Possible source of Marcos’ deepfake audio identified

A possible source of the deepfake audio of President Marcos has already been identified, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said.

In a news forum on Saturday, April 27, PNP spokesperson P/col. Jean Fajardo revealed that they already have information on the source of the deepfake technology that was used to manipulate a audio recording of the President.

“Initially, may na-identify na po na possible source po nitong deepfake audio po na ito, but as to the extent po ng kaniyang involvement po dito ay iyon po pa rin ‘yung subject ng ating investigation (we already identified the possible source of this deepfake audio, but as to the extent of his involvement here, that’s still subject to investigation),” she said.

The PNP is already on the hunt to determine the possible location or origin of the deepfake audio that was manipulated into the video.

“Whether this is intentional or not, those people behind this deepfake audio will be held accountable,” Fajardo stressed.

Last week, Malacañang debunked a viral deepfake video of Marcos supposedly commanding the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to act against a foreign country.

The fake video was released amid the heightened tensions between the Philippines and China on the territorial and maritime disputes in the West Philippine Sea.

Fajardo assured that the PNP’S PNP Anti-cybercrime Group (ACG), which is coordinating with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) in the investigation, has already taken down the deepfake audio recording that was manipulated and edited using artificial intelligence (AI).

A similar material from a different source was also taken down and is now under a joint investigation by the PNP and the DICT.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has already directed the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to hold accountable the persons behind the deepfake audio and file necessary legal actions against them.

The Presidential Communications Office (PCO) also reminded the public to be mindful and responsible of the content they share in their respective platforms.