Former president Halimah Yacob files police report over deepfake video of her criticising the government

SINGAPORE: Former President Halimah Yacob said on Tuesday (Apr 15) that she is making a police report after a deepfake video of her making negative comments about the government was circulated. 

Deepfakes refer to manipulated images, audio or videos that use artificial intelligence (AI) to make them appear realistic. 

“There’s a video that’s going around alleging that I made certain negative statements about the government. This is completely false!” wrote Madam Halimah in a Facebook post on Tuesday morning. 

She added that she had never made such a video and it had incorporated her voice as well. 

The former president did not attach the video to the post, stating that she wanted to prevent its circulation.

The video’s circulation comes as Singapore prepares for its upcoming General Election. The country’s parliament was dissolved on Tuesday afternoon, with Nomination Day set for Apr 23. Voters will head to the polls on May 3. 

“This is scary how AI is being used to influence voters during this critical period,” wrote Mdm Halimah. 

The former president, who served from September 2017 to September 2023, urged people to “maintain some decorum, decency and fairness”, regardless of which side they were on.

“Fight on the basis of the strength of your vision and the strength of your candidates and their ability to see that vision through,” she wrote.

“Don’t resort to dirty tactics like this. After the GE, we still have our people and their future to think of. It’s not a one-off boxing match.” 

Deepfakes have been a feature of elections around the world, and Singapore is no exception. 

In October 2024, the government passed a law prohibiting the publication of digitally generated or manipulated content during elections that realistically depicts a candidate saying or doing something that they did not say or do.

The law will apply to online election advertising that depicts people who are running as candidates, and comes into effect once the writ of election is issued and until the close of polling.