"Disinformation campaigns targeting politicians are nothing new, but the widespread availability of AI tools has accelerated the spread of deepfake videos and false claims. DW Fact check has examined viral videos featuring three world leaders German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and US President Donald Trump looking at how the video formats work, how they spread and what narratives they push."
"Although the regulation of price fluctuationand CO2 price increases have been discussed in Germany, no official announcement has fixed the prices at 3. The current price is set at 1.64 per litre. Such a drastic increase would have a huge financial impact on many people. We also analyzed the technical part of the video: The voice-over shows several anomalies, including noticeable glitches. Not only that, AI detection tools such as HIVE indicate a 69.6% likelihood that the content contains AI-generated or deepfake elements."
"Claim: A post on X with over 766,000 views claims UK has issued a 10 p.m. curfew and will shut off television and internet at night. Verdict: False The post includes a video of a man repeating the claim, superimposed on photographs with ominous music playing in the background. He references the UK's digital ID plans, alluding to a smartphone-based identification system for governmental services in the UK, which caused controversy and concerns of government overreach."
Viral videos featuring German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and US President Donald Trump use deepfake formats and false claims to push misleading narratives. A TikTok clip falsely claimed the German government fixed gasoline prices at 3 ($3.50) per litre while the actual price was 1.64 per litre. The clip combined Merz visuals, stock footage and a banner, included an AI-generated voice-over with glitches, and triggered a 69.6% AI/deepfake likelihood on detection tools. A widely shared post on X falsely claimed a UK 10 p.m. curfew and night internet shutdown, referencing digital ID plans and stoking overreach fears, while the UK implemented new rules on children’s social media under the Online Safety Act on 25 July 2025.
Read at www.dw.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]