GTA pharmacist allegedly behind deepfake porn site now on leave, says hospital network CEO
A hospital pharmacist alleged to be a key figure behind a popular deepfake porn site is now on leave, according to the CEO of the Toronto-area hospital network that employs him.
Last week, CBC News's visual investigations unit — in collaboration with open-source investigative outlet Bellingcat and Danish publications Politiken and Tjekdet — published an investigation that found David Do, a pharmacist in the Oak Valley Health network, played a prominent role in the operations of MrDeepFakes.com.
MrDeepFakes, which went offline this month, was the most popular site globally for deepfake porn. The site hosted tens of thousands of non-consensual and sometimes violent deepfake videos and images of celebrities, politicians, social media influencers and private citizens, including Canadians.
Do's alleged role in the site was pieced together using data from the web, public records and forensic analysis of the site.
In light of the allegations, Do is not working at Markham Stouffville Hospital and Uxbridge Hospital while an internal investigation is conducted, Oak Valley Health president and CEO Mark Fam told CBC Radio's Metro Morning Tuesday.
"He's off right now," Fam said, without going into detail about the nature of Do's leave.
"I want to be clear that as an organization, we unequivocally condemn the creation or distribution of any form of violent or non-consensual sexual imagery," Fam said. "We have to do our investigation to understand the allegations brought forward."
Fam said hospital staff and patients have raised concerns since the allegations against Do were made public.
"Our focus right now is taking care of our team," Fam said.
Oak Valley's internal investigators are working closely with the Ontario College of Pharmacists as they look into the allegations, he added.
The Ontario College of Pharmacists' code of ethics says no member should engage in "any form of harassment," including "displaying or circulating offensive images or materials."
The college previously told CBC News the allegations "are extremely serious" and that it was "taking immediate steps to look into this matter further and determine the necessary actions we need to take to protect the public."
WATCH | How a Toronto pharmacist secretly helped run a notorious porn site:
Do has not responded to multiple requests for comment emailed by CBC News over a period of several weeks. When a reporter hand-delivered a letter to Do at Markham Stouffville Hospital, where he was working as an in-patient pharmacist on April 11, he said, "I don't know anything about that."
On May 5, a CBC News reporter again approached Do in an attempt to interview him about his role in the website. Do told the reporter he didn't want to be recorded and that he was busy, before driving away in his vehicle.
MrDeepFakes.com went offline on May 4, just before the findings of the joint investigation were published.
Although sharing non-consensual deepfake porn is illegal in several countries, including Australia, South Korea and the U.K., it's not a crime in Canada. Prime Minister Mark Carney pledged to pass a law criminalizing it during his federal election campaign.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
6 hours ago
- New York Post
Hungry bear breaks into nursing home, gets walloped with walker before being lured out with Rice Krispies treats
His stomach was growling for geezers! A hungry black bear broke into a Pittsburgh-area nursing home and wreaked havoc — forcing a caretaker to whack him with a walker while others coaxed him with Rice Krispies treats, workers said Friday. 'I grabbed a walker and was hitting him, trying to get him away from the residents,' nursing assistant Charlene Elliot told CBS News. Advertisement A young black bear broke into St. Andrew's Village, a nursing home located in Indiana, Pennsylvania, leading a caretaker to whack the animal before other members of the building coaxed him with Rice Krispies treats. WPXI-TV News Pittsburgh '[I thought] he's going to maul them or swipe, slap at them. That was my worst fear.' The ballsy young bruin smashed through a window at St. Andrew's Village in Indiana, Pennsylvania, at 11 p.m. Tuesday, and made a b-line for an elderly resident's bed, Elliott said. Advertisement 'I was sitting there at our nurse's station and I heard a big crash,' Elliott told Channel 11. 'Going through my mind was, 'Get the thing out of here!'' The un-bear-able burglar high-tailed it down a hallway into several bedrooms — at one point coming nearly nose-to-nose with an elderly resident, Elliott told the station. 'He could have mauled him. I mean, one swipe,' Elliott said. Advertisement The bear made its way into the nursing home at around 11 p.m. Tuesday and made a b-line for a resident's bed, said nursing assistant Charlene Elliot. WPXI-TV News Pittsburgh 'I told them all to shut the doors. Get the doors all shut!' Meanwhile, another resident offered the critter a sandwich in an attempt to lure him out of the building. 'She's like 'Well, go ahead and give it my sandwich!' and I'm like, 'No, we can't do that!' Elliott said. Advertisement Staffers eventually succeeded at shooing the animal out of the center using the lure of Rice Krispies treats, she said. All told, the 150-pound bear was inside the retirement home for about 15 minutes and nobody was injured. Wildlife officials later captured the bear using a trap, set up with donuts, Thursday morning. 'We are incredibly proud of our team's quick thinking and dedication to ensuring the safety of everyone in our community,' Presbyterian Senior Living, which runs the home, said in a press release.
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
5 signs it might not be safe for your aging parents to live alone anymore, according to an expert
We plan for vacations and plan for retirement, but end-of-life planning is something we tend to put off. Talking about downsizing or moving into a retirement community (or a long-term care facility) are among the most important conversations adult children will have with their parents, and experts say these conversations should happen as early and often as possible. Broaching the subject of downsizing or moving can be delicate, and most elderly parents are resistant to move out of their houses. In fact, nearly every Canadian wants to age in their homes and communities. A 2020 survey found that 96 per cent of Canadians aged 65 and older would do 'everything they could' to avoid going into a long-term care facility, according to the National Institute on Ageing. That's a relevant statistic to consider when approaching your aging parents with this sensitive conversation. Meanwhile, Canada's population continues to age. Around 19 per cent of Canadians were aged 65 and older on July 1, 2023. By the end of the decade, seniors could represent between 21 per cent to 23 per cent of the total population. As this demographic continues to grow, conversations around end-of-life planning will increasingly move to the forefront. With this in mind, Yahoo Canada spoke to an expert about signs it might be time for your parents to consider downsizing. It's hard to know when it might be time to help your elderly parents downsize, but Stephanie Chan, a senior living advisor and founder of Home to Home, a care planning business based in Vancouver, B.C, has a few common clues to look out for. One scenario for aging parents is their day-to-day routines seem normal, but gradually over time, you spot subtle warning signs. 'They may seem minor and not as noticeable,' Chan says. 'But I would encourage families to pay attention to a few things.' 1. Mobility 'Observe how your parents are getting around the house. If you're picking up to go to an appointment, do you notice that it's taking them longer to get ready? Are they manoeuvring stairs differently? Have they had any falls, even small falls, in recent weeks?' Chan says mobility is one common warning sign to consider whether the living environment is still suitable. 2. Ease of daily living Changes in your loved one's ability to bathe themselves or go to the washroom on their own are another indicator it might be time to discuss living arrangements. 'Are they remembering to take their meds?" Chan asks. "Are they cooking for themselves? Are they keeping the house tidy? Are they dressing themselves OK?" 3. Mental wellbeing "Do they seem more isolated? Socialization can really impact one's well being. If you notice your parents never going out and they're isolated all the time, that could be a warning sign to think about moving," Chan says. "Seniors residences have a lot of socialization, and I think it's actually one of the most underrated benefits of seniors residences.' 4. Cognitive ability Another sign is if your parent has become more forgetful to the point where they're unable to take their meds or are at risk of going out and forgetting their way home. Diagnoses of dementia or Alzheimer's are also indicators it may be time for new a new living arrangement to ensure their safety. 5. Triggering events The loss of a spouse or loss of a driver's license could also trigger a discussion of downsizing or moving to a group environment. Similarly, a chronic health diagnosis that could impact their daily routine may also be a catalyst for discussing living arrangements. In her 18 years dealing with seniors, Chan says resistance to talk of in-home care or moving is one of the biggest conversations she helps families navigate. If your parents need help at home, her advice is to start small, whether it's hiring a cleaner, gardener, or cook to help with daily tasks. 'That might be a good way to just get your feet wet with trying out home care,' she says. And, if the family agrees it might be time to move, Chan suggests people tour residences. Book it during lunchtime if possible. 'Many places will invite you to stay, and you can test out the food and see other residents coming down for their meals,' Chan says. 'It will demystify any preconceived notions of what seniors' residences are like. A lot of people think it's doom and gloom, but there's a lot of seniors' residences that are very, very nice.'
Health Line
7 hours ago
- Health Line
GLP-1 Drugs Linked to Age-Related Macular Degeneration, Study Finds
GLP-1 drugs are associated with a higher risk of 'wet' age-related macular degeneration in people with type 2 diabetes, according to a new study. Researchers found that the risk substantially increased the longer people were prescribed a GLP-1 drug, particularly those containing semaglutide. GLP-1 medications like Ozempic and Wegovy have surged in popularity as weight loss treatments, but ophthalmologists say their potential risks to eye health are not well understood. GLP-1 drugs are linked to a significantly higher risk of developing neovascular or 'wet' age-related macular degeneration, according to new research. The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Toronto, found that people with type 2 diabetes who were prescribed GLP-1s were more than twice as likely to develop wet AMD as those who weren't. The study also found that the longer subjects were treated with these medications, the greater their risk of developing wet AMD. Neovascular age-related macular degeneration, commonly known as wet AMD, is the less common but more aggressive form of age-related macular degeneration, and a leading cause of irreversible vision loss among older adults in the United States. The findings, published on June 5 in JAMA Ophthalmology, suggest that doctors and patients should be aware of the potential risks, even though the chance of developing the condition remains relatively low. GLP-1 drugs, a class of blockbuster diabetes and obesity drugs sold under brand names like Ozempic and Wegovy, have surged in popularity in recent years. They offer a range of substantial benefits, including weight loss, improved blood sugar levels, and reduced cardiovascular disease risk. Despite these benefits, ophthalmologists say the impact of GLP-1 drugs on eye health is not well understood. Studies have identified an association between the medications and other eye conditions, including diabetic retinopathy and non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION). While the findings don't establish a clear causal link between GLP-1 drugs and eye disease, experts say there's still reason for caution. 'The dose-response effect we observed — where longer GLP-1 receptor agonist exposure was associated with higher risk — strengthens the argument that this association may reflect a true biological effect rather than being due to confounding factors,' said study co-author Andrew Mihalache, MD(C), of the Temerty Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto, Canada. 'Seeing a graded relationship like this suggests that prolonged exposure could play a causal role in increasing risk. However, this needs to be confirmed in future studies,' he told Healthline. Long-term GLP-1 drug use may triple wet AMD risk Drawing on health records from Ontario, Canada, researchers at the University of Toronto analyzed nearly 140,000 adults with type 2 diabetes to investigate a possible link between GLP-1 use and wet AMD. The retrospective study tracked patient outcomes over a three-year period, using data collected between 2020 and 2023. Roughly one-third of participants — about 46,000 people — had been prescribed a GLP-1 drug for at least six months. The rest had not. In the vast majority of cases (97.5%), that drug was semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy. The average participant was 66, and the cohort was almost evenly divided by sex, with females representing 46.6% of the group. On average, those who were prescribed a GLP-1 drug were more than twice as likely to be diagnosed with wet AMD. However, that number doesn't tell the full story. People who took GLP-1 drugs for longer experienced progressively greater risk. Those who had only taken their medication for 6–18 months actually had a slightly lower risk than those who didn't take the medication. However, at the 18–30 month mark, GLP-1 users' risk of developing wet AMD more than doubled compared to non-users. And those taking the drugs for 30 months or longer had more than triple the risk. 'This was definitely surprising, especially given the growing enthusiasm for GLP-1 receptor agonists for their cardiovascular and metabolic benefits. It really highlights the need for further investigation into their ocular safety profile,' first study author Reut Shor, MD, of the Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences at the University of Toronto, Canada, told Healthline. Despite the increase in risk, the absolute risk of developing wet AMD was still low: 0.2% among those taking a GLP-1 and 0.1% among those who didn't. Do GLP-1 drugs harm eye health? While not definitive, the study raises further questions about the potential risks posed by GLP-1 drugs for eye health. Prior studies have also identified links between GLP-1s and other forms of eye disease in people with type 2 diabetes. In a major phase 3 semaglutide trial in 2016, researchers identified that type 2 diabetes patients taking semaglutide had a higher risk of complications of diabetic retinopathy compared to a placebo. Those findings were published in The New England Journal of Medicine. However, other studies have provided conflicting evidence. A retrospective 2024 study evaluated nearly 700 subjects with type 2 diabetes who were taking a GLP-1 drug and found no association between GLP-1s and worsening retinopathy. Also in 2024, researchers found that patients with type 2 diabetes who were prescribed semaglutide were at greater risk of NAION compared to those who weren't. NAION is a condition that causes sudden blindness, typically just in one eye, due to a lack of blood flow to the optic nerve. The mechanism for why GLP-1 drug use may lead to wet AMD is not well established, but a predominant theory is that lowering blood sugar rapidly leads to a lack of oxygen in the retina. 'When you make the retina more hypoxic, which is what the GLP-1s do, it basically pushes it further over the threshold, causing more abnormal blood vessels to grow,' said Linda Lam, MD, MBA, an ophthalmologist with Keck Medicine of USC, who wasn't involved in the research. Abnormal blood vessel growth in the eye is the hallmark of wet AMD. While GLP-1s offer many health benefits, eye disease risk must be considered in some populations, Lam told Healthline. 'In this particular group of patients who are older, who are diabetics, I really would caution against the extended use of GLP-1s,' she said. Lam reiterated the importance of annual eye exams for the general population, but in particular for those with diabetes, to identify and diagnose eye disease early on. People with type 2 diabetes, especially those taking a GLP-1 drug, should be aware of the signs and symptoms of vision loss and consult with their doctor immediately. These include:
