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Recently, a "blue checkmark" verified account on the X platform posted a short video of burning forests and neighborhoods, claiming it was "a raging fire sweeping through Israel." Upon investigation, this video, which was circulated as "live footage of the Los Angeles wildfires" in January of this year, was verified and tested by multiple agencies and determined to be artificial intelligence (AI)-generated.
In-depth analysis:
On April 30, a wildfire broke out in the mountains of Jerusalem, Israel , and the fire spread rapidly, prompting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to declare a state of emergency across the country.
The Asia Fact Check Lab (AFCL) noted that the " Yuzhang Messenger, " a blue-checked account on X , posted a 31-second video on May 1st, showing what appeared to be burning forests and streets. The caption read, "Raging fires engulf Israel, with states of emergency declared in many areas," and the hashtag #Israel. Another blue-checked account, "Tesla," also posted the same video and text.
The source of the video is the blue tick account "Arab Military" . He posted this short video in January this year. The caption is in Arabic, which was translated into English by Google. The meaning is roughly "The Los Angeles fire continues"; it is obviously unrelated to the Israeli fire at the end of April.
During the Los Angeles wildfires earlier this year, AFCL published a fact-checking report on the video. After expert review and tool testing, it was determined to be AI-generated. Other fact-checking organizations, such as News Plan and Taiwan Fact-Checking Center, have also released reports.
The Asia Fact Check Lab (AFCL) was established in response to today's complex media landscape and emerging communication ecosystem. Based on journalistic professionalism, we provide professional fact-checking reports, communication observations, and in-depth reporting related to the information environment, helping readers gain a diverse and comprehensive understanding of public issues. If readers have questions about information disseminated by any media or social media platforms, please email the Asia Fact Check Lab at afcl@rfa.org for verification.
For a more detailed introduction to the Asia Fact-Checking Lab, please refer to this article . We also have channels on Facebook, Instagram, and Facebook. Readers are welcome to follow, share, and repost. For our Chinese channel, visit @asiafactcheckcn ; for English, visit @AFCL_eng . Facebook is here , and don't forget Instagram .
