Case carmel-ny-principal-deepfake-tiktokDeepfake abuseUnited States
High school students post AI deepfake TikToks of a Carmel, New York principal making racist threats
Carmel High School students posted AI-manipulated TikTok videos that appeared to show a middle school principal and a sheriff's office school resource officer making racist, violent remarks about Black students. The district called the clips fake videos made with artificial intelligence and disciplined the students under its code of conduct.
MediumAttack using AIStatus: ResolvedVerified case file
Open in the interactive mapCite this case
- Reported
- Feb 17, 2023
- Location
- United States
- Target
- George Fischer Middle School principal and other Carmel Central School District staff
- Severity
- Medium
- Verification
- Confirmed by victim, vendor or authority
- Triggered by
- Carmel High School students (minors, not named)
- Actor type
- Unknown
- Sector
- Education & research
- Reported loss
- None reported
- CVE
- None
What happened
Carmel High School students posted AI-manipulated TikTok videos that appeared to show a middle school principal and a sheriff's office school resource officer making racist, violent remarks about Black students. The district called the clips fake videos made with artificial intelligence and disciplined the students under its code of conduct.
Impact: Racist threats attributed to a principal and police officer circulated among students and parents; parents criticised the district's slow communication about student safety.
Who triggered it
Actor: Carmel High School students (minors, not named)
Attribution: The district said high school students made and posted the clips; VICE reported three students were involved.
Motive: Unknown; reported as a prank or harassment
How it happened
Attack vector: Real footage of the principal's morning announcements re-dubbed with AI-imitated audio and posted on TikTok
Root cause: Easy access to voice-cloning tools and no legal provision covering deepfake impersonation of staff
Timeline
- Videos first reported to school officials
- Board of Education says the clips were fake videos created using artificial intelligence
- WABC reports students were disciplined, including suspensions
- VICE reports parents' criticism and that no crime was charged
Response
The Board of Education condemned the videos; the students were disciplined, including suspensions. No criminal charges were reported.
Current status: Resolved
Sources (open in a new tab)
- VICE vice.com
- ABC7 New York abc7ny.com
Cite this case
High school students post AI deepfake TikToks of a Carmel, New York principal making racist threats. AI Threat Watch, case carmel-ny-principal-deepfake-tiktok, Feb 17, 2023. https://aithreat.io/cases/carmel-ny-principal-deepfake-tiktok/
Permanent link: https://aithreat.io/cases/carmel-ny-principal-deepfake-tiktok/
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