Meta, X doing little against deepfakes of Dutch politicans ahead of European elections

Despite promises to act against fake content, tech companies Meta and X are doing little to prevent deepfake videos of politicians ahead of the European Parliament elections next month. BNR created deepfake videos of PVV leader Geert Wilders, BBB leader Caroline van der Plas, and D66 leader Rob Jetten and easily posted them as ads on Meta and X’s platforms.

“For thousands of euros, the platforms promise to show them to millions of users on election day,” BNR wrote. Only TikTok refused to publish the videos, saying it had identified “suspicious behavior.”

BNR got the idea from BVNL leader Wybren van Haga, who posted two deepfakes of Hugo de Jonge and Klaus Schwab on Instagram. According to the broadcaster, BVNL thereby got the scoop—the party’s deepfakes were the first time a Dutch politician used AI-generated images to win votes.

Experts are very concerned about these tech companies not acting against deepfakes as promised. “Deepfakes can have a major impact on the legitimacy of elections across the EU,” Jochem de Groot, an independent advisor on geopolitical AI issues and a member of the Peace and Security Committee of the Advisory Council on International Affairs, told BNR. Timely intervention is crucial to safeguard the integrity of the European elections on June 6. “You can identify those responsible and hand out punishments afterward, but then the damage has already been done.”

It is unclear why Meta and X didn’t stop BNR’s deepfake videos. They aren’t hard to identify. The Dutch startup DuckDuckGoose easily identified all three as fake. “Meta and X should be able to do this too,” co-founder Mark Evenblij said. The tech companies did not respond to the broadcaster’s questions.

BVNL’s two deepfakes are unconvincing and comical in nature. But a deepfake does not have to be credible to sow doubt and damage, Michael Hameleers, an associate professor at the University of Amsterdam, told BNR. “Even if people do not believe a deepfake, they still think more negatively about the politician,” Hameleers said. “They really leave a trail of doubt. That’s a danger.”

Evenblij of DuckDuckGoose thinks BVNL’s fakes are just the start. “Deepfakes are getting better, and the software is becoming more available. People are realizing more and more how easy it is.” He expects its use to increase quickly.