Deepfake political ads and fraudulent investment schemes flood Facebook ahead of Canadian election
Researchers found that AI-generated deepfake political ads and fraudulent investment schemes flooded Facebook ahead of Canada's April 2025 election, with over a quarter of Canadians exposed to misleading content. The proliferation occurred as Meta's ban on news sources left users relying on lower-quality information and fraudulent advertisements.
What happened
Canada's Media Ecosystem Observatory found a dramatic rise in fake political content on Facebook ahead of the 28 April federal election, including over 40 Facebook pages promoting fraudulent ads with new pages being created daily.
The fake content included ads impersonating legitimate news sources while promoting fraudulent investment schemes, often involving cryptocurrency. More than a quarter of Canadians were exposed to fake political content described as 'more sophisticated and more politically polarizing'.
The rise in disinformation occurred during a period when Meta has banned Canadian news sources from its platforms since August 2023 as part of a dispute with the Canadian government over the Online News Act.
Reported impact
More than half of Canadians still report getting political news from Facebook despite the platform's ban on news articles from reputable outlets, but researchers found the quality of available information had declined significantly.
Researchers found that the richest, densest, most accurate and fact-checked information was no longer reaching users, and information that might contradict users' existing views had been removed.
Index analysis
The incident reflects moderation failures by Facebook to prevent fraudulent ads and deepfake content from spreading during a critical election period.
Classification
Sources and evidence
Sources not yet published
This record was researched and written by the Index from original reporting. Its sources are still being verified by an editor, and they are listed here once that check is complete. Until then the record carries no reviewer.