Latest news with #DavidDo
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Danish MP calls for extradition of Canadian behind notorious AI porn site
A Danish MP is calling for the extradition of the Canadian pharmacist behind a notorious porn site that hosted deepfake images of celebrities, politicians, social media influencers and others, including prominent Canadian and Danish women. Last week, Danish MP Søren Søndergaard submitted a letter to the country's justice minister asking whether Danish authorities would demand that Canada extradite David Do so he can face prosecution in Denmark and to explain their reasoning if not. Deepfakes use artificial intelligence tools to insert a person's face into another photo or video. There are free tools to do this, including "nudify" apps for explicit deepfakes, but high-quality ones require thousands of images of a victim in addition to expensive computer hardware and technical know-how. Sharing non-consensual deepfake pornography can be punished by up to six months in prison under Denmark's defamation laws, which ban the misuse of a person's image in a way that manipulates their appearance or improperly impersonates them. "To use persons and put them into pornographic situations is not allowed, and we have some victims in Denmark," Søndergaard told CBC. "Therefore, I asked the minister, will they do something? Will they try to to get the responsible [person] prosecuted for for that act?" A bill to amend the law was introduced in March. If passed, it would ban not just the sharing but also the production of deepfake pornography and make it clear that sharing deepfakes without consent may constitute the kind of misuse of identity prohibited by the law. In Canada, it is currently not illegal to create or share AI-generated porn, although Prime Minister Mark Carney pledged during the election campaign that he would work to have both criminalized. In a statement to CBC, a spokesperson for the Prime Minister's Office said that passing a law criminalizing non-consensual deepfakes is a priority. "As committed to in the 2025 election platform, our government will protect the victims of sexual violence and will make the production and distribution of non-consensual sexual deepfakes a criminal offence," the spokesperson said. "It will also increase penalties for the distribution of intimate images without consent and sexual assault on summary conviction." Earlier this month, CBC's Visual Investigation Unit — in collaboration with open-source investigative outlet Bellingcat and Danish publications Politiken and Tjekdet — revealed that Do, a pharmacist who worked for the Oak Valley Health network in the Greater Toronto Area, was a key person behind the one of the most notorious sites for non-consensual deepfake porn. MrDeepFakes hosted almost 70,000 non-consensual and sometimes violent deepfake videos and images. Canadian YouTuber Sarah Z., who CBC found images and videos of on MrDeepFakes, said seeing the images causes "reputational and psychological damage." The site also hosted deepfakes of several Danish public personalities, including Queen Mary, the wife of the country's monarch, King Frederik X. At its peak, the website was getting millions of views a month and had over 650,000 users. The website was shut down on May 4 after CBC and its media partners told Do that it would be naming him and revealing his role in the enterprise. Deepfake porn content has exploded in recent years. According to a report by cybersecurity firm Security Hero, there has been a 550 per cent increase in the number of deepfakes between 2019 and 2023.. "Many people are afraid to put a picture of their children playing with some other children on the internet… because it can be misused for [deepfake porn]," said Søndergaard. "I think it's very important to say we don't want such a society." Canada has an extradition treaty with Denmark, which states that it can agree to extradite someone if their alleged act is a crime in both countries. Even if deepfakes per se are not outlawed as yet, it's possible Do could be extradited on the basis that he is alleged to have violated existing harassment or defamation laws. "We are talking about an action which is not only taking place in Canada but all over the world. including in Denmark where we have a law saying this is not allowed," said Søndergaard. "So there will be a discussion whether or not Denmark will have the right to get this person extradited." The Danish justice minister has 30 days to answer Søndergaard's question. Do was employed by Oak Valley Health as an in-patient pharmacist at Markham Stouffville Hospital and Uxbridge Hospital until May 15. "David [Do] is no longer an employee following an investigation which followed allegations in the media," Rebecca MacKenzie, a spokesperson for Oak Valley Health, told CBC. Do is still registered in good standing with the Ontario College of Pharmacists, according to its website. The College previously told CBC that the allegations were "extremely serious" and that it was investigating the matter. A CBC News reporter had 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.
CBC
22-05-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Danish MP calls for extradition of Canadian behind notorious AI porn site
A Danish MP is calling for the extradition of the Canadian pharmacist behind a notorious porn site that hosted deepfake images of celebrities, politicians, social media influencers and others, including prominent Canadian and Danish women. Last week, Danish MP Søren Søndergaard submitted a letter to the country's justice minister asking whether Danish authorities would demand that Canada extradite David Do so he can face prosecution in Denmark and to explain their reasoning if not. Deepfakes use artificial intelligence tools to insert a person's face into another photo or video. There are free tools to do this, including "nudify" apps for explicit deepfakes, but high-quality ones require thousands of images of a victim in addition to expensive computer hardware and technical know-how. Sharing non-consensual deepfake pornography can be punished by up to six months in prison under Denmark's defamation laws, which ban the misuse of a person's image in a way that manipulates their appearance or improperly impersonates them. "To use persons and put them into pornographic situations is not allowed, and we have some victims in Denmark," Søndergaard told CBC. "Therefore, I asked the minister, will they do something? Will they try to to get the responsible [person] prosecuted for for that act?" A bill to amend the law was introduced in March. If passed, it would ban not just the sharing but also the production of deepfake pornography and make it clear that sharing deepfakes without consent may constitute the kind of misuse of identity prohibited by the law. In Canada, it is currently not illegal to create or share AI-generated porn, although Prime Minister Mark Carney pledged during the election campaign that he would work to have both criminalized. In a statement to CBC, a spokesperson for the Prime Minister's Office said that passing a law criminalizing non-consensual deepfakes is a priority. "As committed to in the 2025 election platform, our government will protect the victims of sexual violence and will make the production and distribution of non-consensual sexual deepfakes a criminal offence," the spokesperson said. "It will also increase penalties for the distribution of intimate images without consent and sexual assault on summary conviction." Site no longer operating Earlier this month, CBC's Visual Investigation Unit — in collaboration with open-source investigative outlet Bellingcat and Danish publications Politiken and Tjekdet — revealed that Do, a pharmacist who worked for the Oak Valley Health network in the Greater Toronto Area, was a key person behind the one of the most notorious sites for non-consensual deepfake porn. MrDeepFakes hosted almost 70,000 non-consensual and sometimes violent deepfake videos and images. Canadian YouTuber Sarah Z., who CBC found images and videos of on MrDeepFakes, said seeing the images causes "reputational and psychological damage." The site also hosted deepfakes of several Danish public personalities, including Queen Mary, the wife of the country's monarch, King Frederik X. At its peak, the website was getting millions of views a month and had over 650,000 users. The website was shut down on May 4 after CBC and its media partners told Do that it would be naming him and revealing his role in the enterprise. Danish justice minister has 30 days to respond Deepfake porn content has exploded in recent years. According to a report by cybersecurity firm Security Hero, there has been a 550 per cent increase in the number of deepfakes between 2019 and 2023.. "Many people are afraid to put a picture of their children playing with some other children on the internet… because it can be misused for [deepfake porn]," said Søndergaard. "I think it's very important to say we don't want such a society." Canada has an extradition treaty with Denmark, which states that it can agree to extradite someone if their alleged act is a crime in both countries. Even if deepfakes per se are not outlawed as yet, it's possible Do could be extradited on the basis that he is alleged to have violated existing harassment or defamation laws. "We are talking about an action which is not only taking place in Canada but all over the world. including in Denmark where we have a law saying this is not allowed," said Søndergaard. "So there will be a discussion whether or not Denmark will have the right to get this person extradited." The Danish justice minister has 30 days to answer Søndergaard's question. Do no longer employed by Oak Valley Health Do was employed by Oak Valley Health as an in-patient pharmacist at Markham Stouffville Hospital and Uxbridge Hospital until May 15. "David [Do] is no longer an employee following an investigation which followed allegations in the media," Rebecca MacKenzie, a spokesperson for Oak Valley Health, told CBC. Do is still registered in good standing with the Ontario College of Pharmacists, according to its website. The College previously told CBC that the allegations were "extremely serious" and that it was investigating the matter. A CBC News reporter had 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.
Time of India
22-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
$78,000 salary, 30 credit cards, over 1 million points: How a 33-year-old social worker hacks finances with just his memory?
In a modest townhouse in Riviera Beach , Florida, a quiet revolution in travel hacking is unfolding. David Do , a 33-year-old social worker earning $78,000 a year, has racked up over a million credit card points—not with spreadsheets or a financial advisor's playbook, but with intuition, memory, and a deeply personal mission to live well, travel far, and spend smart. While others hoard air miles like heirlooms or consult Excel sheets like sacred texts, Do keeps his arsenal of 30 credit cards tucked in plastic sleeves inside a binder—an homage to childhood Pokémon binders, perhaps, but with much higher stakes. Each month, he doesn't just juggle due dates and rewards categories; he orchestrates them. 'I don't use spreadsheets. I go by memory,' Do told CNBC Make It , as casually as someone might remember their coffee order. And yet, since 2017, this casual approach has bought him travel across 33 countries and counting, all while remaining debt-free. Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Homens acima dos 40 anos estão comprando esse óculos militar Óculos Max Saiba Mais Undo Raised on Frugality, Driven by Memory Do's mastery over his financial life doesn't come from an MBA or a course on personal finance—it's rooted in his upbringing. His parents, Vietnamese refugees, modeled frugality as a way of life. Dining out was rare, wants were weighed against needs, and every purchase was questioned. 'They were always like, 'We can't afford that right now,'' Do recalls. 'But they were being smart. They always lived below their means.' That mindset became his own financial compass—one that helped him graduate from college with minimal debt and start life without the burden of lifestyle inflation. You Might Also Like: Immortality or irony? Biohacker spending $2 million a year to defy death has one chilling message for his haters iStock Do's mastery over his financial life doesn't come from an MBA or a course on personal finance—it's rooted in his upbringing. From Grief to Purpose: A Career Forged in Compassion Do's journey hasn't been without hardship. Toward the end of college, his brother passed away—a loss that shook his sense of direction. He moved back home to West Palm Beach, finding refuge with his family and eventually enrolling in a master's program in social work. After accumulating around $50,000 in student loans, he set a goal: repay them fast, invest wisely, and live on less. By 2020, just five years out of undergrad, he had wiped out his debt entirely. In 2021, he bought a $182,000 townhouse with a modest 3% down payment—timed just right to benefit from historically low interest rates. His mortgage, insurance, and HOA fees now total around $1,875 a month. For South Florida, that's a steal. The Art of the Swipe: How Do Plays the Credit Card Game Dining out in March? That went on a Discover card with 5% cash back. Train tickets? A travel card from Capital One. Amazon shopping? Swiped on a Chase Amazon Prime card. This is Do's subtle genius—he knows the reward structures of each of his 30 credit cards like a second language, using them not just for purchases, but for leverage. You Might Also Like: Self-made Rs 5000 crore man has one word for businessmen: 'Bechara'. From employees to investors, 'Har Dil Maange More' 'I time new cards with big expenses,' he explains. 'If I know I have to pay for car insurance or taxes, I'll sign up for a card that offers a big bonus.' These carefully choreographed decisions are what led to his over one million credit card points . And he isn't hoarding them in hopes of first-class champagne or hotel penthouses. Do travels budget—economy class, modest stays, and calculated redemptions. It's not just about indulgence. It's about experience. 'My goal is to hit 35 countries by the time I'm 35,' he says. His next adventure? A jaunt through Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, and Georgia—a route that reads more like an Instagram travel influencer's dream than that of a soft-spoken social worker from Florida. Living Modestly, Dreaming Big In March 2025, Do's budget tells the story of a man who knows how to spend without excess. From investing nearly $1,000 into his 401(k) to managing healthcare costs for both himself and his mother, every dollar seems to serve a purpose. And yet, there's still space for pleasure—almost $900 went toward entertainment and tax prep, and nearly the same amount was spent on food, mostly dining out. But even in indulgence, Do ensures his money works for him. With about $250,000 saved across investment and cash accounts, Do is working toward a unique version of financial independence known as 'Coast FIRE'—where enough is saved that, with compound growth, he could theoretically retire on schedule even if he slows his work pace in the coming years. A Million Points, and a Life in Balance David Do's story isn't just about free flights or clever swiping. It's about carving a life of freedom and fulfillment within the constraints of an average salary. In an age where debt is common and travel often feels out of reach, Do is a rare figure: someone who has mastered the system without letting it master him. 'I want to contribute as much as I can to retirement, but also live a fulfilling life,' he says. 'And with my job being flexible, I think it's giving me that opportunity.' Indeed, for a man who trades points for plane tickets and spreadsheets for instinct, it seems that fulfillment is just another carefully plotted journey—one reward point at a time.
CNBC
22-05-2025
- Business
- CNBC
33-year-old in Florida making $78,000 a year has racked up over 1 million credit card points
David Do doesn't have much of a system when it comes to his credit cards. Sure, he keeps them organized. When he's not using them, his 30 or so active cards live in a binder in plastic sheaths like Pokémon cards. He has the commensurate apps for all of them, too, which helps him keep track of his spending and due dates. But that's about the extent of it. "For people who do travel hacking, like what I do, they have the proper way of using an Excel sheet. I don't use an Excel sheet at all," says Do, 33. "Truthfully, I just go by memory and just be like, 'Oh, yeah, I did apply for this card last year. So let me just keep a timeline of when the annual fee is due, or when this credit card statement is due.'" Travel hacking means strategically using credit card rewards programs to score free or discounted flights and hotel stays, often by taking advantage of bonuses for opening new cards or transferring points between programs. It's a hobby that requires vigilance – both to ensure that you snag the best deals when they arise and to make sure you don't accidentally rack up debt across your array of cards. It's easy to see why some travel hackers are serious about their spreadsheets. It's hard to argue with Do's results, however. Besides a mortgage on a 2-bedroom, 2-bathroom townhouse in Riviera Beach, Florida, he doesn't carry any debt. He dutifully invests a healthy portion of the $78,000 salary he earns working remotely as a social worker for a group of primary physicians' offices. Since 2017, he's earned and redeemed well over 1 million credit card points and miles, using them to help fund trips to 33 countries. "I'm hoping to do 35 by the time I'm 35," he says. Do owes a good deal of his financial success to his family, in more ways than one. He learned a lot from his parents, refugees from Vietnam who he says were loving providers and yet careful about how they spent. "My parents were always very, very frugal with things. They we were strict about eating out, things to buy. If we wanted something, they were always like, 'We can't afford that right now,'" he says. "I think in the grand scheme of things, they were being smart with their money … they always lived below their means." They kept on top of Do when it came to schoolwork, too, which paid off. Thanks to a mix of scholarships and grants, he was able to graduate from University of Central Florida in 2015 with a degree in psychology and just $10,000 in student debt. "Towards the end of my undergrad, my brother had passed away, and I didn't really, you know, have a solid idea of what wanted to do with my [life]," he says. "So as soon as I could graduate, I immediately went home." Living with his parents in West Palm Beach allowed Do to support them emotionally while giving himself time to figure things out, professionally and financially. After he started working as a coordinator at a treatment center for adults and children with mental health and substance abuse issues, he realized he was interested in social work. He enrolled at Barry University in Miami in 2017 and graduated two years later with a master's and about $40,000 in additional student loan debt. Do embarked on an aggressive strategy of repaying his loans and bolstering his savings. "Living at home made it a lot easier, because I could prioritize certain things I needed to," he says. "So I pretty much budgeted maybe over half of my paychecks [toward] all the student loans." He made his last payment in early 2020. The following year, Do bought his current home, a $182,000 townhouse, with a 3% down payment. Here's how Do spent his money in March 2025. Do's living expenses make up the biggest chunk of his budget, though he's quick to acknowledge that he got a pretty good deal. "Fortunately, I was able to buy at a time where the interest rate was relatively low, so, that kind of helped a bit," he says. "I do have HOA fees. That's a little bit hefty, but it's still a pretty decent value for what it is in South Florida." Do's mortgage rate is just a tick over 3%. Even with a $503 HOA fee, his monthly housing payment comes to just over $1,700. Utilities run him an additional $156. His next biggest expense in March was food. The majority of that came from dining out, though Do says he's working on getting handier in the kitchen. Do uses credit cards to his advantage. Every cent he spent at a restaurant in March, for example, went on a Discover card offering 5% cash back that month on dining purchases. Plane and train tickets went on a travel card from Capital One. Amazon purchases went on a Chase Amazon Prime card. Each month, Do examines which of his cards offer the most generous rewards and divvies his spending accordingly. "It really just depends on what month it is, because each credit card's points have … you get extra cash back on the category, like, let's say, for example, groceries or gas," he says. And he signs up for new rewards cards when doing so is likely to benefit him. "I know if I have a big expense coming up, let's say, for example, I have to pay for tuition, or I have to pay for car insurance, or I have a big quarterly tax I need to pay, then I'll try to time it accordingly with one of the credit cards that offers a big sign-up bonus," Do says. Do is happy to redeem the points he racks up — he estimates he takes seven or eight trips a year — though he looks to get bang for his buck. Like most travel hackers, he looks to maximize his points' value by transferring them between loyalty partners, which can offer bonuses. While Do currently has about 370,000 points saved, you won't see him flying in first class anytime soon. "It's always been economy for me, and, I could redeem it for business, but it just, I can't really sacrifice the points," he says. "I'm more of a budget traveler." His next trip? "Right now, me and my friend, we're hoping to plan a trip to believe it or not, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan and Georgia," he says. "So that's kind of being in the works right now." Over the longer term, Do plans on achieve a version of financial independence known as "Coast FIRE." Once he's saved a certain amount, the thinking goes, he can let that money grow until he reaches full retirement age while he scales back the amount he works, perhaps even by going part-time. Currently, he has about $250,000 saved across workplace and personal retirement accounts, taxable brokerage accounts, health savings accounts and cash accounts. Between savings and investment gains, he hopes to push that number over $1 million, even if it's not what he necessarily needs to "coast." "My goal right now is to contribute as much as I can to retirement, but also trying to live a fulfilling life," he says. "And with my job being flexible, I think it's giving me that opportunity, too."
CNBC
22-05-2025
- CNBC
How I've earned over a million credit card points to travel the world
Over the last eight years, David Do, 33, has enjoyed "travel hacking," or the practice of maximizing rewards programs and credit card points to earn discounted travel. He has earned over a million credit card points across over 30 cards and has traveled to 33 countries. Earning $78,000 annually, David works remotely as a social worker, which allows him the flexibility to pursue his passion for traveling. This is an installment of CNBC Make It's Millennial Money series, which profiles people across the globe and details how they earn, spend and save their money.
