FOI 167-2024 / Feb 2024 / Deepfakes
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST REFERENCE NO: 167-2024
I write in connection with your request for information which was finally received on 12th February 2024 as follows:
- Please can you tell me how many crimes the force recorded in 2023 which concern deepfakes? I appreciate there is a large amount of material to search using this keyword, so please only look at crimes categorised under ‘stalking and harassment’, sexual offences or domestic abuse.
- Please also share the outcomes of these recorded crimes in the easiest way possible.
- Please repeat this search for the past 10 years, or, if that exceeds the FOIA cost limit, please go as far back as far as you can without breaking the cost limit, eg 5 years.
Please find the Warwickshire police response set out below.
Response: When reviewing the Information please note that, due to changes in systems, it is not possible to retrieve annual information prior to 2018; therefore, searches were undertaken for all Sexual Offences, Stalking and Harassment Offences and offences with ‘Domestic Abuse’ as an included classification, recorded during the period 01/01/2018 and 31/12/2023, where keywords ‘deepfake’ or ‘deep fake’ (in upper and lower case) are present within the MO Description.
I can advise that this produced a nil return. However, it is important to highlight that in the event that there are relevant offences recorded, but where the keyword/s are not present within the MO Description, then these will not have been returned within the search. For this reason information retrieved by way of a keyword search cannot be assumed to be entirely accurate and should be treated with caution.
Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided is as accurate as possible.
Your attention is drawn to the below which details your right of complaint.
Should you have any further enquiries concerning this matter, please write or email the Freedom of Information Unit quoting the reference number above.
Yours sincerely
Freedom of Information Officer
Warwickshire Police
Freedom of Information Unit
PO Box 4
Leek Wootton
Warwickshire
CV35 7QB