US EditionAI: Catherine Connolly Condemns 'Disgraceful' Deep-Fake Video
The deepfake video was viewed nearly 30,000 times and shared about 200 times before removal, aiming to mislead voters about Catherine Connolly's candidacy status.
- On Wednesday, a deepfake RTÉ-style video claiming Catherine Connolly withdrew circulated on Facebook, viewed nearly 200 times and removed by Meta after being live for almost 12 hours.
- Designed to look like an RTÉ bulletin, the clip used AI versions of Sharon Ní Bheoláin and Paul Cunningham, RTÉ political correspondent, to falsely claim the election was cancelled and Heather Humphreys, Fine Gael candidate, would be appointed.
- Polling released last Thursday shows Catherine Connolly on 38 per cent with Heather Humphreys on 20 per cent and 18 per cent undecided, and Connolly said on Wednesday she is `absolutely still a candidate`.
- Meta and EU rules require platforms to prevent impersonation, and Coimisiún na Meán has contacted the platform while authorities confirmed the election will proceed on Friday with all candidates on the ballot.
- Ms Connolly's campaign has asked platforms to remove the clip, label it as fake, preserve metadata, lodged a complaint with the Electoral Commission, and urged members of the public to verify content.
20 Articles
20 Articles
Meta Allows Deepfake That Irish Presidential Election Is Canceled to Go Viral
Ireland is just days away from electing a new president — a mostly ceremonial role, though the office does carry constitutional responsibilities like appointing the Taoiseach, or prime minister, and referring legislation to the courts, granting the post real authority. This year, independent progressive Catherine Connolly has surged ahead in the polls, commanding a comfortable lead over her sole rival, the center-right Heather Humphreys. That ma…
Widespread misinformation and deepfake videos spread ahead of Presidential election
As polling day for the Irish Presidential election draws nearer, misinformation and deepfake videos relating to the campaigns have circulated on social media. According to RTÉ, Meta has removed an account named ‘RTÉ News AI’ and a number of deepfake videos that show AI-generated fake news reports about the presidential election.
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