Three arrested for sharing AI video of Maryam Nawaz, UAE president

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has arrested three suspects involved in editing and sharing of a fake video of Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Maryam Nawaz with United Arab Emirates (UAE) President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

As per the details, fake AI-generated videos of the Punjab CM started doing the rounds over the internet after Maryam, accompanied by Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif, greeted the UAE president upon his arrival at the Rahim Yar Khan Airport on December 5.

Reports on Saturday quoted FIA officials as saying that 20 social media accounts responsible for sharing the fake media had also been identified. Three suspects have so far been, and the FIA is also conducting raids to arrest the remaining culprits, they added.

A joint investigation team (JIT) to widen the scope of investigation under the chairmanship of Additional Director Sarfraz Chaudhry has been constituted with Lahore, Multan and Faisalabad deputy directors as members, reports said.

Action comes after Punjab CM’s office approached the FIA’s cybercrime wing for a probe into the doctored pictures and videos. The FIA had earlier assured the government of cracking down on those responsible for uploading and sharing the altered content.

As part of the investigation, the FIA’s cybercrime wing had said, it would conduct inquiries across the country. The agency had warned that individuals found involved in uploading or sharing of the fake images would face legal consequences.

It merits a mention that deepfakes or AI-generated visuals are becoming increasingly convincing and easier to make. In May 2022, the FIA's Cybercrime Wing arrested a man in Peshawar on charges of circulating fake videos of CM Maryam on social media.

Doctored images and fake videos are used to discredit individuals’ role in society, experts say, adding that politicians, actresses and other well-known persons are especially targeted by those involved in such activities.

Earlier, Punjab Information Minister Azma Zahid Bokhari also fell victim to a deepfake video. 

Reacting to the viral video, the info minister had stressed the need to urgently tackle the menace. Bokhari had asserted that the criminal justice system needed to be modernised to counter such issues, as deepfake videos were frequently used to target women.

“I was shattered when it came to my knowledge,” the minister had told a foreign media outlet, vowing to do every thing in her power for the protection of digital rights of the people.