Technologies

Facebook, Twitter cope with doctored photos, graphic videos as Afghanistan falls

From fact-checking to labels, social networks are being put to the test yet again.

A CNN reporter stands in front of a photo of a helicopter flying over the US embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, a city that has fallen into chaos. Underneath the image, a caption states: “Violent but mostly peaceful transfer of power.”

The image, supposedly a screengrab of the network, circulated widely on Facebook, Twitter and other social media, prompting questions about its authenticity. How could the transfer be considered peaceful, some wondered. Was the language meant to be satire?

Turns out the image was fake.

Reuters and Politifact both fact-checked the image and concluded that it, like so many photos before it, had been digitally altered. The doctored image borrowed a screenshot of CNN correspondent Omar Jimenez from a 2020 broadcast of protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin, over a police shooting. At the time, some conservatives criticized CNN for running the caption “Fiery but mostly peaceful protests after police shooting.”

Altered images and video, such as a doctored version of a Nancy Pelosi speech that made the House Speaker appear drunk, have plagued Facebook and Twitter for years. Now the problem is resurfacing quickly as news pours out of Afghanistan, which quickly fell into turmoil as the US wound down a 20-year war. Just as before, social media outlets are resorting to labels and warnings to caution users about faked content.

On Sunday, Taliban fighters took over Kabul, the capital, and President Ashraf Ghani fled the country. Violence erupted at the city’s international airport with videos spreading through social media of people clinging to a US military aircraft as it took off and others falling from another plane midair. The Associated Press, citing US senior military officials, reported that at least seven people died at the airport.

On Facebook and its photo-sharing service Instagram, the doctored CNN image was labeled as altered. “Independent fact-checkers say this information could mislead people,” the label said. The fake CNN caption was also used as a title in a YouTube video with different video footage, and the altered image also spread throughout Twitter, which didn’t add a label. YouTube didn’t label the video and said the video didn’t violate its rules.

Instagram boss: ‘The risk will evolve’

Adam Mosseri, who runs Instagram, told Bloomberg Television that the photo-sharing service bans posts that promote the Taliban, which is covered by its dangerous-organization policies because of US government sanctions.

“We are relying on that policy to proactively take down anything that we can that might be dangerous or that is related to the Taliban in general,” Mosseri said. “Now this situation is evolving rapidly, and with it I’m sure the risk will evolve as well. We are going to have to modify what we do and how we do it to respond to those changing risks as they happen.”

The upheaval in Afghanistan poses a familiar challenge to social networks, which monitor their platforms for offensive content including graphic imagery. Some Facebook videos of people falling from planes warned users the content didn’t violate its rules but might include violent or graphic content. Similar videos appeared on Twitter and TikTok without a label.

On YouTube, some news outlets added their own warnings at the beginning of videos that cautioned users the imagery was graphic. But not all did. YouTube added age restrictions and a label to a video of people falling from a plane that was posted by the Hindustan Times, a big Indian newspaper. The label noted the “video may be inappropriate for some users.”

YouTube’s rules don’t allow violent, graphic or shocking content, though they make exceptions for content that is educational, documentary, artistic or scientific. The company said it also surfaces videos from authoritative sources during breaking news events.

A Facebook spokesman said the company has a dedicated team, “including Afghan nationals and native Dari and Pashto speakers,” to assess the situation in real time.

“Our teams continue to monitor the situation on the ground in Afghanistan, in consultation with our partners, and will take action on any content that violates these policies,” the spokesman said in a statement. Facebook’s online rules prohibit glorifying violence or celebrating the suffering of others but notes that it will include a warning screen for some gory content.

Facebook also said the Taliban are barred from its services under its dangerous-organization policies because they’re “sanctioned as a terrorist organization under US law.” The social media giant owns messaging app WhatsApp and reportedly blocked a number being used by the Taliban that’s meant to be used as a hotline for civilians to report violence, looting and other problems, according to The Financial Times.

Twitter pointed to its policies against violent organizations and hateful conduct. The company received criticism from some conservatives for allowing Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid to use its platform. Some activists accused the Taliban of “trying to fish for legitimacy” and pushing out information that conflicts with news reports. The company didn’t immediately answer questions about whether the account violated its rules.

The company has been testing a forum called Birdwatch that lets users flag tweets and write notes with more context. Some of the notes included content about Afghanistan.

In one tweet that was rated as both “not misleading” and “potentially misleading,” Sen. Marco Rubio, a Florida Republican, tweeted that US President Joe Biden “apparently” had “no plans” to speak about Afghanistan. Both of the notes said Rubio tweeted before Biden announced he would be speaking about the topic later on Monday.

Other tweets users rated as misleading note that a video shared by some high-profile conservatives, including US Sen. Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican, “attempt to frame CNN as proponents of the Taliban and their take-over of Afghanistan.” The video shows CNN correspondent Clarissa Ward reporting that Taliban fighters are “just chanting death to America, but they seem friendly at the same time. It’s utterly bizarre.”

TikTok didn’t immediately respond to questions about how it’s moderating content about Afghanistan.

Technologies

Chinese authorities reportedly in possession of F-35 components in Hong Kong

Shipping giant UPS was sending a cockpit canopy and weapons bay door to the U.S. from Australia in late May when it was diverted to Hong Kong.

Chinese authorities are reportedly in possession of F-35 stealth fighter parts after components of the aircraft were “inexplicably diverted to Hong Kong.”

Shipping giant UPS was sending a cockpit canopy and weapons bay door to the U.S. from Australia in late May when it was diverted, Bloomberg reported on Thursday, citing sources.

Both parts were coated with a radar absorbing material that enhances their stealth capabilities, the sources said, and it was not clear why the shipment was diverted to Hong Kong.

On Tuesday, Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles told reporters Tuesday that Australia was aware of the shipment, and was working with the U.S. and Lockheed Martin to see how Canberra can assist in the investigation.

Marles also said it was his understanding that no sensitive parts were in the missing shipment, according to CNN.

Lockheed Martin, UPS and the Pentagon didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment from CNBC.

The F-35 is a fifth-generation stealth fighter made by Lockheed Martin, and Washington controls the sale of these aircraft only to its closest partners and allies.

For example, Turkey was excluded from the F-35 program in 2019 after the country purchased the Russian S-400 anti-aircraft system, which raised fears that the Russian system could be used as an intelligence collection platform to learn about the aircraft’s capabilities.

China has targeted F-35-related U.S. military data in past espionage cases, according to U.S. prosecutors in 2024.

A $24 billion sale of F-35s to Saudi Arabia was approved last week, but some lawmakers in Congress have already expressed concerns over the technology finding its way into Chinese hands.

Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) said that the U.S. intelligence community has warned that the sale “could put the crown jewels of American military technology within reach of the Chinese Communist Party.”

Users of the fighter jet include Australia and Belgium, as well as the U.S. itself, with other countries like Japan, Canada and Singapore having also ordered the aircraft.

F-35s have also been used by the U.S. during the Iran conflict, with one aircraft suffering damage from enemy fire, according to the Department of Defense.

Technologies

Family First Credit Union CEO leaves after ‘Lake America’ sweatshirt photos appear online”,”content”:”Jane Smith, the chief executive of Michigan-based Family First Credit Union, has left the organization shortly after sharing an image described as AI-edited that showed her family wearing \u201cLake America\u201d sweatshirts.\nA statement posted on the credit union\u2019s website on Wednesday said Smith was no longer with Family First \u201ceffective immediately,\u201d and that Chief Operations Officer Jason Acosta would serve as interim CEO. The statement was signed by board chairman Maurice Patterson and Acosta.\nFamily First did not explicitly say the public reaction caused Smith\u2019s departure, but it posted an apology on Thursday, saying it was sorry for \u201cthe concern, disappointment and pain this situation has caused our members and community.\u201d\nThe credit union is based in Michigan, a state that shares a border with Canada.\nSmith had originally shared the photo on Facebook on Sept. 11 with the caption: \u201cLike our sweatshirts? Not sure Canada will. Lol lol\u201d\nAccording to CBC News, the Facebook post has since been deleted.\nU.S. President Donald Trump announced last month that Lake Ontario, on the U.S.-Canada border, would be renamed \u201cLake America,\u201d triggering strong criticism from Canadians, Prime Minister Mark Carney, and even the animated comedy series \u201cSouth Park,\u201d which changed its name to \u201cSouth America\u201d in response to the U.S. president\u2019s move.\nIn an interview with ABC12 News in Michigan on Sept. 17, Smith said the picture contained an artificial intelligence marker, but her sister later reposted it without the marker.\nReportedly, Smith said, \u201cWe weren\u2019t trying to make a political statement,\u201d but added that she and her family were \u201ckind of poking fun at the fact that you know one of the Great Lakes\u2019 names were getting changed.\u201d\nEarlier, Family First told ABC12 News that it \u201cunequivocally disapproves and rejects the content of the social media post involving our CEO, Jane Smith.\u201d\nU.S. Rep. Timothy Kennedy, D-N.Y., has introduced legislation intended to block Trump\u2019s effort to rename Lake Ontario and to prohibit future renaming of any of the five Great Lakes.”,”excerpt”:”Family First Credit Union\u2019s CEO Jane Smith has departed after a post featuring \u2018Lake America\u2019 sweatshirts drew widespread criticism.

Smith on Sept. 11 had posted an allegedly AI-edited photo on Facebook of her family dressed in “Lake America” sweatshirts.

The CEO of U.S.-based credit union Family First is no longer with the company, days after she posted an allegedly artificial intelligence-edited photo of her family with “Lake America” sweatshirts.

On Wednesday, a statement posted on the credit union’s website revealed that Jane Smith was no longer with Family First “effective immediately,” with Chief Operations Officer Jason Acosta serving as interim CEO. It was signed by Maurice Patterson, chairman of the Family First Credit Union board, and Acosta.

Family First did not state that if the reaction was the reason for Smith leaving, even though the credit union posted on Thursday that “we sincerely apologize for the concern, disappointment and pain this situation has caused our members and community.”

Family First is based in Michigan, a state that borders Canada.

Smith on Sept. 11 had posted the photo on Facebook with the caption: “Like our sweatshirts? Not sure Canada will. Lol lol”

The post has since been deleted from Facebook, CBC News reported.

U.S. President Donald Trump declared the renaming of Lake Ontario on the U.S.-Canadian border to “Lake America” last month, prompting massive backlash from Canadians, Prime Minister Mark Carney, and even animated comedy TV show “South Park,” which changed its name to “South America” in a jab at the U.S. president’s order.

In an interview on Sept. 17 with ABC12 News in Michigan, Smith said that the picture contained an artificial intelligence marker, but was later reposted by her sister without the AI marker.

“We weren’t trying to make a political statement,” Smith reportedly said. “However, we were, you know, kind of poking fun at the fact that you know one of the Great Lakes’ names were getting changed.”

In an earlier statement to ABC12 News, Family First had said it “unequivocally disapproves and rejects the content of the social media post involving our CEO, Jane Smith.”

U.S. Rep. Timothy Kennedy, D-N.Y., has also introduced legislation to block Trump’s attempt to rename Lake Ontario and prohibit the future renaming of any of the five Great Lakes.

Technologies

U.S. crude oil falls nearly 8% for the week after Tehran and Washington hold talks at the U.N.

Iran has asked the U.S. to meet the same conditions laid out in the June 17 memorandum of understanding, Iran’s foreign minister said.

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