Dutchman, 73, behind "lion's share" of deepfake porn of dozens of well-known women

A 73-year-old Dutchman has been identified as the main distributor of countless deepfake porn videos of dozens of well-known Dutch women. The elderly Noord-Holland man was “by far” the most active user of MrDeepFakes and was responsible for the “lion’s share” of fake sex videos on the site, the Public Prosecution Service (OM) confirmed to AD.

After AD first reported about MrDeepFakes, a notorious deepfake platform with millions of visitors that was taken offline last year, the Dutch authorities launched a major investigation into the uploaders of the deepfake pornography on the site. The investigation led to the Dutchman. “The suspect was by far the most active user and responsible for the lion’s share of the criminal videos reported,” the OM said.

Detectives seized and examined the man’s data storage devices and found images of “approximately 60 well-known Dutch people and Dutch politicians.” According to AD, he made fake pornography videos of SBS6 presenter Hélène Hendriks, crown princess Amalia, Utrecht mayor Sharon Dijksma, and police spokesperson Ellie Lust, among many others.

So instead of a shadowy gang in a basement storage unit, or a sophisticated hacker collective, the mastermind of the deepfake network affecting dozens of women is an elderly man behind his computer, presumably at home.

“This literally proves that anyone, regardless of age, education level, or profession, can make these kinds of videos,” AI expert Jarno Duursma told the newspaper. “Anyone with an internet connection and a decent laptop is capable of creating these kinds of hurtful images. And it’s a terrible conclusion that everyone, but especially women, is fair game.”

The 73-year-old man has been questioned by the police, but is not in custody. The OM will soon decide whether to charge the man.