Deepfake videos of Turkish politicians become new social media trend

Duvar English

The deepfake technology has introduced itself to Turkey's social media, with users sharing videos of party leaders singing various songs.

Twitter users have been sharing videos of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli and Good (İYİ) Party leader Meral Akşener and been getting thousands of likes and retweets. 

A video of Patriotic Party leader Doğu Perinçek has also made people laugh. 

While videos of opposition party leaders circulate more easily, social media users are hesitant to share those featuring Erdoğan due to the government's increasing grip on social media. Many joked about whether they would get arrested if they retweeted or liked tweets including such videos.

Videos of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavaş "singing" were also shared.

The rise of artificial intelligence and deepfake has been a concern among experts around the world, who warn people to question the material they see on the internet. 

Man vs. 5G: Turkish court dismisses case claiming Microsoft, Huawei spread COVID-19 via cell techCoronavirus