Deepfake Audio of Philippine President Marcos Jr. Urging Military Action Against China Debunked as Fake
A deepfake audio clip of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has surfaced, in which he allegedly urges his military to intervene if China threatens the Philippines.
The authenticity of the audio is in question, and government officials are expressing concern over its potential implications for the nation's foreign policy.
The voice in the clip is a deepfake, meaning it was manipulated using technology to mimic Marcos Jr.'s voice.
The president has not made such a statement in reality.
A Filipino official expresses concern over Chinese actions towards Filipinos and denounces a deepfake audio message.
The message, which was disseminated via a YouTube channel, featured a manipulated voice claiming to be the official's and justifying harm to Filipinos for the sake of national interests.
The audio was accompanied by images of Chinese vessels in the South China Sea.
The Presidential Community Communications Office later confirmed that the audio was entirely fake.
Deepfake technology was used to manipulate the official's appearance or voice in the synthetic media.
The official emphasized the importance of protecting individuals and refused to compromise their safety for national interests.
The Presidential Communications Office (PCO) has announced that a manipulated video with falsified audio of President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr exists on a popular video streaming platform.
The audio deepfake suggests that Marcos gave a directive to the Armed Forces of the Philippines against a specific foreign country, but according to the PCO, no such directive has been made.