In a recent interview with Euronews, Michalis Sirivianos, scientific coordinator of Fact Check Cyprus and member of the MedDMO, commented on the controversy surrounding leaked video footage that circulated widely on social media in Cyprus earlier this year.
In the interview, Mr Sirivianos provides a detailed analysis of the digital identity behind the account “Emily Thompson”, which was responsible for sharing the video on the social media platform X. The investigation describes the profile as a “groomed sockpuppet”, while noting that the video content itself does not show immediate technical signs of deepfake manipulation. However, the way the material was presented and disseminated points to a more complex and potentially coordinated influence operation.
The case emerged in January 2026, when the video went viral after being posted by an account using the name “Emily Thompson” (@EmilyTanalyst). The footage, which appeared to have been recorded covertly, included allegations of high-level corruption related to campaign financing during the 2023 presidential election of Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides. The video was analyzed by Fact Check Cyprus.
According to Sirivianos, key technical findings include the use of AI-generated imagery to construct the account’s online persona, as well as specific digital traces that suggest organised activity rather than the behaviour of a single, authentic user. At the same time, the lack of access to the original, unedited video limits the ability to draw definitive conclusions about how the material was produced.
The case highlights how authentic audiovisual content can be repurposed through selective editing and artificial digital identities in ways that obscure transparency. It also underlines the importance of ongoing monitoring and analysis by fact-checking organisations and media observatories in addressing emerging hybrid information threats.
Source: euronews/
