Spain reports landmark AI deepfake conviction and upcoming hoax trial

Several significant legal rulings and upcoming trials have been reported in Spain. In Castellón, a trial is set for October 16 to 26 involving six defendants accused of spreading the ‘Bar España’ hoax, a decades-old false narrative linking public officials to a pedophilia ring.

In Seville, a landmark ruling has convicted three men for using artificial intelligence to create realistic sexual deepfakes of former schoolmates. The defendants accepted nine months of prison time and are prohibited from using various social media platforms for nearly four years.

Other judicial updates include the confirmation of a six-year and six-month prison sentence for a man in Castilla y León for significant drug trafficking. Additionally, the Tribunal Superior de Justicia de Andalucía upheld a sentence of three and a half years for a man caught selling cocaine in Seville. In Algeciras, a former Civil Guard and his two sons received prison sentences and millions of euros in fines for money laundering linked to drug trafficking.