Deepfake video of Irish presidential candidate fools 30K Facebook users

A deepfake video falsely showing Irish presidential candidate Catherine Connolly withdrawing from the election went viral on Meta’s Facebook, garnering 30,000 views before being removed after 12 hours. The sophisticated AI-generated hoax, posted by a fake account impersonating Ireland’s public broadcaster RTÉ, claimed the election was canceled and that Connolly’s opponent would automatically win the presidency.

What happened: The 40-second deepfake video appeared on Facebook just days before Ireland’s presidential election, featuring AI-generated footage of frontrunner Catherine Connolly announcing her withdrawal from the race.

• The fake account “RTÉ News AI” mimicked RTÉ, Ireland’s public service broadcaster, complete with authentic-looking news desk reporters and RTÉ chyrons.
• The video falsely declared that “simply put, Friday’s election is now cancelled” and that center-right candidate Heather Humphreys would “become the winner automatically.”
• Meta allowed the content to remain live for 12 hours, during which it was shared hundreds of times across the platform.

Why this matters: The incident highlights Meta’s continued vulnerability to election interference through AI-generated content, despite previous scandals including Cambridge Analytica and its role in Myanmar’s Rohingya genocide.

• Connolly currently leads in polls with a comfortable margin over Humphreys in what has become a two-candidate race for Ireland’s presidency.
• The timing—just days before the election—maximized potential disruption to the democratic process.

The technical execution: While some deepfakes are easily detectable, this video demonstrated sophisticated production quality that made it initially convincing.

• The content opened with a realistic news desk reporter before cutting to tightly edited, synthesized footage of Connolly.
• The biggest tell came when “characteristically un-Irish voices from the crowd” shouted “Catherine, no!” during the fake withdrawal announcement.
• The video maintained the visual aesthetics and format of genuine RTÉ news broadcasts.

Regulatory response: Ireland’s media regulator Coimisiún na Meán contacted Meta to understand their response measures and reminded the platform of obligations under the EU Digital Services Act.

• The regulator specifically cited requirements “relating to protecting the integrity of elections” under European digital governance rules.

Ireland’s AI hoax history: This incident follows a pattern of AI-generated misinformation targeting Irish audiences.

• In 2023, hundreds gathered in Dublin streets for a Halloween parade that never existed, created by a Pakistan-based website using ChatGPT to exploit Google’s search ranking system.