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The social media platform TikTok and various social media platforms are hosting artificially created manipulated clips of doctors whose statements have been altered to help sell supplements and circulate false medical claims.

The Investigation

A factchecking organisation has uncovered numerous of such videos including digital copies of physicians and online personalities directing viewers to a US-based supplements firm.

Each of the deepfakes use real footage of a medical authority sourced from the internet. However, the pictures and audio have been reworked so that the speakers are urging women going through menopause to buy products such as gut health supplements from the firm's online store.

“This represents a sinister and worrying emerging strategy,” stated the factchecker who conducted the research.

Doctors Targeted

An expert in health inequalities is among those whose image has been misused. He was shocked to discover that altered footage purporting to show him recommending products with unproven benefits were being hosted online.

Though he is a specialist in children’s health, in a particular clip the cloned version of him was discussing an alleged symptom. The fake version recommended that individuals go to a site and purchase a natural probiotic featuring plant extracts chosen to tackle menopausal symptoms.

“It was really confusing to start with – entirely bizarre,” the actual doctor commented. “I did not feel intensely wronged, but I did become increasingly frustrated at the idea of people marketing goods based on my reputation and the health misinformation being spread.”

Platform Response

The platform removed the videos several weeks after complaints were made. “Initially, they indicated some of the videos violated their guidelines but others were acceptable. That was absurd – and strange,” he noted.

Investigators also identified similar deepfakes on other major platforms, all linked to the same wellness business.

Firm's Denial

The firm in question stated to researchers that synthetic content encouraging people to access its site were “100% unaffiliated” with its operations. It claimed it had “never used synthetic media”, but “is unable to monitor partners globally”.

Demands for Action

Political figures have argued that “From fraudulent physicians to bots that promote self-harm, AI is being deployed to exploit vulnerable individuals.”

“If these were individuals fraudulently pretending to be doctors they would face criminal prosecution. Why is the digital equivalent being tolerated?” they questioned.

Calls have been made for synthetic impersonations masquerading as medical professionals to be “eradicated”, with verified medical resources actively recommended.

Industry-Wide Challenge

A representative for the social media platform said: “Dangerously deceptive synthetic media is an problem across the tech sector, and we are investing in new ways to detect and remove material that breaks our community guidelines.”