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Sensity, a tool designed to detect AI manipulation, flagged videos as “suspicious” with 99.9% confidence
Claim: Cardiologist and online health personality Dr. Willie Ong supports new treatments for high blood pressure.
evaluation: error
Why we fact-checked: The video containing this claim has received 277,000 views, 570 reactions, 47 comments, and 36 shares at the time of writing.
In the video, ABS-CBN anchor Alvin El Chico appears to be talking about a breakthrough treatment for high blood pressure said to have been developed by Ong and other prominent global doctors. The alleged report states that even famous boxer Manny Pacquiao tried the natural remedy on Mr Ong's recommendation.
This is followed by a clip of Ong that seems to be affirming the effectiveness of the drug. It also accused “corrupt” cardiologists of prescribing “useless drugs that only mask the symptoms and do not treat the cause of the disease.”
fact: The video featuring Ong and Elchico is manipulated using AI. Sensity, a tool designed to detect AI manipulation, flagged the video as “suspicious” with 99.9% confidence.
“High confidence indicates that the detector detected a clear signal of AI generation or manipulation. The minimum confidence level for this detector is 50%,” Sensity said.
Founded in 2018, the Netherlands-based company specializes in detecting “deepfakes and other forms of malicious visual media.”
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A closer look at the altered video also reveals that Ong and El Chico's mouth movements appear unnatural.
Mr Ong's original footage is from a 2018 video on his official YouTube channel, where he offers advice on managing various conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes.
In an ABS-CBN News article, both the news organization and El Chico admitted that the video was fake.
Previous false claims: Mr Ong has repeatedly denied endorsing various health products he is said to have created. Rappler fact-checked similar claims about products he used in false advertising.
Some of the false claims used AI tools to imply endorsements by Ong and other prominent public figures. Disinformation peddlers are increasingly using AI-generated images, audio and text, making “the truth easier to distort and harder to identify,” according to human rights group Freedom House. – James Patrick Crews/Rappler.com
Please report any suspicious Facebook pages, groups, accounts, websites, articles, or photos in your network to factcheck@rappler.com.You can also report suspicious claims #FactsFirstPH Tip Line with messaging Rappler on Facebook or Breaking news via Twitter direct message. You can also report it through us. Viber fact-checking chatbot.Let's fight disinformation fact check All at once.
