Debunked: Deepfake video of Simon Harris ‘congratulating’ anti-immigrant groups shared online

A DEEPFAKE VIDEO has been posted to social media which appears to show Simon Harris ‘congratulating’ Irish anti-immigrant groups.

The video was shared on Facebook on 31 August, and has since been viewed more than a thousand times despite clear evidence that it is not legitimate.

Here is the video:

Deepfakes like this are digitally manipulated images, video and audio that are designed to create fake material featuring the likeness of an individual, often in an effort to misrepresent their views or speech.

They are often produced using AI technology and are becoming increasingly common online, including to spread misinformation.

Such videos often display realistic depictions of the people whose image they are faking, and the Simon Harris video shared on Facebook is the latest example – despite being quite rudimentary.

The video contains a message from the Taoiseach congratulating a group of people who hung a banner reading “Tallaght says no to illegal …