Fact check: Fake mugshot of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez circulates online

Published July 28, 2022

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Siwei Lyu, Empire Innovation Professor of Computer Science and Engineering, told USA Today that an image reported to be a mugshot of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is a fake.

The viral photo appeared on social media following Ocasio-Cortez’s arrest along with 16 other lawmakers on July 19 during an abortion rights demonstration at the Supreme Court.

“The evidence is overwhelmingly high that the mugshot was created from the image by splicing," said Lyu, a digital forensics expert. Two computer vision algorithms indicated clear instances of manipulation in the smoothness of Ocasio-Cortez's face and the background of the fake mugshot, according to Lyu.

Read the story here. The story also appeared on MSN and the Daily Magazine.