Singapore’s former president Halimah Yacob has said she will file a police report over a deepfake video of her making negative comments about the government, as the city state gears up for a hotly contested general election.
In a Facebook post on Tuesday, Halimah, who stepped down from her post and did not seek re-election in 2023, said the clip was completely false.
“It’s a deepfake with even my voice being used! This is scary how AI is being used to influence voters during this critical period,” she said, without sharing the video to avoid it being circulated.
With Singapore heading into an election expected to be held in early May, Halimah urged for decorum, decency and fairness for all sides of the political divide.
“Fight on the basis of the strength of your vision and the strength of your candidates and their ability to see that vision through. Don’t resort to dirty tactics like this.
“After [the general election], we still have our people and their future to think of. It’s not a one-off boxing match,” said Halimah, who was formerly from the ruling People’s Action Party and the Speaker of Parliament.
Local media outlet CNA reported last week on the rise of deepfake videos ahead of the polls. The clips cited included ones of Singapore’s first prime minister Lee Kuan Yew, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh.
In October, Singapore passed a bill that prohibits the publication of digitally generated or manipulated content during elections that realistically depict a candidate saying or doing something they had not. The law will come into effect once the writ of election is issued.
The law would enable the Returning Officer, who oversees the election, to issue corrective directions to those who post such content. Social media services and internet access service providers can also be ordered to remove such content or disable access by Singapore users during the election period.
Social media platforms who do not comply face a fine of up to S$1 million. For all others, non-compliance may result in a fine of up to S$1,000, maximum imprisonment of 12 months, or both.