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Forbes
24-06-2025
- Forbes
The Wiretap: Google AI Is At The Center Of An Iran-Israel Disinformation War
The Wiretap is your weekly digest of cybersecurity, internet privacy and surveillance news. To get it in your inbox, subscribe here . (Photo by Kobi Gideon/GPO via Getty Images) Getty Images The Iran-Israel war isn't only being fought on the battlefield–there's an online front as well. Today Forbes reports that the U.S. isn't well prepared for any potential destructive cyberattacks by Iran. On the flip side, that nation is so concerned about U.S. and Israeli cyber and online psychological warfare that it closed off its internet, making it largely unusable across the country. In the disinformation space, AI has been a key weapon in amplifying false narratives. Google's Veo 3 model has been at the center of some campaigns, according to GetReal Security, which tracks faked or manipulated content online. Emmanuelle Saliba, chief investigative officer at GetReal, told Forbes that Veo 3 is behind 'a slew of fabricated hyper realistic fakes circulating claiming to depict scenes from the Israel-Iran conflict.' Google hadn't responded to a request for comment at the time of publication. 'This perhaps the first time we've seen generative AI be used at scale during a conflict,' Saliba said. 'It's also being used to replicate missile strikes, sometimes night ones which are particularly challenging to verify using visual investigations tactic. 'When both countries deny an incident, how can we be sure of what we are seeing? Technology will be key.' She noted that Veo 3 images include an invisible watermark designed to make it easy to detect AI-created content. She described it as 'pretty robust.' That's not to say the model isn't open to abuse–in part because you only know the watermark is there with software that's looking for it. But fixing that isn't as easy as just adding a visible watermark. 'The perceptible watermarks are nice because everyone can see them. But they are also relatively easy to remove and/or mimic, making them less secure,' says Hany Farid, cofounder at GetReal. 'A benefit of the imperceptible watermark is that they are more difficult but not impossible to remove. The drawback is that we need customized software to scan content for their presence.' Last week, the BBC reported it had found dozens of AI-generated videos attempting to prove the effectiveness of Iran's response to Israel's attacks. These included fake clips showing the aftermath of Iranian strikes, while another showed missiles raining down on Tel Aviv. On the other side, pro-Israel accounts have been posting old protest clips, falsely claiming they show current dissent against Iran's regime. The efficacy of such disinformation campaigns is difficult to measure, even as these videos amass tens of millions of views. In a world where a president openly says both Iran and Israel 'don't know what the fuck they're doing,' the content with the most impact still appears to come from real people. Got a tip on surveillance or cybercrime? Get me on Signal at +1 929-512-7964 . THE BIG STORY: LA Residents Are Foiling ICE Raids Using Amazon Ring's Neighborhood Watch (Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images) Getty Images As the protests against immigration raids across the L.A. area exploded earlier this month, residents took to a number of services to issue warnings about ICE agents in their area. One of the most popular turned out to be Amazon Ring's Neighbors app. Forbes spoke with users about how they hoped posting on the Ring network would help protect immigrants or even save lives. 'It was very grassroots and it's become a tool being used by people just trying to help keep neighbors safe,' said one. Stories You Have To Read Today Insurance giant Alfac has been hacked and its customers' social security numbers may have been pilfered. The attack is believed to be part of a hacking spree perpetrated by a cybercrime group known as Scattered Spider. An investigative report from Lighthouse Reports claims that millions of two-factor authentication codes for services run by tech giants like Amazon, Google and Meta were being routed using Fink Telecom Services–which allegedly has links to the spyware industry. CEO Andreas Fink told Bloomberg that it's out of that business. Winner of the Week The Electronic Frontier Foundation and the Freedom of the Press Foundation have developed a new journalism curriculum module to teach students how to protect themselves when crossing the border. The University of Texas at El Paso and San Diego State University have already been offering it to their students. Loser of the Week The cofounder and accountant for a nonprofit organization that manages funds for people with special needs and disabilities have been accused of stealing as much as $100 million from clients. 'For over 15 years, the defendants conspired to use the funds of special needs clients as a personal piggy bank,' said Matthew Galeotti, head of the Justice Department's Criminal Division. More On Forbes Forbes US And Israel Should Prepare For Destructive Iranian Cyberattacks, Ex-Intel Officer Says By Thomas Brewster Forbes How New Balance Went From 'Dad Shoe' To Scoring The No. 1 NBA Draft Prospect By Justin Birnbaum Forbes Here's How Much Andrew Cuomo Is Worth By Kyle Khan-Mullins
The Star
24-06-2025
- Business
- The Star
Tech-fueled misinformation distorts Iran-Israel fighting
WASHINGTON: AI deepfakes, video game footage passed off as real combat, and chatbot-generated falsehoods – such tech-enabled misinformation is distorting the Israel-Iran conflict, fueling a war of narratives across social media. The information warfare unfolding alongside ground combat – sparked by Israel's strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities and military leadership – underscores a digital crisis in the age of rapidly advancing AI tools that have blurred the lines between truth and fabrication. The surge in wartime misinformation has exposed an urgent need for stronger detection tools, experts say, as major tech platforms have largely weakened safeguards by scaling back content moderation and reducing reliance on human fact-checkers. After Iran struck Israel with barrages of missiles last week, AI-generated videos falsely claimed to show damage inflicted on Tel Aviv and Ben Gurion Airport. The videos were widely shared across Facebook, Instagram and X. Using a reverse image search, AFP's fact-checkers found that the clips were originally posted by a TikTok account that produces AI-generated content. There has been a "surge in generative AI misinformation, specifically related to the Iran-Israel conflict," Ken Jon Miyachi, founder of the Austin-based firm BitMindAI, told AFP. "These tools are being leveraged to manipulate public perception, often amplifying divisive or misleading narratives with unprecedented scale and sophistication." 'Photo-realism' GetReal Security, a US company focused on detecting manipulated media including AI deepfakes, also identified a wave of fabricated videos related to the Israel-Iran conflict. The company linked the visually compelling videos – depicting apocalyptic scenes of war-damaged Israeli aircraft and buildings as well as Iranian missiles mounted on a trailer – to Google's Veo 3 AI generator, known for hyper-realistic visuals. The Veo watermark is visible at the bottom of an online video posted by the news outlet Tehran Times, which claims to show "the moment an Iranian missile" struck Tel Aviv. "It is no surprise that as generative-AI tools continue to improve in photo-realism, they are being misused to spread misinformation and sow confusion," said Hany Farid, the co-founder of GetReal Security and a professor at the University of California, Berkeley. Farid offered one tip to spot such deepfakes: the Veo 3 videos were normally eight seconds in length or a combination of clips of a similar duration. "This eight-second limit obviously doesn't prove a video is fake, but should be a good reason to give you pause and fact-check before you re-share," he said. The falsehoods are not confined to social media. Disinformation watchdog NewsGuard has identified 51 websites that have advanced more than a dozen false claims – ranging from AI-generated photos purporting to show mass destruction in Tel Aviv to fabricated reports of Iran capturing Israeli pilots. Sources spreading these false narratives include Iranian military-linked Telegram channels and state media sources affiliated with the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), sanctioned by the US Treasury Department, NewsGuard said. 'Control the narrative' "We're seeing a flood of false claims and ordinary Iranians appear to be the core targeted audience," McKenzie Sadeghi, a researcher with NewsGuard, told AFP. Sadeghi described Iranian citizens as "trapped in a sealed information environment," where state media outlets dominate in a chaotic attempt to "control the narrative." Iran itself claimed to be a victim of tech manipulation, with local media reporting that Israel briefly hacked a state television broadcast, airing footage of women's protests and urging people to take to the streets. Adding to the information chaos were online clips lifted from war-themed video games. AFP's fact-checkers identified one such clip posted on X, which falsely claimed to show an Israeli jet being shot down by Iran. The footage bore striking similarities to the military simulation game Arma 3. Israel's military has rejected Iranian media reports claiming its fighter jets were downed over Iran as "fake news." Chatbots such as xAI's Grok, which online users are increasingly turning to for instant fact-checking, falsely identified some of the manipulated visuals as real, researchers said. "This highlights a broader crisis in today's online information landscape: the erosion of trust in digital content," BitMindAI's Miyachi said. "There is an urgent need for better detection tools, media literacy, and platform accountability to safeguard the integrity of public discourse." – AFP
Arab News
23-06-2025
- Arab News
Tech-fueled misinformation distorts Iran-Israel fighting
WASHINGTON: AI deepfakes, video game footage passed off as real combat, and chatbot-generated falsehoods — such tech-enabled misinformation is distorting the Israel-Iran conflict, fueling a war of narratives across social media. The information warfare unfolding alongside ground combat — sparked by Israel's strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities and military leadership — underscores a digital crisis in the age of rapidly advancing AI tools that have blurred the lines between truth and fabrication. The surge in wartime misinformation has exposed an urgent need for stronger detection tools, experts say, as major tech platforms have largely weakened safeguards by scaling back content moderation and reducing reliance on human fact-checkers. After Iran struck Israel with barrages of missiles last week, AI-generated videos falsely claimed to show damage inflicted on Tel Aviv and Ben Gurion Airport. The videos were widely shared across Facebook, Instagram and X. Using a reverse image search, AFP's fact-checkers found that the clips were originally posted by a TikTok account that produces AI-generated content. There has been a 'surge in generative AI misinformation, specifically related to the Iran-Israel conflict,' Ken Jon Miyachi, founder of the Austin-based firm BitMindAI, told AFP. 'These tools are being leveraged to manipulate public perception, often amplifying divisive or misleading narratives with unprecedented scale and sophistication.' GetReal Security, a US company focused on detecting manipulated media including AI deepfakes, also identified a wave of fabricated videos related to the Israel-Iran conflict. The company linked the visually compelling videos — depicting apocalyptic scenes of war-damaged Israeli aircraft and buildings as well as Iranian missiles mounted on a trailer — to Google's Veo 3 AI generator, known for hyper-realistic visuals. The Veo watermark is visible at the bottom of an online video posted by the news outlet Tehran Times, which claims to show 'the moment an Iranian missile' struck Tel Aviv. 'It is no surprise that as generative-AI tools continue to improve in photo-realism, they are being misused to spread misinformation and sow confusion,' said Hany Farid, the co-founder of GetReal Security and a professor at the University of California, Berkeley. Farid offered one tip to spot such deepfakes: the Veo 3 videos were normally eight seconds in length or a combination of clips of a similar duration. 'This eight-second limit obviously doesn't prove a video is fake, but should be a good reason to give you pause and fact-check before you re-share,' he said. The falsehoods are not confined to social media. Disinformation watchdog NewsGuard has identified 51 websites that have advanced more than a dozen false claims — ranging from AI-generated photos purporting to show mass destruction in Tel Aviv to fabricated reports of Iran capturing Israeli pilots. Sources spreading these false narratives include Iranian military-linked Telegram channels and state media sources affiliated with the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), sanctioned by the US Treasury Department, NewsGuard said. 'We're seeing a flood of false claims and ordinary Iranians appear to be the core targeted audience,' McKenzie Sadeghi, a researcher with NewsGuard, told AFP. Sadeghi described Iranian citizens as 'trapped in a sealed information environment,' where state media outlets dominate in a chaotic attempt to 'control the narrative.' Iran itself claimed to be a victim of tech manipulation, with local media reporting that Israel briefly hacked a state television broadcast, airing footage of women's protests and urging people to take to the streets. Adding to the information chaos were online clips lifted from war-themed video games. AFP's fact-checkers identified one such clip posted on X, which falsely claimed to show an Israeli jet being shot down by Iran. The footage bore striking similarities to the military simulation game Arma 3. Israel's military has rejected Iranian media reports claiming its fighter jets were downed over Iran as 'fake news.' Chatbots such as xAI's Grok, which online users are increasingly turning to for instant fact-checking, falsely identified some of the manipulated visuals as real, researchers said. 'This highlights a broader crisis in today's online information landscape: the erosion of trust in digital content,' BitMindAI's Miyachi said. 'There is an urgent need for better detection tools, media literacy, and platform accountability to safeguard the integrity of public discourse.'
Yahoo
21-06-2025
- Yahoo
Tech-fueled misinformation distorts Iran-Israel fighting
AI deepfakes, video game footage passed off as real combat, and chatbot-generated falsehoods -- such tech-enabled misinformation is distorting the Israel-Iran conflict, fueling a war of narratives across social media. The information warfare unfolding alongside ground combat -- sparked by Israel's strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities and military leadership -- underscores a digital crisis in the age of rapidly advancing AI tools that have blurred the lines between truth and fabrication. The surge in wartime misinformation has exposed an urgent need for stronger detection tools, experts say, as major tech platforms have largely weakened safeguards by scaling back content moderation and reducing reliance on human fact-checkers. After Iran struck Israel with barrages of missiles last week, AI-generated videos falsely claimed to show damage inflicted on Tel Aviv and Ben Gurion Airport. The videos were widely shared across Facebook, Instagram and X. Using a reverse image search, AFP's fact-checkers found that the clips were originally posted by a TikTok account that produces AI-generated content. There has been a "surge in generative AI misinformation, specifically related to the Iran-Israel conflict," Ken Jon Miyachi, founder of the Austin-based firm BitMindAI, told AFP. "These tools are being leveraged to manipulate public perception, often amplifying divisive or misleading narratives with unprecedented scale and sophistication." - 'Photo-realism' - GetReal Security, a US company focused on detecting manipulated media including AI deepfakes, also identified a wave of fabricated videos related to the Israel-Iran conflict. The company linked the visually compelling videos -- depicting apocalyptic scenes of war-damaged Israeli aircraft and buildings as well as Iranian missiles mounted on a trailer -- to Google's Veo 3 AI generator, known for hyper-realistic visuals. The Veo watermark is visible at the bottom of an online video posted by the news outlet Tehran Times, which claims to show "the moment an Iranian missile" struck Tel Aviv. "It is no surprise that as generative-AI tools continue to improve in photo-realism, they are being misused to spread misinformation and sow confusion," said Hany Farid, the co-founder of GetReal Security and a professor at the University of California, Berkeley. Farid offered one tip to spot such deepfakes: the Veo 3 videos were normally eight seconds in length or a combination of clips of a similar duration. "This eight-second limit obviously doesn't prove a video is fake, but should be a good reason to give you pause and fact-check before you re-share," he said. The falsehoods are not confined to social media. Disinformation watchdog NewsGuard has identified 51 websites that have advanced more than a dozen false claims -- ranging from AI-generated photos purporting to show mass destruction in Tel Aviv to fabricated reports of Iran capturing Israeli pilots. Sources spreading these false narratives include Iranian military-linked Telegram channels and state media sources affiliated with the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), sanctioned by the US Treasury Department, NewsGuard said. - 'Control the narrative' - "We're seeing a flood of false claims and ordinary Iranians appear to be the core targeted audience," McKenzie Sadeghi, a researcher with NewsGuard, told AFP. Sadeghi described Iranian citizens as "trapped in a sealed information environment," where state media outlets dominate in a chaotic attempt to "control the narrative." Iran itself claimed to be a victim of tech manipulation, with local media reporting that Israel briefly hacked a state television broadcast, airing footage of women's protests and urging people to take to the streets. Adding to the information chaos were online clips lifted from war-themed video games. AFP's fact-checkers identified one such clip posted on X, which falsely claimed to show an Israeli jet being shot down by Iran. The footage bore striking similarities to the military simulation game Arma 3. Israel's military has rejected Iranian media reports claiming its fighter jets were downed over Iran as "fake news." Chatbots such as xAI's Grok, which online users are increasingly turning to for instant fact-checking, falsely identified some of the manipulated visuals as real, researchers said. "This highlights a broader crisis in today's online information landscape: the erosion of trust in digital content," BitMindAI's Miyachi said. "There is an urgent need for better detection tools, media literacy, and platform accountability to safeguard the integrity of public discourse." burs-ac/jgc
Al Arabiya
21-06-2025
- Al Arabiya
Tech-fueled misinformation distorts Iran-Israel fighting
AI deepfakes, video game footage passed off as real combat, and chatbot-generated falsehoods -- such tech-enabled misinformation is distorting the Israel-Iran conflict, fueling a war of narratives across social media. The information warfare unfolding alongside ground combat -- sparked by Israel's strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities and military leadership -- underscores a digital crisis in the age of rapidly advancing AI tools that have blurred the lines between truth and fabrication. The surge in wartime misinformation has exposed an urgent need for stronger detection tools, experts say, as major tech platforms have largely weakened safeguards by scaling back content moderation and reducing reliance on human fact-checkers. After Iran struck Israel with barrages of missiles last week, AI-generated videos falsely claimed to show damage inflicted on Tel Aviv and Ben Gurion Airport. The videos were widely shared across Facebook, Instagram and X. Using a reverse image search, AFP's fact-checkers found that the clips were originally posted by a TikTok account that produces AI-generated content. There has been a 'surge in generative AI misinformation, specifically related to the Iran-Israel conflict,' Ken Jon Miyachi, founder of the Austin-based firm BitMindAI, told AFP. 'These tools are being leveraged to manipulate public perception, often amplifying divisive or misleading narratives with unprecedented scale and sophistication.' 'Photo-realism' GetReal Security, a US company focused on detecting manipulated media including AI deepfakes, also identified a wave of fabricated videos related to the Israel-Iran conflict. The company linked the visually compelling videos -- depicting apocalyptic scenes of war-damaged Israeli aircraft and buildings as well as Iranian missiles mounted on a trailer -- to Google's Veo 3 AI generator, known for hyper-realistic visuals. The Veo watermark is visible at the bottom of an online video posted by the news outlet Tehran Times, which claims to show 'the moment an Iranian missile' struck Tel Aviv. 'It is no surprise that as generative-AI tools continue to improve in photo-realism, they are being misused to spread misinformation and sow confusion,' said Hany Farid, the co-founder of GetReal Security and a professor at the University of California, Berkeley. Farid offered one tip to spot such deepfakes: the Veo 3 videos were normally eight seconds in length or a combination of clips of a similar duration. 'This eight-second limit obviously doesn't prove a video is fake, but should be a good reason to give you pause and fact-check before you re-share,' he said. The falsehoods are not confined to social media. Disinformation watchdog NewsGuard has identified 51 websites that have advanced more than a dozen false claims -- ranging from AI-generated photos purporting to show mass destruction in Tel Aviv to fabricated reports of Iran capturing Israeli pilots. Sources spreading these false narratives include Iranian military-linked Telegram channels and state media sources affiliated with the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), sanctioned by the US Treasury Department, NewsGuard said. 'Control the narrative' 'We're seeing a flood of false claims and ordinary Iranians appear to be the core targeted audience,' McKenzie Sadeghi, a researcher with NewsGuard, told AFP. Sadeghi described Iranian citizens as 'trapped in a sealed information environment,' where state media outlets dominate in a chaotic attempt to 'control the narrative.' Iran itself claimed to be a victim of tech manipulation, with local media reporting that Israel briefly hacked a state television broadcast, airing footage of women's protests and urging people to take to the streets. Adding to the information chaos were online clips lifted from war-themed video games. AFP's fact-checkers identified one such clip posted on X, which falsely claimed to show an Israeli jet being shot down by Iran. The footage bore striking similarities to the military simulation game Arma 3. Israel's military has rejected Iranian media reports claiming its fighter jets were downed over Iran as 'fake news.' Chatbots such as xAI's Grok, which online users are increasingly turning to for instant fact-checking, falsely identified some of the manipulated visuals as real, researchers said. 'This highlights a broader crisis in today's online information landscape: the erosion of trust in digital content,' BitMindAI's Miyachi said. 'There is an urgent need for better detection tools, media literacy, and platform accountability to safeguard the integrity of public discourse.'
