A netizen in Northwest China's Qinghai Province fabricated links between a series of "buried boy images" and the earthquake in Xigaze, Southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region (Photo:/WeChat account of the cyber security department under MPS)
A netizen in Northwest China's Qinghai Province was administratively detained by local public security authorities for fabricating links between a series of "buried boy images" and the earthquake in Xigaze, Southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, misleading the public and spreading false information, according to the cybersecurity department under Chinese Ministry of Public Security (MPS) on Friday.
A series of images featuring "a boy buried" with captions related to the earthquake in Xigaze and other keywords circulated widely online after a 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck Dingri County in Xizang Autonomous Region on Tuesday, attracting significant attention from netizens and even receiving tens of thousands of shares, comments, and likes.
Recognizing clear signs of AI generation in the images, the cybersecurity department of the public security authorities promptly launched an investigation, confirming that the images were indeed created using AI tools.
The original author had posted a short video with the same images on November 18, 2024, without linking it to the earthquake at that time and stated that it was AI-generated.
According to Article 25 of China's Public Security Administration Punishments Law, anyone who intentionally disturbs public order by spreading rumors, making false reports of dangerous situations, epidemics, or warnings; or by other means, shall be punished by detention of between five and 10 days, and may be concurrently fined up to 500 yuan ($71.3); if the circumstances are minor, they are to be detained for up to five days or fined up to 500 yuan.
The cybersecurity department under the MPS urges the public to carefully verify the authenticity of images by observing details, cross-checking from multiple sources, and using AI detection tools. Before confirming the information as true and reliable, do not forward it at will to avoid unintentionally promoting the spread of rumors.
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