Deepfaked Tom Cruise used to spread propaganda against Paris Olympics
Pro-Russian propagandists are reportedly intensifying their efforts to undermine the upcoming Paris Summer Olympics and weaken Western support for Ukraine, according to Western officials. A fabricated documentary using artificial intelligence (AI) to mimic actor Tom Cruise's voice criticizing the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is among these tactics. All this comes as the IOC imposed restrictions on Russian athletes' participation in the Paris Olympics due to Russia's ongoing conflict with Ukraine.
Fake Cruise documentary part of a propaganda campaign
The counterfeit documentary used the Netflix logo and a fake New York Times review for credibility and first appeared on Telegram last year. It hones in on alleged corruption within the IOC—specifically targeting its president, Thomas Bach. The fabricated Cruise avatar even remarks, "The IOC members enjoy many special privileges...during the Olympics." "You are now thinking about what kind of privileges I enjoy during filming? Craziest demand I've ever made is a two-bedroom hotel suite...for me and my spiritual guide."
Video still accessible on Telegram
The documentary further features Cruise's voice, at times, curiously stilted. One such instance comes when the fake Cruise delivers the line: "For a long time, I had my heart set on sports that might have become serious if not for the knee injury." "In the pseudo-pantheon of the sports Olympus, [Thomas] Bach isn't even a fake god, he's just a copycat." While YouTube removed the program at the request of the IOC, it remained accessible on Telegram, according to Microsoft.
Offline stunts and false news stories circulated
In addition to online strategies, offline stunts have been utilized. French police recently found five coffins near the Eiffel Tower, draped in the French flag with an inscription referring to the Ukraine war. Russian involvement is suspected by French authorities who are currently questioning three men about this incident. Russian propagandists have also been disseminating false news stories suggesting that Parisians are "buying property insurance" due to "fears of Olympics-related terrorism."
Paris Olympics prepares for potential cyber threats
Officials at the Paris Olympics are bracing for potential cyber threats, similar to those experienced during the Winter Olympics in South Korea in 2018, which were attributed to Russia's GRU military intelligence agency by the US Justice Department. "The GRU has reserved some its most serious cyberattacks for France and the Olympics," said John Hultquist, chief analyst at Google-owned cybersecurity firm Mandiant to CNN.
Russia's hostility toward the IOC and Paris Olympics
French President Emmanuel Macron not ruling out sending French troops to Ukraine has angered the Russian government. Meanwhile, Russia's hostility toward the IOC has been escalating for years. The IOC has banned Russian athletes from officially competing under the Russian flag in Paris. Similar restrictions have been imposed on Russian athletes at past Olympic games due to allegations of a doping program. This ongoing conflict between Russia and the IOC is a significant factor in the current disinformation campaign.
