Ireland: Colette Fitzpatrick Targeted in Deepfake Scam Ad
Latest in a series of AI-manipulated videos featuring TV presenters globally
Location: Ireland, Dublin
Date: January 11, 2024
An AI-generated deepfake advert featuring Virgin Media News presenter Colette Fitzpatrick alongside the Irish Prime Minister has spread online. The scam ad uses manipulated video and audio of Fitzpatrick to promote a murky investment opportunity. The Coalition For Women In Journalism and Women Press Freedom continues to be alarmed by the rising number of deepfake videos targeting women journalists around the world. As AI software becomes readily available and technology improves, journalists are at risk of being discredited and undermined through manipulated videos. We, once again, urge social media platforms including Meta, X and Alphabet to immediately enact policies to limit the spread of deepfakes on their platforms.
A deepfake Instagram ad, discovered on January 11, 2024, manipulates footage of Virgin Media news anchor Colette Fitzpatrick and Prime Minister Leo Varadkar to promote a dodgy investment scheme.
The fabricated video opens with a simulated Virgin Media News broadcast, seemingly presented by Fitzpatrick, where the AI-generated voiceover falsely reports on Prime Minister Leo Varadkar's involvement in a lucrative project. The ad continues with claims about an app, supposedly endorsed by the Governor of the Central Bank of Ireland, designed to make stock market transactions without human intervention.
“This has nothing to do with Virgin Media News or myself. It is a complete fake,” Fitzpatrick said in response to reports of the deepfake. “A reminder that traditional media is more important than ever, and sourcing your news online from unverified sources is never a good idea,” the broadcaster continued.
“Traditional media is more important than ever, and sourcing your news online from unverified sources is never a good idea”
The video is similar to a deepfake video featuring news presenters from South Africa’s public broadcaster SABC and Elon Musk that circulated online in October 2023. This ad also promoted a scam investment opportunity, manipulating the presenters’ images and voices to trick unsuspecting viewers into investing. Both videos, although unconvincing, represent a new form of attacking the credibility of recognizable and trusted journalists. As AI technology improves and these videos become more believable, press personalities who have hours of footage of their audio and video available online are obvious targets for malicious actors.
Prior to an election in Slovakia in 2023, an AI-generated audio deepfake of journalist Monika Todova and a politician circulated freely on Facebook. The clip, which was shared during the press moratorium prior to the vote, alleged the journalist and the politician’s complicity in buying votes. Despite reporting the video to Meta, the platform did not to take it down as it did not violate its deepfake policies. Facebook does not have content policies covering the uploading of AI-generated audio. The incident drew attention to the lack of preparedness of Meta to deal with the spread of damaging deepfakes on its site.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism and Women Press Freedom is closely tracking the abusive use of AI to target women journalists globally. We are concerned it will be increasingly used in more sinister ways to undermine the public’s trust in journalists. This video featuring manipulations of Colette Fitzpatrick, is yet another example of how news anchors are particularly susceptible to their likeness being used in AI deepfakes. We reiterate our call to major technology and social media platforms, Meta, X and Alphabet, to enact robust content moderation policies to limit the spread of harmful deepfakes.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism is a global organization of support for women journalists. The CFWIJ pioneered mentorship for mid-career women journalists across several countries around the world and is the first organization to focus on the status of free press for women journalists. We thoroughly document cases of any form of abuse against women in any part of the globe. Our system of individuals and organizations brings together the experience and mentorship necessary to help women career journalists navigate the industry. Our goal is to help develop a strong mechanism where women journalists can work safely and thrive.
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