A man could face a decade in prison for a fake crocodile photo he made with Gemini

[midian182]

WTF?! Some people love to generate AI slop images that spread false information, especially the kind that make people worry. That's not a good idea if you're in Singapore, where a man who used Gemini to make a fake image of a crocodile in a popular reservoir has been charged over the act and could face up to ten years in prison.

Ye Lin allegedly sent the AI-generated image of a saltwater crocodile at Pandan Reservoir to a colleague in August, presumably as a joke.

But the image led to a crocodile sighting being reported to Singapore's national water agency, PUB. The agency and national parks staff suspended all aquatic activities in the area for two days and started looking for a crocodile that didn't exist in the popular kayaking spot.

The following day, the agency confirmed that the image was a fake and reported it to the police, leading to Lin's arrest.

Singapore takes this sort of thing very seriously. Transmitting a false message is a crime that carries up to three years in prison, a fine of up to S$10,000 (about $7,800), or both.

Pandan Reservoir: certified crocodile free

If that wasn't bad enough, police say Lin tried to hide what he'd done by deleting the image and the Gemini app from his phone. Unfortunately for him, that meant he's also being charged with obstruction of justice, the punishment for which is up to seven years in prison.

It's still not clear how PUB officials were notified of the AI photo. It could be that the person Lin sent it to then forwarded it to someone else who thought it was real.

It doesn't sound like Lin was intentionally trying to start a panic with the image, but Singapore isn't ranked as one of the safest countries in the world because it has a lenient justice system.

Ye said he intends to plead guilty and will not be using a lawyer. His case will be heard again in November.

In the US, generating legal images like these isn't going to result in a potential decade-long jail sentence, though a fabricated image supporting a credible false claim about a bombing or other specified serious offense may fall under federal hoax law. If it really was a crime, a lot of social media users would probably be locked up.

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A man could face a decade in prison for a fake crocodile photo he made with Gemini

 

[RedGuard]

I like this society. We should implement this here as well. If you use any AI at work, if it's false/doesn't work/it's not solving anything you get fined and your company gets fined.

 

[Megalomaniac]

Singapore doesn’t play. When I was there I was 100% following the rules.

 

[Tvvatus]

Hehe... slop

 

[opckieran]

America; the West in general, could use a less lenient justice system for convicts. Especially repeats.

 

[Plutoisaplanet]

I like this society. We should implement this here as well. If you use any AI at work, if it's false/doesn't work/it's not solving anything you get fined and your company gets fined.

That's a horrible idea for several reason. For one, this "law" has nothing to do with AI. It would cause tons of journalists to be imprisoned/fined, is extremely subjective (who decides what is a "false message"), and would fly in the face of the founding fathers who specifically wrote the first amendment to prevent stripping away civil rights.

Singapore takes this sort of thing very seriously. Transmitting a false message is a crime that carries up to three years in prison, a fine of up to S$10,000 (about $7,800), or both.

Just to be clear, every single totalitarian government was born by first restricting freedom of speech. When the government decides what is false, then all propaganda must be true. This then goes back to the age old question a government figure might ask, "What is truth?"

 

[trieste1s]

Singapore tends to go easy on any foreign citizens whose countries we have important politico-economic ties with. Let's see.

 

[Hexic]

“Singapore takes this sort of thing very seriously. Transmitting a false message is a crime that carries up to three years in prison, a fine of up to S$10,000 (about $7,800), or both.”

Yet another reason why I’m glad I don’t live there. If a sarcastic meme gets you thrown in jail, you don’t live in a free society.

 

[Branch]

Don't they cane you if you chew bubble gum?

 

[p51d007]

I like this society. We should implement this here as well. If you use any AI at work, if it's false/doesn't work/it's not solving anything you get fined and your company gets fined.

A LOT of the oriental culture is based on a polite & honorable society. Just from the photos & videos I've seen, their streets are clean & tidy, people are respectful etc...

 

[airbornex]

We're going to need some updated version of yelling fire in a crowded theater for the generative AI era. Making a fake image for your group chat is one thing. Creating fake evidence that triggers an emergency response is something else entirely.

 

[toooooot]

America; the West in general, could use a less lenient justice system for convicts. Especially repeats.

Impossible.
That lenience is not based on justice or fairness but rather on a religion
which many progressive people practice.
Asking them to start sentencing felons rightly
is like asking them to forfeit their religion.

 

[opckieran]

Impossible.
That lenience is not based on justice or fairness but rather on a religion
which many progressive people practice.
Asking them to start sentencing felons rightly
is like asking them to forfeit their religion.

Lenience, so long as they fall into an "oppressed" category, of course...

 

[wiyosaya]

A LOT of the oriental culture is based on a polite & honorable society. Just from the photos & videos I've seen, their streets are clean & tidy, people are respectful etc...

I was there in the early 2000s. Its true. Their streets are immaculate and make US Streets look like they are in a sh!thole country. All the people that I encountered there were very polite and respectful.

I liken the AI generated crocodile in a place where people like to Kayak to yelling "Fire" in a crowded building when there is no fire. Regardless of the 1st amendment here in the US, yelling "fire" in a crowded building when there is no fire may end up getting whoever did it arrested, and could cause serious injury. Historically, people have been injured when someone falsely yelled fire - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0708414/?ref_=tt_epspo_ep_23

 

[wiyosaya]

Don't they cane you if you chew bubble gum?

Chewing gum, of any sort, is illegal in Singapore. Getting a chewed wad stuck on your shoe is pretty much impossible there, and that is why they have the law. People who chew gum sometimes spit it out no matter where they are.

 

[Melkor Unlimited]

This then goes back to the age old question a government figure might ask, "What is truth?"

There is another very old question.

Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
(Who will guard the guards themselves?)

 

[Melkor Unlimited]

Impossible.
That lenience is not based on justice or fairness but rather on a religion
which many progressive people practice.
Asking them to start sentencing felons rightly
is like asking them to forfeit their religion.

They have very high awareness of their rights.
Can NOT say that about their respect to others and their duties.

 

[Bernmeister]

Oops, sorry m'lud. I did it, but just for a laugh and deleted it later. Was I really that bad?
What are all the inmates going to make of him? The Joker..

 

[stewi0001]

What if he used a pokemon?

 

[trieste1s]

Don't they cane you if you chew bubble gum?

No, they don't cane you for chewing bubble gum. They do cane for vandalism though. Read up Michael Fay, whose government failed to protect him (not for lack of trying) when he committed vandalism in Singapore. Oh, and a lot of strokes (of the cane) for convicted rapists.

 

[Shawshanks]

Don't they cane you if you chew bubble gum?

Yeah you should consume more tiktok Ai brain rot

 

[lostinlodos]

Impossible.
That lenience is not based on justice or fairness but rather on a religion
which many progressive people practice.
Asking them to start sentencing felons rightly is like asking them to forfeit their religion.

What are you talking about. Well, I know what you are talking about but your flat out wrong.
More than half the country’s population is either Buddhist or non-religious. (Buddhism is not a religion, btw, though some more covered branches have added a theistic aspect to it).

You need to look into things better research wise before you repeat sheltered fictional tales that are steeped in racism.

 

[lostinlodos]

No, they don't cane you for chewing bubble gum. They do cane for vandalism though. Read up Michael Fay, whose government failed to protect him (not for lack of trying) when he committed vandalism in Singapore. Oh, and a lot of strokes (of the cane) for convicted rapists.

We’d have a lot less crime with better punishments.
I’m all for caning speeders, *****s that don’t use crosswalks, vandals, well, most crimes in general.

 

[trieste1s]

What are you talking about. Well, I know what you are talking about but your flat out wrong.
More than half the country’s population is either Buddhist or non-religious. (Buddhism is not a religion, btw, though some more covered branches have added a theistic aspect to it).

You need to look into things better research wise before you repeat sheltered fictional tales that are steeped in racism.

Not Buddhist. Chinese Folk Religion, a syncretism of animism, Taoism and Buddhism.

Chinese folk religion - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Coastal mainland Chinese and diaspora Chinese who settled up and down the coasts of East Asia (and West North America).

 

[lostinlodos]

Not Buddhist. Chinese Folk Religion, a syncretism of animism, Taoism and Buddhism….

I won’t say right or wrong as I’m not versed enough in individual beliefs there:
Singapore census
I can only look at the text.