Deepfake video falsely depicted Irish presidential candidate Catherine Connolly withdrawing from race
A deepfake video falsely depicted Irish presidential candidate Catherine Connolly withdrawing from the presidential election by mimicking an RTÉ News bulletin. The video circulated on Facebook with nearly 30,000 views before Meta removed the account for violating policies against impersonation and voter interference.
What happened
An artificial intelligence-generated deepfake video was created and posted on social media depicting Irish presidential candidate Catherine Connolly announcing her withdrawal from the presidential race. The video was designed to imitate an RTÉ News bulletin, featuring deepfake versions of RTÉ newsreader Sharon Ní Bheoláin and political correspondent Paul Cunningham.
The video was posted to a Facebook account called 'RTÉ News AI' on October 22, 2025. It was viewed nearly 30,000 times and shared almost 200 times before Meta removed the account for violating community standards on impersonation and misrepresentation.
Reported impact
Catherine Connolly condemned the video as 'a disgraceful attempt to mislead voters and undermine our democracy.' She confirmed she remained a candidate and would continue her campaign.
The video circulated during the Irish presidential election campaign, with RTÉ also noting the existence of other deepfake videos attacking Connolly or alleging spoiled ballots.
Index analysis
The deepfake impersonated both a news outlet and real journalists, combining video synthesis with misinformation about election outcomes. The video falsely claimed the election would be cancelled and a candidate would be appointed as winner.
Meta removed content for violating its voter interference policy. Coimisiún na Meán, Ireland's media regulator, contacted platforms about their obligations under the EU Digital Services Act.
Governance controls
Meta confirmed removal of the account for violating community standards against impersonation and misrepresentation. A YouTube channel sharing related videos was also removed.
The European Commission acknowledged awareness of the deepfake and stated that under the Digital Services Act, platforms 'must protect the integrity of elections on their services.'
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.