The Story County Sheriff is investigating AI-generated explicit photographs of students that have been circulating in the Nevada High School.Parents are worried no one will be held accountable. They say investigators told them there is probably little they can do because Iowa’s criminal code is not yet clear on the laws surrounding creating and distributing explicit AI photos like the ones in this case.”Our daughters are being victimized. and it doesn’t seem like there’s anything we can do about it,” said Chad Borwick, whose child is one of the Nevada high schoolers whose image was altered to make them appear naked in photographs that were posted to social media.”It spread like wildfire. It spread through our high school, our middle school, and you know, the kids have probably spread it to other school districts, to other friends. It’s probably going to spread around all those,” Borwick said.”You don’t want things to happen to your kids. You want them to have better,” said Ida Nady, another parent of a victim. “They’re going to feel like they don’t matter, like their voice doesn’t matter.”Sen. Chris Cournoyer (R-LeClaire) led a bill through the Iowa Senate this session that was signed by Gov. Kim Reynolds just last week, making it a felony to create media of minors or their likeness engaged in a sex act or full or partial nudity.But it doesn’t go into effect until July 1.Cournoyer says the situation in Nevada is exactly what she hopes this bill prevents in the future.”While these images may be fake, the effects they have on people are very real,” Cournoyer said. “We tried to put some teeth into this law and I think this will be a big difference knowing that there are dire consequences if you do these types of things to people in the state of Iowa.”The school district says they have turned over the investigation to law enforcement and no disciplinary actions will be taken until that investigation is complete.» Download the free KCCI app to get updates on the go: Apple | Google PlayGet the latest headlines from KCCI
Parents are worried no one will be held accountable. They say investigators told them there is probably little they can do because Iowa’s criminal code is not yet clear on the laws surrounding creating and distributing explicit AI photos like the ones in this case.
“Our daughters are being victimized. and it doesn’t seem like there’s anything we can do about it,” said Chad Borwick, whose child is one of the Nevada high schoolers whose image was altered to make them appear naked in photographs that were posted to social media.
“It spread like wildfire. It spread through our high school, our middle school, and you know, the kids have probably spread it to other school districts, to other friends. It’s probably going to spread around all those,” Borwick said.
“You don’t want things to happen to your kids. You want them to have better,” said Ida Nady, another parent of a victim. “They’re going to feel like they don’t matter, like their voice doesn’t matter.”
Sen. Chris Cournoyer (R-LeClaire) led a bill through the Iowa Senate this session that was signed by Gov. Kim Reynolds just last week, making it a felony to create media of minors or their likeness engaged in a sex act or full or partial nudity.
But it doesn’t go into effect until July 1.
Cournoyer says the situation in Nevada is exactly what she hopes this bill prevents in the future.
“While these images may be fake, the effects they have on people are very real,” Cournoyer said. “We tried to put some teeth into this law and I think this will be a big difference knowing that there are dire consequences if you do these types of things to people in the state of Iowa.”
The school district says they have turned over the investigation to law enforcement and no disciplinary actions will be taken until that investigation is complete.
