AI Protest Images Exposed

Fake Portsmouth protest images emerge online amid government pledge to reduce asylum hotels

Two images shared on social media alongside posts about a recent protest in Portsmouth are fake, claiming to have been created or edited using AI tools. The images show hundreds of protesters blocking roads after around 140 migrants were brought ashore to a ferry port in Eastney, where they attempted to cross the English Channel. Despite these images containing a SynthID, an invisible watermark indicating they were created or altered using AI, there are numerous inconsistencies in the images and their location. The government has pledged to stop using asylum hotels in its 2024 general election manifesto and is currently rating this pledge as "in progress". The number of asylum seekers housed in hotels has decreased by 46% since August 26, according to Home Office data.

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