Deepfake Misusing BBC Branding Spreads Amid Diverted Dubai-Tel Aviv Flight Investigation

A day after an attempted hijacking of a Flydubai flight traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv, the United Arab Emirates announced an investigation to determine whether the incident constituted a terrorist act, as Israel has claimed, according to RFI.

In the hours following the incident, several pieces of false information began circulating online, including a deepfake video that misuses the image of a BBC journalist, the report said.

Investigation Into Motive

RFI's report did not specify further details of the UAE's investigation timeline, nor did it confirm what specifically occurred during the attempted hijacking, including whether any passengers were harmed or how the situation was ultimately resolved. The report centered primarily on the spread of misinformation following the event rather than the hijacking attempt itself.

Israel's characterization of the incident as a terrorist attack was noted in the report, though further detail supporting that assessment, or any rebuttal, was not included.

Deepfake Circulation

Among the false content identified by RFI was a manipulated video that uses the BBC's branding and a journalist's likeness to lend false credibility to claims about the incident. The report did not specify the content of the false claims made in the video or how widely it had spread at the time of publication.

RFI's report did not indicate whether the BBC had issued a statement regarding the unauthorized use of its branding, or whether platforms hosting the deepfake had taken any action to remove it.