En décembre 2020, Channel 4 a diffusé un deepfake satirique de la reine Elizabeth II pour alerter sur la désinformation, sans sanction malgré environ 200 plaintes.

The example is in English to help you practice 😉

Ready-to-use Example

In December 2020, Channel 4 aired a 4-minute deepfake of Queen Elizabeth II as the Alternative Christmas Message. Unlike the traditional formal speech, this version was satirical and more frank, referencing royal scandals, Prince Harry and Meghan, Prince Andrew, lockdown life, and even a TikTok dance. A significant part of the UK public enjoys following the royal family behind the scenes.

At the end, Channel 4 revealed the manipulation with a greenscreen and stated that an actress played the Queen. Ofcom, the UK regulator, received about 200 complaints but took no action because the piece was clearly presented as manipulated and satirical, in line with Channel 4’s brand and audience expectations. The stated goal was to warn about the proliferation of misinformation and to encourage viewers to question what they see and hear online.

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Context

The Great Moon Hoax of 1835 claimed a famous astronomer had found “man-bats” on the Moon. In the 1980s, the KGB’s Operation Denver spread the false story that the United States had created HIV or AIDS as a biological weapon.

What is new today is the scale, speed, and realism of false content with AI and social media. An MIT study found false news on Twitter is 70% more likely to be retweeted and spreads six times faster than true news. Voice cloning can impersonate relatives in urgent money-transfer scams, and deepfakes are used as propaganda in conflicts. New uses emerge every day.

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Let's reflect on that

To help you remember, here are a few questions you can reflect on and discuss with your friends. This could help you feeling more confident during a colle or when finding a leading question.

1. Why are shocking or emotionally charged stories more likely to fool us? What makes them so convincing or viral?
2. How much do you trust content shared by friends or family versus official news outlets? Does familiarity make you less critical of what you read or hear?
3. What responsibilities do we, as viewers, have when we see or share content online?
4. What role should regulators and platforms play? Should authorities intervene, or should the focus be on user education?

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