Russian agents have used a deepfake Tom Cruise in a propaganda video aimed at trashing the Paris Olympics.
Called ‘Olympics has Fallen’, a play on the 2013 film ‘Olympus has Fallen’, the feature-length documentary uses an AI-generated voice of the Top Gun actor to spread bogus reports about alleged corruption inside the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and discredit its president, Thomas Bach.
In one quote, the fake Cruise says: “In the pseudo-pantheon of the sport Olympus, [Thomas] Bach isn’t even a fake god, he’s just a copycat of Autolycus from Hermes, the god of deception and cunning.”
In another dubious quote, the deepfake says: “The IOC members enjoy many special privileges such as VIP services during the Olympics. Surely, you are now thinking about what kind of privileges I enjoy during filming. The craziest demand I’ve ever made is a two-bedroom hotel suite for me and my Scientology spiritual guide.”
The four-part documentary, which first appeared on the Telegram channel in 2023, goes on to say that Cruise’s mission to clean up sport is based on his fictional film character Jerry Maguire, who becomes obsessed with perceived dishonesty in sports management.
The creators of the sham documentary, a shadowy group dubbed Storm-1679 by Microsoft’s Threat Analysis Center (MTAC), also posted fake celebrity endorsements, including a fake social media post purportedly from David Beckham that claimed: “Tom, saw your show with @netflix with my family! Happy to be part of this project!”
In a report published this week, Microsoft said: “The “Olympics Has Fallen” video signaled the first glimpse of what would prove to be an extensive campaign by Storm-1679.
“The Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games has been one of Storm-1679’s primary objectives since at least the summer of 2023, but MTAC has previously observed this actor heavily targeting the Ukrainian refugee community living in the US and Europe.
“Their principal tactic involves the creation of spoofed content that mimics reputable media outlets, particularly in short-form video clips posted on social media.”
The report added: “These ongoing Russian influence operations have two central objectives: to denigrate the reputation of the [International Olympic Committee] on the world stage, and to create the expectation of violence breaking out in Paris during the 2024 Summer Olympic Games.”
In one quote, the fake Cruise says: “In the pseudo-pantheon of the sport Olympus, [Thomas] Bach isn’t even a fake god, he’s just a copycat of Autolycus from Hermes, the god of deception and cunning.”
In another dubious quote, the deepfake says: “The IOC members enjoy many special privileges such as VIP services during the Olympics. Surely, you are now thinking about what kind of privileges I enjoy during filming. The craziest demand I’ve ever made is a two-bedroom hotel suite for me and my Scientology spiritual guide.”
The four-part documentary, which first appeared on the Telegram channel in 2023, goes on to say that Cruise’s mission to clean up sport is based on his fictional film character Jerry Maguire, who becomes obsessed with perceived dishonesty in sports management.
The creators of the sham documentary, a shadowy group dubbed Storm-1679 by Microsoft’s Threat Analysis Center (MTAC), also posted fake celebrity endorsements, including a fake social media post purportedly from David Beckham that claimed: “Tom, saw your show with @netflix with my family! Happy to be part of this project!”
In a report published this week, Microsoft said: “The “Olympics Has Fallen” video signaled the first glimpse of what would prove to be an extensive campaign by Storm-1679.
“The Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games has been one of Storm-1679’s primary objectives since at least the summer of 2023, but MTAC has previously observed this actor heavily targeting the Ukrainian refugee community living in the US and Europe.
“Their principal tactic involves the creation of spoofed content that mimics reputable media outlets, particularly in short-form video clips posted on social media.”
The report added: “These ongoing Russian influence operations have two central objectives: to denigrate the reputation of the [International Olympic Committee] on the world stage, and to create the expectation of violence breaking out in Paris during the 2024 Summer Olympic Games.”
Source: Techtimes.com/Microsoft/Reuters
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