A disinformation researcher has exposed a series of fake videos that claim to document Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
More so than ever before, Russia's invasion of Ukraine has come at a time when social media will play a big role in the sharing of important developments.
However, while the popularity of platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and more recently TikTok could be seen to provide a great insight into the ever-changing situation between Russian President Vladimir Putin's troops and Ukraine, misinformation and fake videos are reported as being widespread.
Abby Richards, a disinformation researcher, recently took to TikTok to dispel some fake videos, such as one clip that depicts someone running through a house against a dark skyline in the background, Business Insider reports.
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The audio suggests a loud explosion and someone yelling, 'Oh my god'. However, the audio has since been removed.
Richards claims the video, which amassed more than six million views in less than a day, is not from recent events unfolding in Ukraine, but that it originated from a 2020 YouTube video of an explosion in Lebanon.
Richards has since gone on to create another video to point out certain misinformation 'trends' so that users can be more informed about whether what they are watching is real or not.
NBC's Ben Collins also took to Twitter to call out a 'cheapfake' video of a parachuting soldier which has gained more than 20 million views.
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Despite being recently uploaded onto TikTok, the very same video was posted in April 2016 on another person's Instagram account.
Collins stated: 'Videos with altered context, like this one, are known as cheapfakes.'
Collins has since gone on to warn about TikTok's 'lipsyncing functions' that users have utilised to lift audio from other clips and overdub onto new footage.
Audio from a video first posted on February 14 has fallen victim to this technique. The sound features people screaming in the background and rapid gunshot fire.
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On Friday, February 25, the audio was used in a video which amassed more than three million views in just four hours.
The video falsely claimed that a Russian plane had been 'hit by Ukraine soldiers'.
The six-second clip has been used in multiple other fake videos too.
Doctored clips have also been posted on sites such as Facebook.
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One post gained more than 19,000 views, however it was exposed by Full Fact as featuring a clip from a computer game, alongside two clips dating from before February.
Gizmodo has also taken to outing photos and videos which claim to be from Ukraine. From a video depicting an explosion that took place in 2015 in China, to a rocket attack on the US embassy in Iraq last month, and more computer game clips, the outlet has identified at least 10 posts that aren't what they first seem.
In response to the spread of misinformation and falsified videos on its platform, a spokesperson for TikTok stated: 'We continue to closely monitor the situation, with increased resources to respond to emerging trends and remove violative content, including harmful misinformation and promotion of violence, We also partner with independent fact-checking organizations to further aid our efforts to help TikTok remain a safe and authentic place.'
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If you would like to donate to the Red Cross Emergency Appeal, which will help provide food, medicines and basic medical supplies, shelter and water to those in Ukraine, click here for more information
Topics: Russia, Ukraine, Viral
