Image by Luís Moura, from Unsplash
BBC Exposes AI Holocaust Image Scam On Facebook
- Written by Kiara Fabbri Former Tech News Writer
- Fact-Checked by Sarah Frazier Former Content Manager
Some Facebook users have become victims of spammers profiting from AI Holocaust images, sparking outrage among Holocaust survivors.
In a rush? Here are the quick facts:
- Survivors and families say the images cause deep distress.
- Auschwitz Memorial condemned the trend as turning tragedy into an “emotional game.”
- Pakistan-based creators exploited Meta’s monetisation program for profit.
A BBC investigation has uncovered an international network of spammers using AI-generated images of Holocaust victims to profit from Facebook’s monetisation system.
The practice faces opposition from Holocaust memorial organizations, as they consider the AI generated images to be harmful to survivors, and their family members.
“There are only a handful of genuine photos from inside the Auschwitz concentration camp during World War Two,” the investigation noted to the BBC.
AI spammers have started posting artificial content that includes staged images of prisoners playing violins and lovers meeting near prison fences, which have reportedly received thousands of likes and shares.
“Here we have somebody making up the stories… for some kind of strange emotional game that is happening on social media,” said Pawel Sawicki, a spokesperson for the Auschwitz Memorial in Poland, as reported by BBC.
“This is not a game. This is a real world, real suffering and real people that we want to and need to commemorate,” Sawicki added.
The BBC linked many posts to Pakistan-based content creators exploiting Meta’s invite-only Content Monetisation (CM) program. The account, operated by Abdul Mughees, allegedly generated $20,000 from social media scams, and reached 1.2 billion views during its first four months of operation.
The posts portray AI-generated images showing completely made-up scenarios, such as a baby left on train tracks at a concentration camp.
Holocaust organisations say this trend undermines survivors’ testimony. “They don’t quite understand what they’re seeing,” said Dr Robert Williams of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance Survivors, as reported by BBC. He added, he feels “a certain sense of sadness this has been allowed to happen.”
Experts warn that while AI can preserve memory, distorted use risks turning Holocaust history into fiction.
Recent findings indicate that the risks of AI-generated images may go further than just false information dissemination. A new research showed that AI-generated content can implant false memories. People often believed events had happened when they never did, and they felt very confident about these wrong memories.
Experts say this could seriously affect Holocaust remembrance. Repetitive viewing of AI-generated images may distort collective historical knowledge, as people struggle to distinguish between real and synthetic content, especially when this content spreads quickly across social media.
While AI can be helpful in education or therapy if used carefully, scholars warn that in sensitive areas like Holocaust history, careless use risks erasing truth itself. The researchers urge for enhanced regulations, precise documentation, and improved collaboration between historians, technologists, and policymakers to safeguard historical records and protect survivor testimonies and public historical knowledge.
Meta removed some pages after the Auschwitz Museum flagged them. BBC reports that a spokesperson said, “We removed the Pages and Groups shared with us and disabled the accounts behind them for violating our policies on spam and inauthentic behaviour.”
Image by David von Diemar, from Unsplash
Tesla Hit With $243M Verdict After Hacker Recovers Crash Data
- Written by Kiara Fabbri Former Tech News Writer
- Fact-Checked by Sarah Frazier Former Content Manager
A Miami jury established a historic record by awarding Tesla $243 million in damages, after a hacker discovered crucial crash data that Tesla had denied existed.
In a rush? Here are the quick facts:
- A hacker retrieved deleted crash data from the Tesla Autopilot unit.
- Data revealed Tesla detected victims before impact but failed to prevent crash.
- Jury found Tesla 33% liable, despite driver distraction defense.
The incident, detailed in a report by The Washington Post , occurred when a Tesla driving on Autopilot mode hit 22-year-old Naibel Benavides Leon and her boyfriend, Dillon Angulo.
The crash, which happened in Key Largo, Florida, in 2019, resulted in the death of Ms. Leon and severe injuries to Angulo. The driver, George McGee, admitted he was distracted when the crash happened, as noted by The Post.
For years, Tesla insisted it could not locate data that showed what the car detected before the collision. But a hacker known online as @greentheonly, working from a Starbucks in Miami, retrieved the information from the vehicle’s control unit. “For any reasonable person, it was obvious the data was there,” the hacker said to The Post.
The Tesla system captured a collision snapshot that showed the vehicle had detected the couple before the accident occurred. The plaintiffs used this evidence to prove Autopilot system defects, and accused Tesla of giving misleading information to investigators.
Tesla lawyer Joel Smith admitted the company was “clumsy’’ but denied any wrongdoing through his statement: “We didn’t think we had it, and we found out we did. And, thankfully, we did because this is an amazingly helpful piece of information,” as reported by The Post.
The jury established Tesla as 33% responsible for the accident, which proved detrimental to the company that often argues drivers are responsible when using Autopilot. The Post reports that Tesla declared the court decision to be incorrect, and announced it would file an appeal, calling the data dispute an “irrelevant issue.”
A shareholder lawsuit in Texas now claims Tesla made false statements about its self-driving technology to investors, as multiple crash-related lawsuits continue their progression across the United States.
For the victims’ families, however, the case brings little comfort. “We have this relief that the world knows, but it doesn’t change anything for us,” said Neima Benavides, the victim’s sister, as reported by The Post.
