Posts falsely claiming Saudi authorities banned photos, videos at hajj site use AI image - Yahoo
Posts falsely claimed Saudi authorities banned photography and videography at holy sites during the annual hajj pilgrimage, but these claims and accompanying images are AI-generated.
- Incident date
- Apr 2026
- Target
- Saudi Arabian Authorities
In April 2026, as millions of Muslim pilgrims arrived in Saudi Arabia for the annual hajj, false posts circulated claiming that authorities had banned taking photos and videos at holy sites. An image accompanying the posts, purportedly depicting a sign about the ban, was AI-generated.
What happened
The false posts claimed that "it is strictly prohibited to take any photographs or videos inside or outside the Grand Mosque" and threatened violators with arrest, fines, cancellation of hajj permits, and deportation. The posts were shared on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads. However, Saudi Arabian authorities have not banned photography or videography. While they have encouraged pilgrims to focus on worship and be considerate of others, no such ban exists. An analysis of the image accompanying the false post revealed it was AI-generated, bearing a watermark from Google’s AI tool, Gemini. Additionally, the language on the sign was written in Urdu rather than Arabic, and the font sizes were inconsistent.