RTP and SIC Notícias deepfake video — Sep 2026

A series of AI-generated videos circulating on TikTok has falsely depicted large-scale protests across Europe, utilizing the branding of legitimate news organizations to deceive viewers. By impersonating journalists from Portuguese media outlets RTP and SIC Notícias, these videos attempt to lend an air of authenticity to fabricated demonstrations regarding immigration and nationalist issues.

What happened

The campaign involves the mass production of synthetic videos that use emotional language and visual spectacle to drive engagement. In one instance, a video featured a person posing as an RTP journalist, complete with a microphone displaying the network's logo, while using graphics that mimicked the style of SIC Notícias. The fabrication was further evidenced by the background, which depicted a building in a location where the Tagus River actually flows.

RTP confirmed that the individual in the video was not their employee and that the organization had no connection to the content. The videos often feature captions supporting far-right political parties, such as Germany's AfD, France's National Rally, and Portugal's Chega, while calling on specific political figures to address societal grievances. Experts suggest that the primary goal of these videos is to amplify societal polarization by tapping into pre-existing political anxieties. Despite TikTok's policies against misleading AI-generated content, many of these videos remain online, raising concerns about the effectiveness of current detection tools and platform moderation under the European Digital Services Act.