Political candidates targeted by deepfakes
Incidents Harmed By
Incident 17754 Report
Purportedly AI-Generated Videos Posted by Texas Lieutenant Governor's Campaign Allegedly Misrepresented Opponent's Tax Positions
2026-09-05
Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick's campaign posted purportedly AI-generated videos depicting his opponent, state legislator Vikki Goodwin. She alleged the videos falsely portrayed her tax positions and were intended to deceive voters and harm her candidacy. Goodwin filed a police complaint, and the posts were later removed. Patrick's campaign called the videos a parody and denied violating election law.
MoreIncident 6682 Report
Proliferation of Deepfakes Disrupting 2024 Lok Sabha Elections
2023-12-27
Digital manipulators in India are using deepfake technology to influence the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. These AI-generated videos and audio clips are designed to tarnish the reputations of political candidates, challenging the integrity of electoral processes.
MoreIncident 17022 Report
Russia-Linked Matryoshka Influence Operation Reportedly Used AI-Cloned Celebrity Voices and Fabricated News-Style Videos to Target Democratic Candidates Ahead of 2026 U.S. Midterms
2026-09-10
Researchers attributed a September 2026 influence campaign targeting U.S. Democratic Senate candidates to the Russia-linked Matryoshka/Operation Overload network. The campaign reportedly used AI-cloned celebrity voices and fabricated, news-branded videos to spread false or unsubstantiated claims on social media. Celebrities and CNN rejected the manipulated statements and unauthorized branding, which were intended to influence U.S. voters before the midterms.
MoreIncident 17211 Report
Wisconsin U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden Reportedly Posted Grok Imagine Deepfakes Depicting Opponent Rebecca Cooke Saying Things She Did Not Say
2026-08-04
Wisconsin U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden repeatedly posted Grok Imagine-generated videos depicting Democratic challenger Rebecca Cooke saying statements she did not make. Cooke called the clips deceptive and defamatory; Van Orden's campaign described them as obvious AI-generated satire. Cooke's attorneys later sent a cease-and-desist alleging the videos were intended to mislead voters and harm her reputation.
MoreRelated Entities
Other entities that are related to the same incident. For example, if the developer of an incident is this entity but the deployer is another entity, they are marked as related entities.
Related Entities
Synthetic media creators
Incidents involved as Deployer
- Incident 17754 Reports
Purportedly AI-Generated Videos Posted by Texas Lieutenant Governor's Campaign Allegedly Misrepresented Opponent's Tax Positions
- Incident 17022 Reports
Russia-Linked Matryoshka Influence Operation Reportedly Used AI-Cloned Celebrity Voices and Fabricated News-Style Videos to Target Democratic Candidates Ahead of 2026 U.S. Midterms
Information manipulation actors
Incidents involved as Deployer
- Incident 17022 Reports
Russia-Linked Matryoshka Influence Operation Reportedly Used AI-Cloned Celebrity Voices and Fabricated News-Style Videos to Target Democratic Candidates Ahead of 2026 U.S. Midterms
- Incident 17211 Report
Wisconsin U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden Reportedly Posted Grok Imagine Deepfakes Depicting Opponent Rebecca Cooke Saying Things She Did Not Say
Deepfake creators
Incidents involved as Deployer
- Incident 17754 Reports
Purportedly AI-Generated Videos Posted by Texas Lieutenant Governor's Campaign Allegedly Misrepresented Opponent's Tax Positions
- Incident 17022 Reports
Russia-Linked Matryoshka Influence Operation Reportedly Used AI-Cloned Celebrity Voices and Fabricated News-Style Videos to Target Democratic Candidates Ahead of 2026 U.S. Midterms
Synthetic media generation technology developers
Incidents involved as Developer
- Incident 17754 Reports
Purportedly AI-Generated Videos Posted by Texas Lieutenant Governor's Campaign Allegedly Misrepresented Opponent's Tax Positions
- Incident 17022 Reports
Russia-Linked Matryoshka Influence Operation Reportedly Used AI-Cloned Celebrity Voices and Fabricated News-Style Videos to Target Democratic Candidates Ahead of 2026 U.S. Midterms
Deepfake technology developers
Incidents involved as Developer
- Incident 17754 Reports
Purportedly AI-Generated Videos Posted by Texas Lieutenant Governor's Campaign Allegedly Misrepresented Opponent's Tax Positions
- Incident 17022 Reports
Russia-Linked Matryoshka Influence Operation Reportedly Used AI-Cloned Celebrity Voices and Fabricated News-Style Videos to Target Democratic Candidates Ahead of 2026 U.S. Midterms
Voters
Incidents Harmed By
- Incident 17022 Reports
Russia-Linked Matryoshka Influence Operation Reportedly Used AI-Cloned Celebrity Voices and Fabricated News-Style Videos to Target Democratic Candidates Ahead of 2026 U.S. Midterms
- Incident 17211 Report
Wisconsin U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden Reportedly Posted Grok Imagine Deepfakes Depicting Opponent Rebecca Cooke Saying Things She Did Not Say
Public figures
Incidents Harmed By
- Incident 17754 Reports
Purportedly AI-Generated Videos Posted by Texas Lieutenant Governor's Campaign Allegedly Misrepresented Opponent's Tax Positions
- Incident 17022 Reports
Russia-Linked Matryoshka Influence Operation Reportedly Used AI-Cloned Celebrity Voices and Fabricated News-Style Videos to Target Democratic Candidates Ahead of 2026 U.S. Midterms
Incidents involved as Deployer
- Incident 17754 Reports
Purportedly AI-Generated Videos Posted by Texas Lieutenant Governor's Campaign Allegedly Misrepresented Opponent's Tax Positions
- Incident 17211 Report
Wisconsin U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden Reportedly Posted Grok Imagine Deepfakes Depicting Opponent Rebecca Cooke Saying Things She Did Not Say
Politicians in the United States
Incidents Harmed By
- Incident 17754 Reports
Purportedly AI-Generated Videos Posted by Texas Lieutenant Governor's Campaign Allegedly Misrepresented Opponent's Tax Positions
- Incident 17022 Reports
Russia-Linked Matryoshka Influence Operation Reportedly Used AI-Cloned Celebrity Voices and Fabricated News-Style Videos to Target Democratic Candidates Ahead of 2026 U.S. Midterms
Incidents involved as Deployer
- Incident 17754 Reports
Purportedly AI-Generated Videos Posted by Texas Lieutenant Governor's Campaign Allegedly Misrepresented Opponent's Tax Positions
- Incident 17211 Report
Wisconsin U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden Reportedly Posted Grok Imagine Deepfakes Depicting Opponent Rebecca Cooke Saying Things She Did Not Say
Politicians
Incidents Harmed By
- Incident 17754 Reports
Purportedly AI-Generated Videos Posted by Texas Lieutenant Governor's Campaign Allegedly Misrepresented Opponent's Tax Positions
- Incident 17022 Reports
Russia-Linked Matryoshka Influence Operation Reportedly Used AI-Cloned Celebrity Voices and Fabricated News-Style Videos to Target Democratic Candidates Ahead of 2026 U.S. Midterms
Incidents involved as Deployer
- Incident 17754 Reports
Purportedly AI-Generated Videos Posted by Texas Lieutenant Governor's Campaign Allegedly Misrepresented Opponent's Tax Positions
- Incident 17211 Report
Wisconsin U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden Reportedly Posted Grok Imagine Deepfakes Depicting Opponent Rebecca Cooke Saying Things She Did Not Say
Epistemic integrity
Incidents Harmed By
- Incident 17754 Reports
Purportedly AI-Generated Videos Posted by Texas Lieutenant Governor's Campaign Allegedly Misrepresented Opponent's Tax Positions
- Incident 17022 Reports
Russia-Linked Matryoshka Influence Operation Reportedly Used AI-Cloned Celebrity Voices and Fabricated News-Style Videos to Target Democratic Candidates Ahead of 2026 U.S. Midterms
X (Twitter)
Incidents implicated systems
- Incident 17754 Reports
Purportedly AI-Generated Videos Posted by Texas Lieutenant Governor's Campaign Allegedly Misrepresented Opponent's Tax Positions
- Incident 17022 Reports
Russia-Linked Matryoshka Influence Operation Reportedly Used AI-Cloned Celebrity Voices and Fabricated News-Style Videos to Target Democratic Candidates Ahead of 2026 U.S. Midterms
Social media platforms
Incidents implicated systems
- Incident 17754 Reports
Purportedly AI-Generated Videos Posted by Texas Lieutenant Governor's Campaign Allegedly Misrepresented Opponent's Tax Positions
- Incident 17022 Reports
Russia-Linked Matryoshka Influence Operation Reportedly Used AI-Cloned Celebrity Voices and Fabricated News-Style Videos to Target Democratic Candidates Ahead of 2026 U.S. Midterms
Deepfake technology
Incidents implicated systems
- Incident 17754 Reports
Purportedly AI-Generated Videos Posted by Texas Lieutenant Governor's Campaign Allegedly Misrepresented Opponent's Tax Positions
- Incident 17022 Reports
Russia-Linked Matryoshka Influence Operation Reportedly Used AI-Cloned Celebrity Voices and Fabricated News-Style Videos to Target Democratic Candidates Ahead of 2026 U.S. Midterms
Synthetic video generation technology developers
Incidents involved as Developer
- Incident 17754 Reports
Purportedly AI-Generated Videos Posted by Texas Lieutenant Governor's Campaign Allegedly Misrepresented Opponent's Tax Positions
- Incident 17211 Report
Wisconsin U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden Reportedly Posted Grok Imagine Deepfakes Depicting Opponent Rebecca Cooke Saying Things She Did Not Say
Synthetic video generation technology
Incidents implicated systems
- Incident 17754 Reports
Purportedly AI-Generated Videos Posted by Texas Lieutenant Governor's Campaign Allegedly Misrepresented Opponent's Tax Positions
- Incident 17211 Report
Wisconsin U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden Reportedly Posted Grok Imagine Deepfakes Depicting Opponent Rebecca Cooke Saying Things She Did Not Say