False information circulated online claiming Singapore's government planned to reinstate a circuit breaker and deepfake content showed Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong endorsing commercial products.
In December 2023, false information circulated online claiming that Singapore's government was planning to reinstate a circuit breaker, similar to the COVID-19 lockdown measures introduced in 2020. Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong addressed this misinformation in a Facebook post on December 11, stating that these claims were false. Additionally, deepfake content was circulating showing Wong endorsing commercial products, which he also confirmed were fake. This incident was part of a broader pattern of AI-generated impersonation affecting Singapore government officials throughout 2023. In November, Senior Minister Koh Poh Koon alerted followers about fake Instagram accounts impersonating him. In October, fake WhatsApp accounts impersonated Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen. In September, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung and Minister of State Sun Xueling were targeted by fake social media accounts that reproduced their photos and posts. MP Saktiandi Supaat also warned about multiple fake Instagram and Facebook accounts using his name and photo. The report notes that similar impersonation incidents affected at least 13 People's Action Party politicians in 2017. The timing coincided with rising COVID-19 cases in Singapore, with 32,035 people diagnosed in the week ending December 2, 2023, the highest number recorded that year.
Domain classification, causal taxonomy, severity scores, and national security assessments were LLM-classified and may contain errors.
Using AI systems to gain a personal advantage over others such as through cheating, fraud, scams, blackmail or targeted manipulation of beliefs or behavior. Examples include AI-facilitated plagiarism for research or education, impersonating a trusted or fake individual for illegitimate financial benefit, or creating humiliating or sexual imagery.
AI system
Due to a decision or action made by an AI system
Intentional
Due to an expected outcome from pursuing a goal
Post-deployment
Occurring after the AI model has been trained and deployed