A Conservative tweet that was carefully edited to show London mayor Sadiq Khan say he is “proud to be antisemitic” has been community noted on X (formerly Twitter) to highlight the underhanded nature of the post.
Khan misspoke during an interview with the BBC and immediately corrected himself during the broadcast as he discussed a rise in antisemitic incidents.
But the Tories put out an edited version of the clip where the correction was edited out and posted it with the caption:
“Sadiq Khan says the quiet part out loud.”
The underhanded move comes as Khan warned that deepfakes could swing a close UK election or referendum in the future.
He told the PA news agency that regulation around the fakes is currently “not fit for purpose” and needs strengthening.
He added: “There are some downsides to the advances in technology and in AI. One of those is the use of deepfake videos, deepfake audios.
“I think regulation is not fit for purpose. It’s not an issue of policing, it’s an issue of legislation and regulation.
“The current laws around intellectual property, around copyright, the criminal laws, are not fit for purpose.
“We saw around Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday the consequences of an audio tape.
“My worry is, in a close election, a close referendum, these sorts of deepfake videos and audios can be the difference, but also my concern is, there are sometimes examples where these sorts of deepfake audios can lead to serious disturbances, particularly when emotions are running high.
“That’s why it’s incredibly important that Parliament looks into this and passes laws that are fit for purpose.”
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