Finance Minister Katy Gallagher, Foreign Minister Penny Wong, Nationals Senator Bridget McKenzie, and former Prime Minister Scott Morrison have been featured in deepfake videos promoting fraudulent investment opportunities on Facebook, sparking concerns and calls for regulatory action.
Deepfakes featuring Australian politicians, including Finance Minister Katy Gallagher, Foreign Minister Penny Wong, Nationals Senator Bridget McKenzie, and former Prime Minister Scott Morrison, have been used in AI-manipulated investment scam ads on Facebook. These videos, created using artificial intelligence to manipulate the politicians’ images and voices, have reached thousands of Australians.
Gallagher, Wong, and McKenzie have publicly denounced these fraudulent ads, emphasizing that they do not endorse any financial products or investment opportunities online. At least 11 different Facebook pages have posted these deepfake videos, some of which have admins based in various countries. While many of these ads have been removed for violating Facebook’s advertising policies, some managed to reach a significant audience.
Federal Minister Stephen Jones warned about the increasing threat posed by AI in facilitating such scams and highlighted upcoming reforms to hold social media companies accountable for preventing these fraudulent activities. The Australian government is considering measures like mandatory watermarking of AI-generated images to combat this misuse.
