News Anchors Targeted By Deepfake Scammers On Facebook


November 17, 2023

Barron's

In a Facebook video viewed by thousands, CNN’s Wolf Blitzer appears to hawk a diabetes drug. In another, "CBS Mornings" host Gayle King seems to endorse weight loss products.

But the clips are doctored -- the latest in a rash of deepfakes that hijack images of trusted news personalities in spurious ads, undermining confidence in the news media.

Similar social media posts in recent months have targeted Fox News personality Jesse Watters, CBC host Ian Hanomansing and BBC stars Matthew Amroliwala and Sally Bundock.

In some cases, the journalists have used their own accounts to push back.

"I've never heard of this product or used it! Please don't be fooled by these AI videos," King said on Instagram in October.

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Rebekah Tromble, director of the Institute for Data, Democracy and Politics at The George Washington University, said this kind of misinformation "plays into larger concerns about trust in information and trust in institutions."

Read the full article in Barron's.