THE PHILIPPINE NATIONAL POLICE Anti-Cyber Group is currently investigating a deepfake video of Ferdinand Marcos Jr. that’s been circulating the internet.
On Tuesday, the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) had already warned the public to be vigilant about what was circulating on social media, featuring the video of President Marcos promoting an online trading platform.
The said video was originally posted on a Facebook page named “Deborah Webb” that is now renamed “Inquirer PH Insider.” The page is being managed overseas with a link that redirects netizens to an unrelated e-commerce site.
The CICC stated that the video was made using deepfake technology that utilize AI-based manipulation that simulates the presence of the president.
This is dangerous, as the AI video falls under the form of digital deception, preying on public trust by drawing it as if the president is familiar with the brand. This is an attempt to drive engagement that may be connected to a fraudulent scheme.
The CICC has then requested that the content be removed along with the related posts.
Following the incident, the PNP-ACG director, Brig. Gen. Bernard Yang stated that investigators were able to coordinate with Facebook to take down the video while keeping its digital footprint to be used as evidence for the case filing.
He added that they are confident that they’ll be able to identify the person/people who are behind the video. For the meantime, they are just waiting for the results from the social media platform.
According to Yang, some individuals from previously reported deepfake videos targeting other high-profile personalities had been identified.
These deepfake videos are usually used in various scams.
The investigation on the case is still ongoing; however, they cannot make the information public yet as they are still building the case so that they can file charges against the individuals who are involved.
The reported case of deepfakes will lead to the creation of a National Deepfake Task Force along with the coordination of CICC, DICT, NBI, and other government offices to address disinformation as per the Presidential Communications Office.
