CU Boulder Student News Faces Challenge from AI Copycat Website

Google search for the CU Independent, a student-run news outlet at the University of Colorado Boulder, delivers a troubling result. The top search result leads to an imposter website using the publication’s former domain name, now populated with AI-generated content unrelated to the university.

The legitimate student journalists now operate from cuindependent.org, having lost control of their original cuindependent.com domain, which they had used since 2009. The authentic site explicitly warns visitors they are “not affiliated with cuindependent.com.”

Student journalists report the copycat site is confusing readers and diverting traffic from their genuine reporting. These students have invested hundreds of dollars of their own money attempting to resolve the situation, consulted with lawyers, and even sought assistance from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.

“In my time as editor-in-chief, I would love to spend more time working on our reporting than trying to fix this website that’s impersonating us,” said Greta Kerkhoff, the CUI’s current editor-in-chief.

While the CU Independent operates independently from the university’s journalism program, department chair Patrick Ferrucci expressed support for the students, stating, “Online AI-generated content can be inauthentic and misleading and should not be confused with high-quality community journalism, professional ethics and editorial standards.”

When contacted by The Denver Post, the operators of the imposter site ignored questions about their identity, instead offering paid content placement ranging from $149 to $299.

The fake site claims to be an evolution of the original CU Independent but appears to be populated with AI-generated articles on random topics like “Why does my itchy scalp itch a day after washing?” and “How many albums does Drake have?” The site lists seemingly fictional staff members with AI-generated photos and implausible biographies. In at least one instance, the site uses the photo of a real Czech journalist, Pavla Holcová, for a fictional writer named “Avery Quinn.”

Jessica Sachs, who served as editor-in-chief during the 2023-2024 academic year, believes the situation stems from years of disorganized cybersecurity management. “It was kind of a security nightmare,” Sachs said, explaining that a revolving door of student editors had access to the site’s WordPress system without proper documentation.

Last year, when the domain registration was about to expire, no one knew who the original account holder was or had the necessary password to renew it. After experiencing periodic site outages whenever the registration lapsed, Sachs enlisted a computer science student to build a replica of the CUI website at the new .org address.

The students thought their problems were solved until the old .com address reappeared with the imposter site. The domain is now anonymously registered through GoDaddy.

Attorney Alexandra Bass, who represents the student newsroom through the Student Press Law Center, noted that such copycat websites are increasingly common, especially with the rise of AI technology. “This can be particularly harmful to student newsrooms whose staff often changes from year to year,” Bass said.

The CUI is now filing a Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy complaint in hopes of having the copycat site removed and potentially regaining control of their original domain. Meanwhile, they’ve reported the fraudulent website to numerous entities.

Jonathan Gaston-Falk, another attorney with the Student Press Law Center, explained that such cases involving AI are particularly challenging because it’s difficult to identify the actual individuals or legal entities responsible.

“We’re very proud of these student journalists who are stepping up not only to report it but to protect their intellectual property,” Gaston-Falk said. “This student leader has been absolutely dogged in trying to protect her and her newsroom’s rights here.”