Unesa Chat Group Scandal: AI-Generated Content Used in Sexual Harassment

A suspected sexual harassment case centred on a group chat at Surabaya State University (Unesa) has been found to involve not only verbal harassment but also the creation of unethical content using artificial intelligence (AI) targeting the victims.

Tegar Eka Pambudi El Akhsan, Chair of the Student Representative Council of the Vocational Faculty at Unesa, revealed the various forms of harassment that took place within the group chat on a messaging application. The group comprised six reported students with the initials RY, HA, AD, RE, JO, and DO.

“The alleged harassment in the group chat took the form not only of verbal abuse and objectification driven by fantasy or personal gratification, but also included the use of AI technology to generate unethical content targeting one of the victims,” Tegar said in an official statement on Monday (20/7).

The case first came to light when one of the victims was asked to use the suspected perpetrator’s mobile phone to contact a friend, and noticed a suspicious message notification from a group chat.

“The victim saw a message notification from a group chat containing sentences suspected to be unethical,” said Tegar. “The victim then opened the group without the phone owner’s knowledge and discovered a number of starred messages containing sentences suspected of containing elements of harassment,” he continued.

Two of the six group members, JO and DO, eventually gave statements to the Student Representative Council on 1 July 2026, unable to tolerate their peers’ behaviour. They said the group chat, initially created to discuss competition activities, had latterly been misused for unethical conversations.

The number of victims has continued to grow since the initial report. From nine people in early July, the figure rose to 19 on 5–6 July, before finally reaching 26 on 13 July 2026, consisting of 22 students and four lecturers.

Based on the provisional verification results of Unesa’s Directorate for the Prevention and Handling of Strategic Issues (PPIS), three parties with the initials RE, JO, and DO were declared not to be perpetrators pending completion of the process. The other three — HA, RY, and AD — have already served sanctions in the form of recorded apologies to parents, which were submitted to PPIS.

Nevertheless, Tegar said, the decision on possible severe sanctions, including expulsion, against the suspected perpetrators has yet to be made. The Student Representative Council stated that follow-up from PPIS is still needed so that all parties can resolve the case thoroughly.

“Follow-up from PPIS is needed to issue an official statement on the fairest and most appropriate sanctions for the perpetrators who have tarnished the reputation of the study programme, the faculty, and the university,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Head of Unesa’s Task Force for the Prevention and Handling of Violence (Satgas PPK), Iman Pasu Marganda Hadiarto Purba, said the university has deactivated the six vocational students reported for suspected sexual harassment via the WhatsApp group.

Iman said the six reported students have been suspended from all academic and campus activities to ensure the smooth running of the investigation. He stressed that the deactivation is not a final sanction but part of administrative procedure so that the investigation can proceed independently whilst upholding the presumption of innocence.

“The reported students are deactivated from all academic activities, except for fulfilling their obligations in the examination of this case. This is not a final sanction, but part of the handling procedure,” said Iman.

Iman said Satgas PPK is handling the case in accordance with the procedures set out in Minister of Education and Culture Regulation Number 55 of 2024 on the Prevention and Handling of Violence in Higher Education Institutions, using a victim-centred approach that upholds the principles of justice, confidentiality, and prudence.

“In handling this case, there is a strict mechanism in place, starting from receiving reports, case review, evidence gathering, examination of the reported parties and witnesses, victim assistance, summoning parents, drawing up conclusions and recommendations, and the determination of sanctions by the rector,” he said.

He added that Satgas PPK is still carrying out intensive investigation to establish the level of violence that occurred and to mitigate the possibility of other parties being involved or affected.

“We are still conducting in-depth investigation, examining witnesses, and gathering additional evidence from the very long and extensive chat history of the group to map out this case comprehensively, objectively, and fairly,” said Iman.

Satgas PPK has ensured a victim-centred handling approach focused on protection and recovery, providing ongoing psychological support, legal assistance, and academic support. Unesa has also guaranteed the confidentiality of the identities of all victims, reporters, and witnesses.

“Beyond focusing on handling the case, assistance for the victims is our priority. The task force team is providing psychological support, ensuring their academic support runs smoothly, and preparing legal assistance if needed,” he said.