The mayor of Kiev, Vitali Klitschko, plans to meet his colleague in Berlin, Franziska Giffey, soon. The latter believed that Klitschko had already spoken this week. Instead, he turned out to be talking to a random person posing as Klitschko using deepfake technology.
“I hope we can talk through my official channels soon,” Klitschko told the German newspaper. imageI
Giffey talked for about fifteen minutes with a man who looked exactly like the mayor of Kiev. Deepfake technology allows people to take on the form of another person and appear very realistic in speech and movement.
The conversation was cut short when his team began to understand the joke. At that point, both sides had already discussed the situation of the Ukrainian refugees, the influx of refugees and how Germany welcomed them.
Doubt arose when discussing certain matters. For example, the man wanted to talk about Ukrainians who are “trying to get benefits in Berlin”. He also asked whether the German capital would recommend holding an LGBTQ+ parade in Kiev. Then the connection was broken.
Other mayors also met the fake Klitschko
“Unfortunately, it’s part of the fact that war is fought one way or the other,” Giffey said on Twitter. However, she is not the only one who has experienced this. The mayor of Madrid, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, was the target of a fake meeting with Klitschko, as was the mayor of Vienna, Michael Ludwig.
Ludwig found it frustrating that he hadn’t spoken to the real mayor. But he also said it was “no problem” because they hadn’t discussed any sensitive information. A spokesman for Martínez-Almeida confirmed that the mayor of Madrid had spoken to a fake Klitschko, but the conversation soon broke down.
Klitschko wants clarity as soon as possible about who is behind the false conversations with the two mayors. The German and Spanish police have launched an investigation.
Source: NU
Jason Jack is an experienced technology journalist and author at The Nation View. With a background in computer science and engineering, he has a deep understanding of the latest technology trends and developments. He writes about a wide range of technology topics, including artificial intelligence, machine learning, software development, and cybersecurity.