Fake videos of the conflict between Iran and Israel are going viral on X (formerly Twitter); To look

Last Saturday (13) a new phase in the conflict between Iran and Israel began, and apart from videos recorded by local media, it is very difficult to know what is really going on between the countries.

One of the most successful broadcasts is the alleged Israeli attack on the Iranian embassy. The content in question is actually from Ukraine’s missile attack on the Russian-occupied city. Sevastopol, in Crimea, in March this year. To look:

Russia is opening fire on a Ukrainian UAV over the Crimean city of Sevastopol. pic.twitter.com/8wUjaZeo7m

— Horesmi?????? (@horesmi) March 26, 2022

Videos showing missiles hitting Israel were also largely driven by the X (formerly Twitter) algorithm. One account owner captioned it, “World War III has begun,” and added a video of rockets being fired. The only detail is that the content in question was recorded in 2021, not 2024. It has also not been confirmed that the missiles actually reached Israeli territory.

Another post showing Israel’s Iron Dome action was reported to be current, but the content in question dates back to October 2023.

Data from the Institute for Strategic Dialogue or the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD) indicates that 34 published fake content received more than 37 million views. Not to mention broadcasts.

Algorithm helps spread misinformation

The biggest problem is that many of the accounts that post outdated or AI-generated videos and photos stand out because their owners subscribe to one of the social network’s plans.

The algorithm also leaves something to be desired: False headlines are widely circulated, and a video of a wildfire in Chile in February 2024 also did well on the social network. In fact, Iranian state television broadcast images of the fire and stated that these were actually the results of Iran’s attack on Israel.

?? #Engañoso | A video released this evening by Iranian state television HispanTV and some Venezuelan propaganda media claiming to show the impact of Iran’s retaliatory strike against Israel “a few minutes ago” is NOT new.

If it corresponds to a fire in Achupallas… https://t.co/0B8rClQaFl pic.twitter.com/Wajh6ZBXwh

— Fake News Hunters (@cazamosfakenews) April 14, 2024

One resource that helps stop the spread of fake news is Community Notes, but it all still depends on the users. By then, the content is widely disseminated on the platform as if it were real. Even a post of Joe Biden in uniform was circulating on Twitter as if it were real.

Only two posts were flagged as fake after ISD’s discovery.