How Detectives Use Photoshop To Turn Themselves Into Undercover 14-Year-Olds
- Nerdy "Model" in Insane Outfits Tricks Fashion Week Photographers
- China is a World-Leader in Faking Images With AI
Photo by Cristina Pop on Unsplash
Detectives are turning to Facebook to catch sexual predators, and they're turning to Photoshop artists to become younger versions of themselves to do it.
A Different Use for Photoshop
Photo by João Silas on Unsplash
Rhode Island detective Adam Houston specializes in child exploitation cases. Twenty years ago he had no idea he would be searching for sexual predators online. Now, it takes up much of his days.
In April of last year, Adam Houston went undercover as a 14-year-old girl. Instead of finding pictures of teenagers online, where a tech-savvy predator could bust the detective through reverse image search (and where it's illegal for officers to find pictures without consent), Houston turned to a coworker.
Houston's coworker gave Houston photos of herself. The photos were then turned over to a Photoshop artist who "age-regressed" them, making it look as if Houston's coworker was a minor.
It worked. The predator was arrested and plead guilty one year later to three charges, including child pornography and grooming.
A Different Kind of Photoshop Tutorial
Thanks in large part to movies and detective shows, people believe that detectives and police departments have much more advanced equipment than they normally do.
More often than not, these detectives are turning to photography departments at the FBI or the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.
Age progression is a much better-known procedure, where photos of children who went missing years ago can be doctored to look as old as the child is now.
Another Way To Look Young Again? Europe Turns to AI
Police also use computer-generated images of children to catch predators in Europe.
Back in 2013, 1,000 men were caught trying to pay a computer-generated 10-year-old girl for sexual acts.
Learn More:
Via Forbes
