The video went viral this week, and is said to have shown surveillance camera footage filming the entrance to Tehran's infamous Evin prison, which is being destroyed by the explosion. Israel said it had been fired in prison. Iran's judiciary has been confirmed attack.
prison It is known for reporting human rights violations against political prisoners in the Iranian regime.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saa shared a black and white video (archived here)) In his X account, “We have warned Iran many times. Stop targeting civilians! They continued this morning. Our response: Viva La Libertad, Carajo!”
Numerous international media have featured or referenced a six-second video to report the attack. These included the New York TimesBBCand German Channel ARD. They then deleted the footage and added a disclaimer to the publication.
However, the video appears to be fake. It is probably generated with AI with the help of an old image of the prison gate. I saw the pieces from the DW Fact Check puzzle.
Old images used as templates?
Photos of the prison entrance, which are the same as the smallest details, were used in the Persian article By Voice of America from May 2023. It shows a larger section of the image, and is likely taken from this post on X from January 2023..
Comparing the currently circulating video with images from 2023, we see that there are many similarities that are too accurate for photos from the same location, taken at least two years apart. Compare the missing tiles on the left side of the entrance, or the bare shrub in the lower right corner of the marks in both images. The shrub is also a sign that the photographs cannot be made recently, but due to the lack of leaves, it was taken in the winter.
Other photos of Evin Prison on the Internet, actually taken in the summer, show bushes and shrubs covered in thick leaves. One example is probably here since 2021.
Also, images of the damage actually caused in prisons shared by Iranian press show trees and bushes covered in leaves rather than naked, like in black and white video sequences.
Hany Farid, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, specializes in digital forensics. on tuesday.
He writes: “Unfortunately, the video is very compressed, making forensic analysis challenging. (…) It seems likely that this image was used in this image as a source.
AI-generated content is now dangerously realistic
The decline in video quality appears to be plausible by forging surveillance camera records, and changes to black and white color images similarly complicate reverse image searches.
Farid added: “If this video is actually fake, as major global events unfold, it adds to the growing and disturbing trend of fake content circulating online, understanding what is happening at best and how it responds.”
For example, various fact checks by Libérationvrt ABC News AustraliaAlready reached the same conclusion: the video is not authentic. However, many users fell as online and media outlets were attacked by prisons. Iranian media said the attack not only hit the front door of the prison, but also damaged the prosecutor's office and two courts in Evin, cited in media reports.. Further confusion occurred as the viral video matches the actual footage at the entrance.
“The problem with fake content is that people are not only creating fake content, they're getting the water covered in mud, and all of a sudden it's all suspicious.”
With improved AI-generating programs and the vast amount of content shared online, this “water muddy” makes it increasingly difficult to distinguish between real and fake.
This article is part of a collaboration with the fact-checking teams of public broadcasters Ard-Faktenfinder, BR24 #Faktenfuchs and DW Faktencheck.
Editor: Rayna Breuer
