Old military graduation clip falsely linked to controversial Indonesia 'sea fence'
"Kopaska elite force chanting before they dismantled the PIK 2 sea fence," read part of an Indonesian-language Facebook post on January 23, 2025, referring to the Indonesian navy's underwater demolition unit Kopaska.
The post -- which included a video of soldiers on a beach chanting while holding up their rifles -- surfaced after the Indonesian navy started taking down a controversial "sea fence" in a coastal area in Tangerang regency called Pantai Indah Kapuk (PIK) (archived link).
Local media reported the lengthy 30-kilometre (18-mile) wooden structure sparked outrage among fishermen in the area as it blocked their access to the sea (archived link).
Image
Screenshot of the false Facebook post, captured on February 6, 2025
It remained unclear who built the "sea fence" or owns the structure, with President Prabowo Subianto ordering a probe on January 20 (archived link).
Text overlaid to the video describes the structure as a "gift of gratitude" of former president Joko "Jokowi" Widodo to known supporter business tycoon Sugianto Kusuma, popularly known as Aguan.
One of Aguan's companies told Indonesian media it holds building rights certificates in the area but denied putting up the "sea fence" (archived link).
The video has also been shared alongside similar claims on Facebook and SnackVideo but it is unrelated to the recent controversy.
Military graduation
A reverse image search of the clip's keyframes on Google found a longer version posted on TikTok on September 27, 2024 (archived link).
"Cheer up first to light up the spirit," its caption read.
At the 4:33 mark of the TikTok video, a banner can be seen with the message: "The closing ceremony of and the beret ceremony of infantry students 2024."
"Yudha Wastu Pramuka" is the motto of the Indonesian infantry corps in Sanskrit.
Image
Screenshot comparison of the false post (left) and the TikTok video (right)
shows a military graduation ceremony on September 22, 2024.
Subsequent keyword published on of the regional military regiment in the capital Jakarta on the same day about the event (archived link).
The same banner in the TikTok video can be seen in some of the photos included in the Instagram post.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
AFP
2 hours ago
- AFP
Chinese social media posts falsely claim German right-wing leader praises China
China's former to Belfast Zhang Meifang shared the 13-second clip of Weidel speaking in German on her account on X on May 21, 2025. "Co-chairwoman of Germany's AfD Weidel said only China's strength can defeat the United States' arrogance and force it sit down and negotiate!" its caption says. "Throughout history, the United States has only sat down for equal negotiations twice -- once during the Korean War, and again during the trade war. China was on the other side of the negotiations both times." Simplified Chinese text overlaid on the clip largely repeats the claim. The post appeared alongside a tide of false claims about the trade war between Washington and Beijing circulating online, which were amplified by Chinese state media outlets (archived link). The two sides announced a truce on May 12 that halted tit-for-tat tariffs announced since President Donald Trump's return to the White House, with a further "framework" agreement reached on June 10 (archived link). China would supply rare earth minerals to the United States, which in turn would allow Chinese students to remain in US universities. Image Screenshot of the false post taken on June 11, 2025 on X, TikTok and Weibo. Social media users appeared to believe the circulating claim, with one saying, "She is the guiding light of Germany". Another wrote, "Such an outspoken woman!" Despite having lived and worked in China, Weidel rarely publicly comments on the country (archived link). However, her subtitled speeches circulate widely on Chinese social media, with German broadcaster Deutsche Welle attributing her popularity to AfD and Beijing having similar stances on issues such as European military aid for Ukraine (archived link). The circulating video in fact shows Weidel criticising the German government, not praising China. A reverse image search found the clip was taken from a livestream of her speech at an AfD rally in Thuringia on August 31, 2024, a month before regional elections in Germany (archived link). Image Screenshot comparison of the false video (L) and AfD's livestream During her remarks, she called the government's deportation of 28 Afghan nationals -- who German authorities said were "convicted offenders" with no right to remain -- a day before the AfD rally a "gimmick" (archived link). The false clip can be seen at the 55:04 mark of the livestream, where she went on to say, "Nothing is achieved. It should be up to a thousand people, not just 28." She did not mention China during the speech. German media reported Weidel told rally-goers that AfD would "ban Antifa as a terrorist organisation" if her party came to power during her speech (archived link).
AFP
3 hours ago
- AFP
Picture of Trump 'bestowing medal to S.Korean activist' is doctored
"At first I thought he was full of hot air, but then I saw this photo where Jeon Han-gil received a medal directly from President Trump and I began to believe Trump really is behind him," reads part of the Korean-language caption of a collage shared on Facebook on June 11, 2025. "Lee Jae-myung's government should realise that if it messes with Jeon, it will become enemies with President Trump." to activist Jeon's claims that the United States would if South Korea's newly elected president Lee Jae-myung targets him for supporting for impeached leader Yoon Suk Yeol (archived link). The collage shows various screenshots of Jeon talking about and a larger image of him apparently receiving a medal from the US president (archived link). Image Screenshot of the misleading Facebook post, captured on June 12, 2025 The same collage was shared in several Facebook groups supporting conservative politicians. "Wow, an award from Trump himself -- you are a hero to the Republic of Korea," reads a comment on one of the posts. "Any time a South Korean receives an award abroad should be a cause for great celebration," says another. But the image purportedly showing Trump giving Jeon a medal is a fabrication. A combination of keyword and reverse image searches led to a photo taken by a New York Times photographer on November 16, 2018 (archived link). The photo is captioned: "President Trump gave a Presidential Medal of Freedom to Miriam Adelson -- a doctor and philanthropist who, along with her husband, Sheldon Adelson, is a substantial donor to Republican candidates." Image Screenshot comparison of the altered image (left) and the New York Times' photo from November 2018 (right) Footage from the event was also posted on CBS News's YouTube channel, with the moment Trump awards Adelson the medal -- the highest US civilian award -- at the video's 25:05 mark (archived link). Adelson is listed among the official recipients of the medal on the Trump White House website (archived link). Jeon's name does not appear on the list. The image of Jeon used in the doctored image matches his profile picture from the website of a civil service cram school, where he previously taught Korean history (archived link). Image Screenshot comparison of the doctored image (left) and Jeon's profile image on a cram school website (right) other doctored images involving Trump and South Korean political figures, including similar manipulated visuals falsely showing Trump in a video conference with Yoon.
France 24
11 hours ago
- France 24
AI-powered disinformation spreads online amid Los Angeles protests
Since June 6, Los Angeles has been rocked by protests and clashes with law enforcement, after more than 40 migrants were arrested downtown by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The events have escalated into a confrontation between Donald Trump and the California leaders after the US President deployed National Guard troops against protestors on June 7, overriding the objections of California Governor Gavin Newsom. In this context, several internet users have circulated misleading or erroneous content using artificial intelligence tools. AI-generated selfie video of National Guard soldier On June 9, an alleged National Guard soldier, who identified himself as Bob, posted a selfie video on TikTok that garnered more than 770,000 views. The 'soldier' is seen smiling and offering a 'behind-the-scenes' look at troops preparing for deployment to 'gas' protesters. The second scene of the video features 'Bob' during the clashes, decrying the throwing of 'oil-filled balloons' at law enforcement. It turns out that the video is fake. There are several indications that it was generated using artificial intelligence. For instance, in the video's first scene, one of the badges that should display the soldier's rank shows nonsensical characters. AI still struggles with creating coherent text. Another inconsistency is a strangely placed traffic light on the left side of the image, which is partially obscuring another traffic light. We found another anomaly in the video's second scene. A police car displays an incorrect acronym, LAPC. The Los Angeles Police Department's actual acronym is LAPD. The TikTok account that posted the video, 'maybenotquitereal', is a parody. Its bio states that the user produces "satirical" content. However, this disclaimer isn't visible in the video featuring the supposed National Guard soldier. As seen in the comments, many users believe the video is genuine. Some urge "Bob" to "stay safe" and thank him for 'protecting the country', while another pro-protester online user criticises him for "hurting the citizens" he was supposed to "protect". Did California's Governor share fake National Guard photos? An AI fact-check error On June 9, California Governor Gavin Newsom posted photos on social media showing National Guard soldiers seemingly asleep on the ground. "You sent your troops here without fuel, food, water or a place to sleep. Here they are — being forced to sleep on the floor, piled on top of one another. If anyone is treating our troops disrespectfully, it is you, Donald Trump,' Newsom wrote. However, a user quickly challenged Newsom's claim in the comments, asking, "Why are you posting fake news?" The user backed up this assertion with a screenshot of an image verification performed by ChatGPT. According to the AI, the photograph was taken on August 19, 2021, at Hamid Karzai Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, during the fall of the Afghan capital to the Taliban. The image was reportedly part of a series titled "Afghanistan Evacuation [Image 1 of 3]," published on Dvids, a US military image bank. As explained by BBC Verify journalist Shayan Sardarizadeh, ChatGPT's analysis is inaccurate. A reverse image search (here's how to do one) traces the origin of the images to an exclusive publication by a local media, the San Francisco Chronicle, on June 9, 2025. No instances of these photos appear on Google before this date. Furthermore, our team conducted a search on the Dvids website, where ChatGPT claimed the photos come from, using the AI's suggested title, "Afghanistan Evacuation [Image 1 of 3]." The search yields photographs unrelated to those published by Gavin Newsom. The reliability of image origin verification by chatbots like ChatGPT and Grok varies significantly. Search results from these AI can change depending on when the query is made, as demonstrated by a recent X thread where several users asked Elon Musk's Grok AI to identify the source of the photos. In an analysis initiated on June 9 at 22:55, Grok determined that photographs shared by Gavin Newsom were taken in Kabul on August 19, 2021, just like ChatGPT. In this analysis, the chatbot even deemed the use of these photos in 2025 to criticise the troop situation in Los Angeles as "misleading". However, the same analysis performed at midnight on June 10 yielded a different outcome. While Grok still suggested the photo was taken in Afghanistan in 2021, it no longer entirely ruled out the possibility that it could date from 2025. Finally, an analysis run on June 10 at 5:23 provided the correct result, attributing the photograph's origin to the San Francisco Chronicle. A search conducted by our team in English on ChatGPT on June 10 at 17:46 also yielded an accurate result, crediting the San Francisco Chronicle as the source of the photographs.
