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AI Fakery Floods Iran Protest Coverage as Blackout Hobbles Verification

An information vacuum from severe connectivity limits is fueling the spread of synthetic protest footage.

Overview

  • NewsGuard reported seven AI-generated videos tied to the unrest that amassed roughly 3.5 million views across major platforms.
  • Both anti-government and pro-regime accounts circulated fabricated clips, reflecting competing narratives in the absence of verifiable material.
  • Examples flagged by researchers include a fake scene of women smashing a Basij vehicle and a clip showing a street sign changed to "Trump St," alongside AI depictions of mass pro-government rallies.
  • Deutsche Welle fact-checkers confirmed a viral nighttime march video as AI-made and traced misattributed footage to events in Nepal and Greece from 2025.
  • With internet and phone access largely cut, independent confirmation remains scarce as rights groups cite death tolls in the thousands, including HRANA’s report of around 2,400.