Political troll pages have turned to AI-generated images and videos as the election campaign moves online
Fact-check Malta: The troll accounts using AI to influence Malta’s election race Read More »
April 21, 2026 “Is Netanyahu real or AI?” an internet headline blared, pointing to a video that supposedly showed the Israeli prime minister with six fingers. But the clip was real. Speculation spiraled online that Netanyahu might be dead or wounded in an Iranian strike and that Israel was covering it up with a double
What’s real anymore? AI warps truth of Middle East war Read More »
March 6, 2026 Recycled images, video game footage passed off as missile strikes, and AI-generated combat visuals: the US-Israeli assault on Iran has unleashed a torrent of online disinformation that analysts are calling a war of narratives. Since US and Israeli strikes over the weekend ignited a regional conflict, a parallel information war has erupted,
‘Narrative war’: disinformation surges as conflict roils Middle East Read More »
February 20, 2026 A new video showing a Television Malta (TVM) news feature about a lottery is manipulated by AI to promote what appears to be a sham lottery. The minute-long video shows Angelica Farrugia, a newscaster at the state broadcaster’s TV station TVM, presenting the evening news, as she would do on a typical
Fact-check Malta: Fake video shows newscaster promoting sham lottery app Read More »
A Facebook page has racked up 23,000 followers on the back of fake feel-good stories
Fact-check Malta: Behind Infinite Facts, Malta’s AI feel-good fake story generator Read More »
February 10, 2026 AI tools can easily fabricate convincing images of Jeffrey Epstein with world leaders, a study has shown, following a surge of manipulated photos falsely linking prominent politicians to the convicted sex offender. Social media users have amplified AI-generated images purporting to show the convicted sex offender socializing with politicians such as New
AI tools fabricate Epstein images ‘in seconds,’ study says Read More »
February 4, 2026 As deepfake videos of John Mearsheimer multiplied across YouTube, the American academic rushed to have them taken down, embarking on a grueling fight that laid bare the challenges of combating AI-driven impersonation. The international relations scholar spent months pressing the Google-owned platform to remove hundreds of deepfakes, an uphill battle that stands
Whack-a-mole: US academic fights to purge his AI deepfakes Read More »
Fake image claims airport will be shut as old video from 2010 resurfaces on Facebook
An activist posted a photo of a lost fox. Soon, Maltese social media was flooded with AI videos of foxes
Fact-check Malta: How AI-generated fox videos sowed confusion over genuine sighting Read More »
As people celebrated Christmas in the United States, heartwarming stories spread on Facebook about celebrities from First Lady Melania Trump to pop star Sabrina Carpenter allegedly building a multi-million dollar church as an act of charity for a “struggling” community. But the stories are false, stemming from text generated by artificial intelligence and pushed by pages that use AI images to attract engagement with clickbait.
Flurry of stars targeted by AI slop on Facebook over the holidays Read More »
November 25, 2025 When outraged Filipinos turned to an AI-powered chatbot to verify a viral photograph of a lawmaker embroiled in a corruption scandal, the tool failed to detect it was fabricated — even though it had generated the image itself. Internet users are increasingly turning to chatbots to verify images in real time, but
AI’s blind spot: tools fail to detect their own fakes Read More »
November 12, 2025 In a parallel reality, Donald Trump reigns as king, fighter pilot, and Superman, and his political opponents are cast as criminals and laughingstocks — an unprecedented weaponization of AI imagery by a sitting American president. Trump has ramped up his use of artificial intelligence-generated content on his Truth Social channel since starting
‘AI president’: Trump deepfakes glorify himself, trash rivals Read More »
Scammers use familiar methods but are becoming increasingly sophisticated
Fact-check Malta: Deepfake scam articles impersonate ministers after Budget Day Read More »
November 4, 2025 A series of AI generated videos posted in recent days showing unusual sightings in Malta’s streets have duped many people into believing they are real. The videos range from plausible events, such as photorealistic depictions of near-traffic accidents, to seemingly implausible, such as the sight of exotic animals freely roaming Malta’s streets.
Fact-check Malta: AI-generated videos of unusual incidents on Malta’s streets Read More »
October 21, 2025 “Thank you, Adele, it’s such a beautiful song,” reads a glowing comment beneath an emotional YouTube tribute to slain US activist Charlie Kirk. But the music is AI-generated — and bears little resemblance to the British icon’s voice. Rapidly evolving artificial intelligence tools can now create songs from simple text prompts, mimicking
YouTube users trip over fake AI tributes to Charlie Kirk Read More »
October 21, 2025 Claim: The family of a tragic car crash are requesting donations through a Facebook page. Verdict: The Facebook page was set up by scammers, hoping to defraud people of their funds. Online scammers are soliciting donations in the name of Sandra and Kevin Bonnici, one of the two couples who died tragically in
Fact-check Malta: Scammers use fatal car crash to solicit fake donations Read More »
September 12, 2025 The videos are strikingly lifelike, featuring bikini-clad women conducting street interviews and eliciting lewd comments — but they are entirely fake, generated by AI tools increasingly used to flood social media with sexist content. Such AI slop — mass-produced content created by cheap artificial intelligence tools that turn simple text prompts into
‘Fueling sexism’: AI ‘bikini interview’ videos flood internet Read More »
May 5, 2025 From slashed federal funding for disinformation research to the closure of a key agency combating foreign influence operations, the United States has dismantled vital guardrails against falsehoods within President Donald Trump’s first 100 days in office. The moves could have national security implications, experts warn, granting US adversaries such as Russia and
US anti-disinformation guardrails fall in Trump’s first 100 days Read More »
April 23, 2025 A fake news website falsely claimed that Ukraine’s president is paying Western reporters to tarnish US President Donald Trump — part of a series of deceptive reports spread by Russian-linked portals mimicking media outlets. The disinformation tactic, amid heightened international efforts to halt the three-year war with Russia, seeks to undermine both
Hijacking news: Fake media sites sow Ukraine disinformation Read More »
April 14, 2025 Supporters of Malta’s Labour Party are sharing photorealistic AI-generated images in partisan Facebook groups that attempt to portray opposition leader Bernard Grech at a civil society protest in the capital city of Valletta. A protest was held by a number of local NGOs on 2nd April 2025 outside the parliament building in
March 13, 2025 A sprawling Russian disinformation network is manipulating Western AI chatbots to spew pro-Kremlin propaganda, researchers say, at a time when the United States is reported to have paused its cyber operations against Moscow. The Pravda network, a well-resourced Moscow-based operation to spread pro-Russian narratives globally, is said to be distorting the output
Russian disinformation ‘infects’ AI chatbots, researchers warn Read More »
March 10, 2025 AI-generated videos are filling social media feeds, and they are looking increasingly real, even if logic suggests otherwise. Take this video, for example, which is currently doing the rounds on Instagram. It appears to show a team of fishermen out at sea hauling a mammoth oyster onto their boat. They proceed to
Fact-check Malta: Fishing for attention – AI-generated videos making waves Read More »
President’s actual account remains unverified
Fact-check Malta: X gives fake Myriam Spiteri Debono account verified status Read More »
The scam uses audio deepfakes to encourage fraudulent investments
Fact-check Malta: Latest AI scam mimics Robert Abela’s voice Read More »
January 28, 2025 Social media giant Meta made hundreds of thousands of dollars last year from content posted by a well-known pro-Russian disinformation network, researchers have claimed. Tens of thousands of Facebook users in France, Germany, Poland and Italy were targeted with cartoons mocking French politicians, messages hostile to European aid to Ukraine and other
Meta profits from known pro-Russian disinfo network: researchers Read More »
January 15, 2025 From the United States to Italy, Britain, and Pakistan, female politicians are increasingly becoming victims of AI-generated deepfake pornography or sexualized images, in a troubling trend that researchers say threatens women’s participation in public life. An online boom in non-consensual deepfakes is outpacing efforts to regulate the technology globally, experts say, with
‘Form of violence’: Across globe, deepfake porn targets women politicians Read More »
“According to unconfirmed reports, comrade Haris Doukas has nominated himself as the new leader of HAMAS,” reads a July 31 Facebook post, shared dozens of times.
Image of Athens mayor wearing Palestinian flag shirt is altered Read More »
October 16, 2024 If you run a Facebook page, you have most likely received a message stating that unless you take the necessary action your page will be deleted. These messages are fake. Sometimes, this is obvious – the page/profile by which the message was sent might have an obscure name, or its photo might
Fact-check Malta: That message saying your Facebook page will be deleted is fake Read More »
A beautiful photo of a lush, green Malta seemed too good to be true
Fact-check Malta: Is this aerial image of Malta AI-generated? Read More »
A similar video of Robert Abela was also shared in recent days
Fact-check Malta: Fake video shows Joseph Muscat promoting a crypto scam Read More »
Posts featuring the “Pregnant Ken” appeared on social media as the Greek parliament began debating the bill on February 5.
This picture was generated by AI Read More »
The video is the latest in a long line of similar scams
Fact-check Malta: Fake video shows Russell Crowe endorsing Malta property listings app Read More »
The Ukrainian leader, who used to work as an actor, is regularly targeted on social media in posts that try to ridicule or slander him. Many of these false posts repeat unsubstantiated pro-Kremlin claims that have flooded social media since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
Video altered to show Volodymyr Zelensky dancing in a red costume Read More »
The year was marked by fears over AI, but there was plenty more misinformation closer to home
Fact-check Malta: Looking back on the deepfakes and disinformation of 2023 Read More »
This is the latest in a line of scams showing in-depth knowledge of local issues and personalities
Fact-check Malta: Scam posts mimic Times of Malta interview with Robert Abela Read More »
October 30, 2023 Since the start of an intense bombing campaign by Israel on the Gaza Strip in retaliation for the unprecedented attack by the Palestinian militant group Hamas on October 7, there have been numerous demonstrations in various countries related to the conflict. In this context, an image has spread on social media claiming
This image of Atletico Madrid fans holding a giant Palestinian flag is not real Read More »
The renewed fighting has brought about a wave of misinformation from both sides
Fact-check Malta: False claims about Israel and Hamas war Read More »
The videos are part of a cryptocurrency scam making its way across Europe
Fact-check Malta: Scam videos using audio deepfakes to imitate BBC reports Read More »
September 21, 2023 Heavy rains in early September 2023 caused deadly flooding in Thessaly in central Greece, leaving residents in some towns without drinking water and triggering queues for bottled water. In the wake of this natural disaster, posts on social networks shared an image generated by artificial intelligence (AI) claiming or implying that it
This image of queues in Greece was created using artificial intelligence Read More »
Police: Victims scammed €36,600 in cryptocurrency
Fact-check Malta: Woman forced to film hostage-style video in blackmail scam Read More »
August 17, 2023 After a Greek football fan was killed on the sidelines of a Champions League game due to be held in Athens on August 7, 2023, Greek media produced numerous stories about the hardcore supporters of the rival Croatian football club implicated in the violence. In one report, the private TV channel Skai
Greek TV used Croatian movie to show football fans performing Nazi salute Read More »
After taking over your Facebook account, scammers create a fake video of you praising their scam
Fact-check Malta: Scammers are using AI deepfakes to impersonate Maltese citizens Read More »
The June 2023 killing in France of a teenager of Algerian descent by a policeman sparked days of protests and riots in several French cities. In this context, Greek social network users shared a video of thousands of people packed into a city area with audio of loud chants in Arabic. The video is presented as a gathering in response to the shooting. However, this is false. The video shows a free concert by a popular band in central Mexico City. A soundtrack of Islamic chants was added over the images.
Video of a chanting crowd is from a Mexico music concert, not a protest in France Read More »
June 29, 2023 Days after an overloaded boat sank in the Mediterranean on June 14, 2023 with a heavy loss of life, a Greek television station aired a video of men on a crowded vessel with the claim they were migrants on the same ship before it went down. But this is wrong. The video
Videos shown on Greek television did not show migrants from Pylos tragedy Read More »
April 27, 2023 In a 2022 video interview, Bill Gates praised Covid-19 vaccines while admitting they were not perfect in entirely blocking the transmission of the virus and in the limited duration of their effect. A Greek website shared a clip from this video in April 2023 with the false claim that it showed him
Bill Gates did not say in this interview that Covid vaccines were ‘dangerous’ Read More »