Latest news with #disinformation
Malay Mail
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Malay Mail
From fake Mao photos to AI deepfakes: How election disinformation is warping South Korea's presidential race
SEOUL, June 1 — A photo of the frontrunner bowing to a Mao Zedong statue? News reports claiming US President Donald Trump endorsed a long-shot candidate? Not true, just examples of South Korea's election misinformation problems. With the country set to vote on Tuesday for a new leader to replace ex-president Yoon Suk-yeol, who was impeached over a botched martial law declaration, there has been an explosion of false claims online. AFP takes a look at some of the worst offenders: What are the claims? Many of the claims focus on foreign interference, tapping into local fears of meddling by China, or fabricating support for the conservative camp from the United States. One of the most prominent falsehoods circulating online suggested weaknesses in the overseas voter registration system, with Chinese nationals exploiting the system to cast fraudulent ballots. 'Even foreigners can vote as long as they have an email address!' read one widely shared post, which AFP Fact Check debunked. Who gets targeted? Opposition leader and election frontrunner Lee Jae-myung is a popular target for disinformation. Many claims focus on his purported allegiance to Beijing — feeding into a long-running narrative among conservatives that casts progressive candidates as sympathetic to, or even controlled by, China. For example, photos debunked by AFP journalists showed Lee kowtowing to a Mao statue, and wearing a face mask with the Chinese flag on it. A supporter of Lee Jae-myung of the liberal Democratic Party attends a rally ahead of the upcoming June 3 presidential election. — AFP pic This trend reflects the fact that many voters are less swayed by claims politicians are pro-North Korea, said Choi Jin-bong, a media communications professor at Sungkonghoe University in Seoul. 'It's now the claim that progressives are subservient to China that resonates — especially amid worsening US-China tensions,' he told AFP. 'Even when false, these narratives remain politically useful to conservatives as a last-ditch effort to blunt what looks like an inevitable Lee victory.' What about the conservative candidate? The disinformation involving South Korean conservatives tends to focus on their ties to the United States. Doctored images have shown Trump supporting former prime minister Han Duck-soo's presidential campaign announcement. Han since dropped out of the race, after a failed bid to become the conservative People Power Party (PPP) nominee. Another claim involved a popular right-wing YouTuber falsely telling his 1.5 million subscribers that the Pentagon had endorsed PPP candidate Kim Moon-soo. US Forces Korea told AFP it was 'completely untrue'. But even if they are patently false, the claims 'remain persuasive because they benefit political actors', Lee Jun-han, a politics professor at Incheon National University, told AFP. 'They tap into Korea's polarised landscape and its geopolitical anxieties, rallying each side with narratives that play on fear, identity and outside influence.' A supporter of South Korean presidential candidate Kim Moon-soo of the People Power Party hold a placard as he attends a political rally ahead of the upcoming June 3 presidential election. — AFP pic What about AI? In April, a deepfake video surfaced showing Lee supposedly ending a hunger strike — which he went on in 2023 to protest then-president Yoon's policies — and joking about eating fried chicken. The video, which was shared widely in South Korea's right-wing online ecosystem, was generated using a real photo of Lee in a hospital bed. An AFP analysis identified numerous signs of AI manipulation — disappearing background elements, warped body parts and inconsistent surroundings. The video was fake, but it fed into a pre-existing narrative that Lee's protest was performative. 'AI-driven misinformation poses a serious threat to democracy by obstructing voters' access to reliable information,' said Song Kyeong-jae, a democracy and technology expert at Sangji University. 'When decisions are made based on manipulated content, they are irreversible — and the resulting social and political consequences can be profound.' Fudged numbers Other claims have also sought to misrepresent pre-election polling, which has consistently shown Lee commanding a large lead over his conservative rivals. A viral graphic, shared days before early voting began, falsely claimed PPP candidate Kim was leading Lee in recent polls. In reality, the numbers came from January and February, and the original source clearly listed the survey dates. These were deliberately cropped out to mislead viewers into thinking the results were current. Official May polls showed Lee with a commanding lead of five points or more. — AFP
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
South Korea election hit by misinformation
A photo of the frontrunner bowing to a Mao Zedong statue? News reports claiming US President Donald Trump endorsed a long-shot candidate? Not true, just examples of South Korea's election misinformation problems. With the country set to vote on Tuesday for a new leader to replace ex-president Yoon Suk Yeol, who was impeached over a botched martial law declaration, there has been an explosion of false claims online. AFP takes a look at some of the worst offenders: - What are the claims? - Many of the claims focus on foreign interference, tapping into local fears of meddling by China, or fabricating support for the conservative camp from the United States. One of the most prominent falsehoods circulating online suggested weaknesses in the overseas voter registration system, with Chinese nationals exploiting the system to cast fraudulent ballots. "Even foreigners can vote as long as they have an email address!" read one widely shared post, which AFP Fact Check debunked. - Who gets targeted? - Opposition leader and election frontrunner Lee Jae-myung is a popular target for disinformation. Many claims focus on his purported allegiance to Beijing -- feeding into a long-running narrative among conservatives that casts progressive candidates as sympathetic to, or even controlled by, China. For example, photos debunked by AFP journalists showed Lee kowtowing to a Mao statue, and wearing a face mask with the Chinese flag on it. This trend reflects the fact that many voters are less swayed by claims politicians are pro-North Korea, said Choi Jin-bong, a media communications professor at Sungkonghoe University in Seoul. "It's now the claim that progressives are subservient to China that resonates -- especially amid worsening US-China tensions," he told AFP. "Even when false, these narratives remain politically useful to conservatives as a last-ditch effort to blunt what looks like an inevitable Lee victory." - What about the conservative candidate? - The disinformation involving South Korean conservatives tends to focus on their ties to the United States. Doctored images have shown Trump supporting former prime minister Han Duck-soo's presidential campaign announcement. Han since dropped out of the race, after a failed bid to become the conservative People Power Party (PPP) nominee. Another claim involved a popular right-wing YouTuber falsely telling his 1.5 million subscribers that the Pentagon had endorsed PPP candidate Kim Moon-soo. US Forces Korea told AFP it was "completely untrue". But even if they are patently false, the claims "remain persuasive because they benefit political actors", Lee Jun-han, a politics professor at Incheon National University, told AFP. "They tap into Korea's polarised landscape and its geopolitical anxieties, rallying each side with narratives that play on fear, identity and outside influence." - What about AI? - In April, a deepfake video surfaced showing Lee supposedly ending a hunger strike -- which he went on in 2023 to protest then-president Yoon's policies -- and joking about eating fried chicken. The video, which was shared widely in South Korea's right-wing online ecosystem, was generated using a real photo of Lee in a hospital bed. An AFP analysis identified numerous signs of AI manipulation -- disappearing background elements, warped body parts and inconsistent surroundings. The video was fake, but it fed into a pre-existing narrative that Lee's protest was performative. "AI-driven misinformation poses a serious threat to democracy by obstructing voters' access to reliable information," said Song Kyeong-jae, a democracy and technology expert at Sangji University. "When decisions are made based on manipulated content, they are irreversible -- and the resulting social and political consequences can be profound." - Fudged numbers - Other claims have also sought to misrepresent pre-election polling, which has consistently shown Lee commanding a large lead over his conservative rivals. A viral graphic, shared days before early voting began, falsely claimed PPP candidate Kim was leading Lee in recent polls. In reality, the numbers came from January and February, and the original source clearly listed the survey dates. These were deliberately cropped out to mislead viewers into thinking the results were current. Official May polls showed Lee with a commanding lead of five points or more. sks/ceb/oho/sco/rsc
Yahoo
a day ago
- General
- Yahoo
Russia may be preparing new strikes with strategic aircraft on Ukraine
Andrii Kovalenko, Head of the Center for Countering Disinformation at Ukraine's National Security and Defence Council, has stated that there are "signs that Russia is preparing new strikes using strategic aircraft". Source: Kovalenko on Telegram Details: Kovalenko made this statement in response to US President Donald Trump's comments, who has once again said he was "surprised" and "disappointed" by the latest Russian strikes on Ukraine which were preventing a swift conclusion of a "deal". Quote from Kovalenko: "The fact is that there are currently signs that Russia is preparing new strikes using strategic aircraft in the future." Details: Kovalenko added that this is "a method Moscow has been using since the Minsk agreements". Quote from Kovalenko: "Here, I believe it's important to turn disappointment into what the Russians call a 'zhestkaya opleukha' [a hard slap in the face] to Putin." Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Free Malaysia Today
2 days ago
- General
- Free Malaysia Today
Romanian intelligence denies French spy chief's visit before election
Nationalist George Simion lost Romania's May 18 election run-off. (EPA Images pic) BUCHAREST : Romania's foreign intelligence service on Thursday denied that the French spy chief had visited the country before its presidential election run-off this month, as the Russian head of Telegram has claimed. Pavel Durov, the Telegram social network's CEO, has said that the head of France's foreign intelligence department, the DGSE, went to Bucharest a few days before the May 18 vote, and indicated that this was to influence the outcome of the run-off vote, ultimately won by centrist Nicusor Dan against a nationalist candidate. Romania's intelligence service, the SIE, made a rare public statement to deny that DGSE chief Nicolas Lerner had been in Bucharest before the election. 'To ensure that citizens are properly informed', said an SIE statement which named Lerner and mentioned reports of his alleged meetings in Bucharest, 'we clarify that such a visit did not take place'. Durov, who faces charges in France related to criminal activity on Telegram, has also said in social media messages and by video to a conference in Oslo that Lerner had requested he silence conservative Romanian commentators on the platform. The DGSE has denied those claims. The SIE statement said that the department's activities were 'apolitical' and 'clearly and transparently regulated by law'. The SIE 'will not give in to attempts at manipulation and disinformation in the public sphere, as insinuations of possible political involvement are unsubstantiated and intended to generate distrust of state institutions', it added. Nationalist George Simion, who lost the election run-off, went to Romania's constitutional court in a bid to get the result cancelled. He said there had been 'interference', including by France. The court rejected his appeal. The result of a first-round vote in November which another nationalist, Calin Georgescu, led, was cancelled because authorities ruled it had been influenced by Russian interference in the campaign. Georgescu was banned from taking part in the reorganised election won by Dan.
CBC
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- CBC
Co-host of The Young Turks on the future of left-wing media
Cenk Uygur, founder of the popular news commentary show 'The Young Turks,' is speaking on panels about A.I. and disinformation in Vancouver at the Web Summit. CBC's On the Coast host Gloria Macarenko spoke with Uygur in studio.
