On Friday night, Elon Musk reposted a deepfake video of vice-prez Kamala Harris that appears to have been digitally manipulated to change the spot’s voice-over in a deceptive manner.
Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, has waded into one of the thorniest issues facing US politics: deepfake videos.
On Friday night, Musk, the owner of the social media platform X, reposted an edited campaign video for vice-prez Kamala Harris that appears to have been digitally manipulated to change the spot’s voice-over in a deceptive manner.
The video mimics Harris’ voice, but instead of using her words from the original ad, it has the vice-prez saying that Prez Joe Biden is senile, that she does not “know the first thing about running the country” and that she is the “ultimate diversity hire.”
In addition, the clip was edited to remove images of ex-prez Donald Trump and his running mate, Senator JD Vance, and to add images of Biden.
The original, unaltered ad, which the Harris campaign released Thursday, is titled “We Choose Freedom.” The version posted on X does not contain a disclaimer, although the account that first uploaded it Friday, @MrReaganUSA, noted in its post that the video was a “parody”.
Kamala Harris Campaign Ad PARODY pic.twitter.com/5lBxvyTZ3o
— Mr Reagan (@MrReaganUSA) July 26, 2024
When Musk reposted the video 8 hours later, he made no such disclosure, stating only, “This is amazing,” followed by a laughing emoji.
Musk’s post, which has since been viewed 98 million times, would seem to run afoul of X’s policies, which prohibit sharing “synthetic, manipulated or out-of-context media that may deceive or confuse people and lead to harm.” He did not reply to a request for comment.
The Harris campaign said, “The American people want the real freedom, opportunity and security Vice President Harris is offering; not the fake, manipulated lies of Elon Musk and Donald Trump.”
X’s policy was instituted in April 2023, well after Musk took over.