Deepfake Video Spreads False Sexual Assault Claims Against Tim Walz
A Russian-aligned propaganda network reportedly used AI-generated deepfake video to spread false sexual assault allegations against U.S. Vice Presidential candidate Tim Walz, reaching millions of users on X before removal. The coordinated campaign, attributed to Storm-1516, is part of broader disinformation efforts aimed at disrupting the 2024 U.S. election.
What happened
A Russian-aligned propaganda network called Storm-1516 orchestrated a coordinated campaign to spread false allegations that Minnesota governor and vice presidential candidate Tim Walz sexually assaulted a former student. The campaign began with claims posted to X by anonymous accounts, including screenshots of purported emails from a victim and an unverified phone call claim.
On Wednesday of the week of October 14-20, 2024, an AI-generated deepfake video purporting to show a former Walz student describing abuse by the former football coach spread widely on X. Analysis using deepfake detector tools confirmed the video was AI-created. The video was posted by a prominent anonymous QAnon-promoting account and accumulated over 4.3 million views before deletion.
Reported impact
The deepfake video and false allegations reached millions of users on X and were amplified by figures in MAGA circles, including Jack Posobiec and Candace Owens. Republican vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance repeated at least one of the false narratives from the campaign.
Index analysis
Storm-1516 has a documented history of creating fake whistleblower videos and deepfakes to push Kremlin talking points. The group has been linked to at least 50 false narratives since fall 2023, and previously spread the baseless claim that Vice President Kamala Harris perpetrated a hit-and-run in San Francisco in 2011.
Governance controls
X removed the deepfake video after it accumulated 4.3 million views. Other X users quickly debunked early iterations of the claims by identifying formatting errors in the fabricated email screenshots.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.