the past five years broken down by year, and the reasons why they were released

Q8. The gender of those arrested, charged or released on bail over the past five years, broken down by year

Q9. The average length for an investigation into a report of deepfake imagery over the past five years, broken down by year

Please get back to me at your earliest convenience if you wish any of the above to be clarified. Thanks.

Response

Extent and Result of Searches to Locate Information

To locate the information relevant to your request searches were conducted within North Yorkshire Police. I can confirm that the information you have requested is held by North Yorkshire Police.  

Decision

I have today decided to disclose the located information to you.

A search was conducted on our crime recording system for a free text search on the summary and MO_remarks for the terms ‘fake porn’ and ‘deepfake porn’.

Q1. 0

Q2-9. N/A

Please note that systems used for recording information are not generic, nor are the procedures used locally in capturing the data.  It should be noted therefore that this force’s response to your questions should not be used for comparison purposes with any other responses you may receive.