



A deepfake of Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland has been used in an advertisement pushing for Canadians to register for a new investment platform.
The four-minute video appeared on YouTube on May 29, per the Canadian Press. The video is in the format of a newscast by CBC News in one version shared online, and by CTV News in another. Deepfakes of the reporters, who introduce Freeland and discuss the money-making scheme, are also featured in the videos.
A deepfake refers to synthetic content that has been digitally manipulated and is intended to deceive, according to the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security.
In the video, a fake Freeland speaks at two press conferences about an “opportunity” for Canadians to make money on a platform that uses “artificial intelligence technologies to automate trading on global financial markets.” There are odd pauses and the voice does not appear to match with her movements at times.
Anthony Sutherland, who offers financial advisory services, shared the fake ad and wrote about the dangers of deepfakes to his clients in a Facebook post.