posted a doctored Kamala Harris campaign video to X over the weekend. The video contains a deepfake voiceover speaking over it that makes misleading claims. Nowhere does Musk’s post mention that the video is altered in any way. By X’s policies, users are not allowed to share misleading media, but the video remained on the platform all weekend, viewed over 119 million times.
The video, which was originally posted by @MrReaganUSA, purports to be a parody. The voiceover makes false claims about Harris and Joe Biden. Musk’s post is simply, “This is amazing,” followed by a laughing emoji. It has not been labeled as misleading, despite X’s policy. No Community Notes have been added, though many were suggested.
Some manipulated media may remain up under X policies, such as memes and satire, provided they do not confuse users. The possible misuse of deepfakes is a concern in its nascent stage. It can influence the votes in the run-up to elections. As recently as this year, 20 tech companies signed an agreement to tackle this.
Deepfake videos are extremely harmful in the present digital era, they can easily sow confusion and deceive public opinion. The platforms are on high alert since elections are nearing. A check has been put on ensuring that the media being shared are authentic. Be careful; users might be tricked.
