Khan calls for tougher laws after ‘deepfake’ almost caused ‘serious disorder’ in London
SADIQ KHAN, the Mayor of London, has said deepfake audio of him apparently making inflammatory remarks before Armistice Day nearly sparked “serious disorder” in the capital.
He has criticised the law in terms of tackling the issue and said it was not “fit for purpose” as the audio creator “got away with it”.
The man who shared the clip defended the move after being contacted by the BBC and said: “It’s what we all know Sadiq thinks.”
But another social media user who was also involved said: “I made a big mistake.” The footage went viral among the online community.
It relied on artificial intelligence to imitate Mr Khan’s voice saying words scripted by the faker, which had him making disparaging comments about Remembrance weekend and urging for pro-palestinian marches, which were put forward for the same day to be prioritised. The recording appeared to have been made in secret, and the voice said: “What’s important and paramount is the one-million-man Palestinian march takes place on Saturday.”
It then added, “I control the Met Police, they will do as the Mayor of London tells them”, then it has him saying: “The British public need to get a grip.”
It said the Prime Minister meeting Met Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley was “a waste of time” because “the buck stops with me”.
Mr Khan told BBC Radio 4’s Why Do You Hate Me? podcast that the words on the recording sounded similar to his voice.
Far-right groups picked up on the footage and it led to offensive online comments against Mr Khan.
Mr Khan, in an interview with the BBC, said: “When you’ve got friends and family who see this stuff, it’s deeply upsetting. I mean, I’ve got two daughters, a wife, I’ve got, you know, siblings. I’ve got a mum.
“The timing couldn’t have been better if you’re seeking to sow disharmony and cause problems.what was being said was a red rag to a bull for the farright and others.
“But what concerned me the most was if you’re an innocent listener to this ... because it’s a secret undercover recording, in inverted commas, because it sounds like me, because of the timing and the context.”
He added “we almost had serious disorder” and he raised concerns that a close election, a referendum or community unrest could be fuelled by deepfake audio.
“People should be able to criticise me but I think what you shouldn’t do is use AI to manufacture lies. And the person that made this needs to realise the consequences on that Saturday.”
The two events were held on Nov 11. Campaigners staged the pro-palestinian march beginning hours after the two minutes’ silence had fallen across Britain. But those linked to far-right groups came under fire after clashes broke out and there were arrests on charges including inciting racial hatred.