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Transcript/ScriptTURKEY ELECTIONS AI
HEADLINE: Fake News, AI Trigger Anxiety Ahead of Turkey Election
TEASER: Turkey’s independent media warn of fake news and deepfake videos ahead of hotly contested local elections
PUBLISHED AT: 2/28/24, 5pm
BYLINE: Dorian Jones
CONTRIBUTOR:
DATELINE: Istanbul
VIDEOGRAPHER: Agency, Berke Bas DO NOT USE FOR SECURITY REASONS
PRODUCER:
SCRIPT EDITORS: LR, sb
VIDEO SOURCE (S): VOA ORIGINAL, Reuters
PLATFORMS: WEB __ TV _x_ RADIO _X_
TRT: 2:57
VID APPROVED BY: Reifenrath
TYPE: TV/R
UPDATE:))
((INTRO))
[[Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s political allies want to regain control of Istanbul in hotly contested local elections in March, and opposition media are warning about the tactics they are using, including artificial intelligence and deepfake videos in campaign ads. As Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul, opponents say these measures are coming on top of a government crackdown on access to international news providers.]]
((NARRATOR))
This artificial intelligence-generated video of incumbent mayor Ekrem Imamoglu praising Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for his achievements in Istanbul is circulating in social media.
((NARRATOR))
Polls show the city’s elections in a tight contest, and independent media warn of the threat of such fake news, as mainstream media that are under government control are not verifying the authenticity of the videos.
[[RADIO VERSION: Hikmet Adal is a social media journalist at Bianet, an independent news portal. He says one can produce deepfake videos and publish them as advertisements. Deepfake videos - he says - are usually not posted on news sites, but they reach millions of people as advertisements. Adal says these stick to the candidate, and when one asks people if Ekrem Imamoglu actually said this, they say ‘he did,’ because those people follow the mainstream media.]]
((Hikmet Adal, Bianet Journalist (MALE, TURKISH))) ((VOA ORIGINAL))
“You can produce deepfake videos and publish them as advertisements. Deepfake videos are usually not posted on news sites, but they reach millions of people as advertisements. These stick to the candidate; the voting segment in Turkey is 40 million; when you ask people if Ekrem Imamoglu actually said this, they say ‘he did’ because those people already follow the mainstream media.”
((Mandatory cg. AK Party))
((NARRATOR))
During last year's presidential elections, Erdogan used a video falsely showing his opponent Kemal Kilicdaroglu with leaders of the Kurdish separatist group the PKK, which is fighting the Turkish government. ((end credit))
((NARRATOR))
Rights groups warn that Turkey's independent media are increasingly facing another new threat.
[[RADIO VERSION: Yaman Akdeniz is with the Freedom of Expression Association, a group of expert lawyers, academics, and human right activists.]]
((Yaman Akdeniz, Freedom of Expression Association (MALE IN ENGLISH))) ((ZOOM))
“The new crime of disinformation started to appear a lot in various criminal investigations and prosecutions.”
((NARRATOR))
Prosecutions of domestic media under the new so-called disinformation law make international news sources essential to exposing fake news.
Turkish authorities are blocking Internet access to foreign news sources like Deutsche Welle and VOA, which broadcast in Turkish. These portals are only accessible by a virtual private network, or VPN, which circumvents the ban.
[[RADIO VERSION: Antonio Cesarano of Proton, a VPN provider.]]
((Antonio Cesarano, Proton (MALE IN ENGLISH))) ((Zoom))
“Restricting access to the Internet has become a sort of playbook for regimes and authoritarian governments. And so, we see across the world an increase in VPN usage, especially in countries like this, like Turkey.”
((NARRATOR))
But now, Turkish authorities are also restricting some of the most widely used VPNs.
Cesarano calls it a cat-and-mouse game and providers will keep investing in technology that can bring people back online.
But independent media warn they are facing a losing battle in verifying fake news…
[[RADIO VERSION: …warns Bianet’s Hikmet Adal. He says it’s impossible for alternative media to fight fakes because its teams are limited to 15 or 20 people at most, compared to what he says is an army of people producing the deepfakes.]]
((Hikmet Adal, Bianet Journalist ((male in Turkish))-on camera))
“As an alternative media, it is not possible for us to fight against this; our teams are very limited to 20 people, maybe 15 people, these are the maximum number. But there is an army behind this.”
((NARRATOR))
With opinion polls showing the Istanbul election will be a tight race, analysts warn the danger of fake news is likely to grow, putting more pressure on independent news.
((Dorian Jones, VOA News, Istanbul))
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
Subtitles / Dubbing AvailableNo
NetworkVOA
Embargo DateFebruary 28, 2024 18:03 EST
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
