A 25 second long video went viral on social media showing Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif polishing a shoe with pictures of Pakistan Chief of Army staff (COAS) and President of United States in the background. The video was widely shared by multiple accounts on social media and gained a large amount of viewership.
(Screenshot from Twitter post)
Debunked Source
https://twitter.com/Noxious_Numaira/status/1551622032118489096
Shahbaz shareef recording his protest against the verdict #JudicialCoup #ککڑی_تباہ_دے #CherryBlossom #Supreme_Court_Of_Pakistan pic.twitter.com/VrGsN1zSNZ
— Shahrukh (@Shahruk09714112) July 26, 2022
Fact-check
In order to detect deep fake video, we extracted key frames of the video and performed a reverse image search on InVid.
(Frozen keyframes of the posted video)
(Search engine results of similar images)
Reverse image search led us to a website with a visually similar image.
Visiting the website revealed that the video belongs to Kirby Alison, a professional craftsmen and wardrobe expert.
(Screenshot from Kirby Allison website)
(Screenshot from YouTube video)
Source
https://www.kirbyallison.com/shoe-care-guide/wax-vs-cream-polish
Rating
Deep Fake/ Manipulated
Conclusion
Our fact-check confirmed that video of Kirby Alison was used to create deepfake video of Prime Minster Shahbaz Shareef depicting him as a beggar and slave of United States of America. Altered video was widely shared by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf supports amid Imran Khan’s regime change diplomacy.
ABCDE Framework-Based Analysis
Actor | Multiple independent social media accounts and accounts aligned with Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) are involved in circulating the deep fake. |
Behavior | A video went viral on social media showing Prime Minister, Shahbaz Sharif, polishing shoes and narrating his visit to foreign country for funds. |
Content | Social Media posts. |
Degree | The content is being spread to show the incompetence of prime minister and portray him as an American and establishment slave. Video is doctored, and the original voiceover was also edited with the prime minister’s speech. |
Effect | The content is being spread to show the incompetence of prime minister, making fun of him. The video was shared hundreds of times across social media platforms. |