Understood: Deepfake Porn Empire Episode 4: The Fake Porn Pharmacist
Mar 10, 2026
Eric Szeto, a CBC Visual Investigations reporter who tracked and confronted the alleged operator of MrDeepFakes, takes listeners through the on-the-ground hunt in Toronto. He describes in-person confrontations, a long stakeout, tracing travel and an Airbnb, and the immediate shutdown of the site. The episode also covers legal gaps, proposed laws, takedown tradeoffs, and the ongoing threat of easy deepfake tools.
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Confronting The Alleged Kingpin In Person
- Eric Szeto and CBC tracked down David Do by sending emails, delivering a letter in person, and confronting him at his hospital workplace to force a response.
- The moment they found him at the inpatient pharmacy and handed him the letter revealed a meek, unexpecting man behind MrDeepFakes.com.
Morning Stakeout Caught The Tesla Escape
- CBC staged multiple stakeouts around David Do's home and followed him as he left in a Tesla to capture on-camera confrontation footage.
- The producers waited hours, chased his car down an alley, and recorded his refusal to talk as he backed away.
Investigation Prompted Rapid Site Shutdown
- After public pressure and direct confrontation, MrDeepFakes.com displayed a shutdown notice claiming a critical provider terminated service and that data loss made relaunch impossible.
- The site's immediate disappearance suggested the investigation had direct, fast operational impact on the platform.