A Chinese who posted videos on social media accumulated hundreds of thousands of followers and sold Russian goods by simulating that he was fighting in Ukraine, creating videos using artificial intelligence (AI).
Bald and with a thick beard, the man identified by the pseudonym Baoer Kechatie, presented himself as a soldier of the special forces of Chechnya, stationed on the front lines.
In one of the videos, where he appears in front of what he says is a “nuclear power plant”, he proclaims that the Russian army has just taken over the area. In another, he claims he just fought U.S. Marines and holds up a gun.
However, the thick accent from the province of Henan, in central China, ended up raising doubts about the veracity of the content. Users of Douyin, the Chinese version of the short video sharing application TikTok, found that Baoer Kechatie’s IP (Internet Protocol) was located precisely in Henan.
The account grew to 400,000 followers and sold at least 210 products, including Russian vodka and honey, through an associated e-commerce store.
In a statement issued this weekend, Douyin said it had suspended the account indefinitely for “spreading misinformation”.
Before being banned, the account owner took down all videos and changed the pseudonym from “Baoer Kechatie” to Wang Kangmei, which translates as “Resistance to the United States”.
In China, the use of fake identities among content creators is increasing as AI tools for manipulating video and audio improve.
Last year, a woman identifying herself as Nana and of Russian descent went viral for sharing moments from her life in China, only to be unmasked as an imposter who transformed her appearance using AI-powered filters. The account had nearly two million followers.
Last January, China began to criminalize the publication and broadcast of videos and audio edited via artificial intelligence and virtual reality (‘deepfakes’) that are not identified as such.
“With the adoption of new technologies such as ‘deepfakes’ in the video and audio industry, the use of content likely to disturb public order and violate the interests of the population is a risk, creating political problems and negative impact on national security and the social stability”, pointed out the Cyberspace Administration of China.
Measures include requiring you to set up a real-name verification system when creating an account.
Since May, Douyin has required all users to clearly label AI-generated content.
