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It sounds like a scary dream, but it’s happening in the here and now: In Venezuela, propaganda news is shown on state television – presented not by flesh-and-blood journalists, but by avatars. This was recently revealed by the Spanish daily newspaper “El País”.
“If the Venezuelan economy is really doing as badly as the media is claiming, can Venezuelans even afford vacations?” asks “Noah,” a red-haired white man and alleged journalist in a YouTube video.
A phone call follows: “Wow, we’re fully booked for the carnival – we don’t have any more free,” says a man. Who he is and for which hotel he supposedly works remains open. But for “Noah” the matter is clear: “It is striking that the expensive beach vacation packages worth $ 500 are already sold out, despite inflation,” he says.
In another video, “Emma,” a Latina with indigenous features, said former interim president and opposition leader Juan Guaidó did not help the populace during his tenure.
Legend:
Screenshot of “Emma” (right): In a YouTube video that has since been deleted, she criticized former opposition leader Juan Guadió (left).
SRF
A little later, the videos from the YouTube channel called “House of News” also ran on Venezuelan state television. What they hide: Opposition politicians are threatened and persecuted in Venezuela. Even if the economy is now recovering slightly: According to the UN, around half of the 28 million Venezuelans still live in poverty. Over five million are dependent on humanitarian aid. A total of seven million have left their country since Nicolás Maduro ruled there.
So who are “Emma” and “Noah” and why are they spreading manipulated reports? The answer is disturbing: “Noah” and “Emma” are avatars, so-called deepfakes – created by Synthesia, a company based in Great Britain.
Actually: If you scroll through the virtual avatar catalog on the Synthesia website, you will find “Emma” and “Noah”. It costs $30 a month to have the two of them speak any lyrics for a video.
This was discovered by a journalist from the Spanish newspaper «El País». Since then she has been attacked and threatened. Nicolás Maduro himself made fun of her research, mimicked a robot on Venezuelan television and explained: “This is not artificial intelligence, but revolutionary intelligence.”
New development in Maduro’s digital propaganda arsenal
“Emma” and “Noah” are a new phenomenon, says Mariví Marín Vázquez to SRF. The Venezuelan is one of the founders of ProBox – a non-governmental organization that fights against disinformation on the Internet. “We are seeing an evolution in government information control and propaganda.”
The videos are also an attempt to whitewash the regime’s face.
Because of the censorship in the traditional media, social media has become the main source of information for many Venezuelans. If propaganda videos are now appearing on the Internet, which is supposedly the last free space of civil society, it has an intimidating and destabilizing effect.
“The videos are also an attempt to clear the face of the regime,” explains Mariví. According to ProBox, the English-language videos with Spanish subtitles are not only intended to unsettle Venezuelans, but also to take away the international community’s inhibitions about resuming relations with Maduro’s government.