A video purportedly showing former Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar endorsing an online game, Skyward Aviator Quest, is being shared on the internet.
This video is edited.
(Source: X/Screenshot)
But this video is a deepfake: This is not a real video.
It has been digitally altered to show that Tendulkar is talking about this game.
Sachin Tendulkar's dismissal of the video: Tendulkar took to his official X (formerly Twitter) account to clarify that this video is a deepfake.
He shared the video and stated that this video is fake and is an example of "misuse of technology".
He added, "Social Media platforms need to be alert and responsive to complaints. Swift action from their end is crucial to stopping the spread of misinformation and deepfakes. "
The original video: By a simple reverse image search, we came across the original video of Tendulkar.
This video was shared on 27 May 2023 by the official Facebook page of Curly Tales, a travel website.
He can be seen in the same attire and sitting in the same background.
In the original video, Tendulkar is talking about his cooking skills.
Deepfake technology targeting the known faces: There has been a sudden rise of deepfake videos of politicians, actors and sportsperson going viral on social media.
In these videos they can be seen endorsing entities or being morphed in obscene visuals.
The Quint analysed how deepfakes could impact the elections, and how bad actors can use them to further narratives and spread disinformation across social media platforms. You can read the analysis here.
Similar deepfakes that went viral: Recently, a deepfake video showing Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan asking a question on his show, Kaun Banega Crorepati, also went viral.
In this altered video, Bachchan supposedly refers to former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan as "the announcement minister" who never works and only makes speeches.
Another deepfake video of actor Salman Khan talking about his fans and threatening contestants on a reality show Bigg Boss also went viral as real.
We recently debunked a deepfake video of Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman, which was edited to show her talking about a partnership between the government and a crypto trading platform. Read here.
You can read WebQoof's debunks on deepfake videos here, here and here.
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