School failed to report AI nudes of kids for months. Now parents are suing.

Parents test if school leaders can be prosecuted over failure to report AI nudes.

See full article...

 

[50me12]

The lack of action by administrators is surprising here, I wish we knew more about how things unfolded internally.

damages that could go as high as $150,000 and imprisonment of up to 10 years

The law from that quote doesn't seem like it would apply in many cases, but the people doing these things are often other young students ... how far do we want to go, give such penalties to jr high, high school kids?

I'm a little wary about how much, if at all, that prevents anything from happening ... or if much can be prevented. That's worrisome.

 

[Xepherys]

With nonconsensual sexual encounters being the modus operandi of the incoming US administration, I doubt we'll see much traction over the next four years to punish these folk.

 

[Frank C.]

Private school. Image to uphold, considering the likely exorbitant tuition for that superior experience and education, over those poors in public schools.

 

[Pitabred]

The lack of action by administrators is surprising here, I wish we knew more about how things unfolded internally.

It's a private school, their top concern is income and keeping tuitions paid. Why would they address or publicize anything that might be damaging to that mission?

 

[50me12]

It's a private school, their top concern is income and keeping tuitions paid. Why would they address or publicize anything that might be damaging to that mission?

Not addressing it seems damaging to that mission.

I don't think your assumption is automatically a given.

 

[lasertekk]

It's a private school, their top concern is income and keeping tuitions paid. Why would they address or publicize anything that might be damaging to that mission?

You are correct. This is one of those minimum $20K a year schools. Very high profile optics with very well to do parents. I know a headmaster at one such east coast New England school. His school charges in the low 20's for elementary level grades! There's serious money there.

 

[vertgo]

It's a private school, their top concern is income and keeping tuitions paid. Why would they address or publicize anything that might be damaging to that mission?

If they were good at their jobs, they would know about Streisand effect. Instead they could have nipped it in the bud by stopping it early while saying something like "the young, underdeveloped sense of morality and consequences have not caught up with the advanced skills children learn in our premium curriculum. The landscape of technology is changing and we as a school have to change to meet it. This is a problem many other schools will face once their students catch up with ours, and we are going to pioneer a way for our students to report this behavior to ensure safety, etc".

 

[josephhansen]

Tricky.

If I use my own computer to generate a naughty image (of anybody) then I think it's obvious that that should be allowed. It's a free country.

Similarly, if I show that image to a friend, that seems like it should be allowed also.

You realize the article is about children, right?

 

[mknelson]

At least there was one kid who had the spine to report it back in 2023. That anonymous kid is great!

 

[LostFate]

This article is going to invite every asshole on Ars to air their extraordinarily bad takes. We've got 2 so far.

 

[Bash]

Tricky.

If I use my own computer to generate a naughty image (of anybody) then I think it's obvious that that should be allowed. It's a free country.

Similarly, if I show that image to a friend, that seems like it should be allowed also.

So there's a threshold of distribution where it arguably shouldn't be allowed anymore, but I don't know how anybody could nail that down.

Freedom of speech does not include the right:​

• To incite imminent lawless action.
  Brandenburg v. Ohio, 395 U.S. 444 (1969).
• To make or distribute obscene materials.
  Roth v. United States, 354 U.S. 476 (1957).
• To burn draft cards as an anti-war protest.
  United States v. O’Brien, 391 U.S. 367 (1968).
• To permit students to print articles in a school newspaper over the objections of the school administration.
  Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier, 484 U.S. 260 (1988).
• Of students to make an obscene speech at a school-sponsored event.
  Bethel School District #43 v. Fraser, 478 U.S. 675 (1986).
• Of students to advocate illegal drug use at a school-sponsored event.
  Morse v. Frederick, __ U.S. __ (2007).

What Does Free Speech Mean?

Among other cherished values, the First Amendment protects freedom of speech. Learn about what this means.

www.uscourts.gov

 

[50me12]

Tricky.

If I use my own computer to generate a naughty image (of anybody) then I think it's obvious that that should be allowed. It's a free country.

Similarly, if I show that image to a friend, that seems like it should be allowed also.

So there's a threshold of distribution where it arguably shouldn't be allowed anymore, but I don't know how anybody could nail that down.

That doesn't really seem relevant to the story right?

The images in the story were made using real people's images and distributed to people who went to school with them ...

 

[Zi8]

You are correct. This is one of those minimum $20K a year schools. Very high profile optics with very well to do parents. I know a headmaster at one such east coast school. His charges in the low 20's for elementary level grades! There's serious money there.

$20k per year tuition is not really an expensive school just for rich people nowadays. Daycare easily costs that and there is no public option in the US.

The public schools in my area spend about $30k per student per year.

 

[s73v3r]

Perhaps the government should build a database of deepfake porn on every single American. Once everyone is exposed this way, it will lose its stigma and it will be impossible to bully or further harm anyone in particular. Problem solved!

If any administration can make this happen (and thinks it's a good idea), it's Trump/Musk!

What is it with these stories and people who seem to think that bodily autonomy isn't a thing? That they're entitled to see everyone naked?

 

[s73v3r]

Tricky.

If I use my own computer to generate a naughty image (of anybody) then I think it's obvious that that should be allowed. It's a free country.

Similarly, if I show that image to a friend, that seems like it should be allowed also.

So there's a threshold of distribution where it arguably shouldn't be allowed anymore, but I don't know how anybody could nail that down.

Why should any of that be allowed? You didn't get their consent.

 

[Tom Brokaw]

Perhaps the government should build a database of deepfake porn on every single American. Once everyone is exposed this way, it will lose its stigma and it will be impossible to bully or further harm anyone in particular. Problem solved!

If any administration can make this happen (and thinks it's a good idea), it's Trump/Musk!

I commend your bravery in omitting the "/s". I'm a little embarrassed for my fellow Arsians who apparently took your comment seriously.

Edit to add that I see you actually were serious. Poe's Law in action. Dude, even if things worked that way, acceptance of the inevitable is not consent. But they don't even work that way. Are you really going to tell your daughter "there's pictures of you naked that anyone can see at any time" and expect her to be OK with it? What the hell man.

 

[Snark218]

Tricky.

If I use my own computer to generate a naughty image (of anybody) then I think it's obvious that that should be allowed. It's a free country.

Similarly, if I show that image to a friend, that seems like it should be allowed also.

So there's a threshold of distribution where it arguably shouldn't be allowed anymore, but I don't know how anybody could nail that down.

That is so very, very not obvious.

 

[Snark218]

Why should any of that be allowed? You didn't get their consent.

A conservative with a questionable theory of consent? SAY IT AIN'T SO

 

[Snark218]

The lack of action by administrators is surprising here, I wish we knew more about how things unfolded internally.

I wish we knew more about what was on "Head of School" Matt Micciche's hard drive, personally.

 

[josephhansen]

Yes?

And you realize that another child was the one making the fake porn, right?

Why would you double down on being pro-CSAM when given an explicit opportunity to step back and reconsider? That's quite the choice

 

[lp0_on_fire]

I still have no worldly idea why this functionality exists in this generative AI tools.

Guardrails can exist, we did an AI workshop at work and one of my prompts was rejected because it would infringe copyright.

 

[Rick C.]

$20k per year tuition is not really an expensive school just for rich people nowadays. Daycare easily costs that and there is no public option in the US.

The public schools in my area spend about $30k per student per year.

that's why the poster said minimum $20,000. I don't have kids and I'm not really up on what such schools charge. Like everything, tuitions likely spiked in just the last few years. I wouldn't be surprised if some schools were even higher that $40K. That's yearly university levels at some really decent schools.

 

[LostFate]

Right? So I'm saying that that likely meets a distribution threshold where it shouldn't be allowed, but how would one go about defining that threshold?

I'm confused at why you're confused.

If n ≥ 1 then; prison

 

[50me12]

Right? So I'm saying that that likely meets a distribution threshold where it shouldn't be allowed, but how would one go about defining that threshold?

I'm confused at why you're confused.

I'm confused why you ... seem to not understand that generating random images is not relevant to generating non random images.

 

[Uragan]

Wasn't aware of this.

So if I doodle a dirty picture in my notebook and burn it, I've broken the law?

Not necessarily… but you knew that before you asked the question.

How does pornography exist in the US?

Are you familiar with the Miller test?

 

[lasertekk]

Freedom of speech does not include the right:​

• To incite imminent lawless action.
  Brandenburg v. Ohio, 395 U.S. 444 (1969).
• To make or distribute obscene materials.
  Roth v. United States, 354 U.S. 476 (1957).
• To burn draft cards as an anti-war protest.
  United States v. O’Brien, 391 U.S. 367 (1968).
• To permit students to print articles in a school newspaper over the objections of the school administration.
  Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier, 484 U.S. 260 (1988).
• Of students to make an obscene speech at a school-sponsored event.
  Bethel School District #43 v. Fraser, 478 U.S. 675 (1986).
• Of students to advocate illegal drug use at a school-sponsored event.
  Morse v. Frederick, __ U.S. __ (2007).

What Does Free Speech Mean?

Among other cherished values, the First Amendment protects freedom of speech. Learn about what this means.

www.uscourts.gov

That's a great list/resource on the topic. Thanks.

 

[Snark218]

I still have no worldly idea why this functionality exists in this generative AI tools.

Guardrails can exist, we did an AI workshop at work and one of my prompts was rejected because it would infringe copyright.

Often that's the entire functionality of the tool.

 

[cyberfunk]

Yes?

And you realize that another child was the one making the fake porn, right?

So what you are missing here is that the FIRST consideration here is, before all else, is that this is CSAM, which is effectively “banned porn”. Who made it doesn’t matter as it is illegal to make/have/distribute. Society has collectively decided it is forbidden under basically all circumstances.

Secondary considerations about the legality of making pornography of the likeness other people who are non-children don’t even need to enter discussion since the primary consideration trumps it. I’ll grant that there may be some wrinkles there about where the legal lines are in such cases .. but not here . Here the line is bright red and clear.

 

[lasertekk]

A conservative with a questionable theory of consent? SAY IT AIN'T SO

Related joke on the topic:

The difference between a republican and a libertarian is the latter knows the age of consent in every state.

 

[WhyNotZoidberg]

Tricky.

If I use my own computer to generate a naughty image (of anybody) then I think it's obvious that that should be allowed. It's a free country.

Similarly, if I show that image to a friend, that seems like it should be allowed also.

So there's a threshold of distribution where it arguably shouldn't be allowed anymore, but I don't know how anybody could nail that down.

It's not tricky at all. You generate a pic like that of anyone without their consent it makes you a piece of sh*t. Sharing it at all just makes it worse.

Also, this article was about children.

To do, or not do something like this is the least tricky thing of all.