Deepfakes from Space

There are many cases of deepfake satellite images from just this year.

After the RSF militia captured the city of El Fasher in Sudan at the end of October, there have been increasing reports of mass executions and sexual violence against the civilian population there. In addition to eyewitness accounts from the ground, footage from social media and satellite images are also playing an important role in documenting the crimes committed in the long-running conflict. However, fake images are also being mixed in with authentic evidence, in some cases apparently to generate reach.

A satellite image from Google Maps, which went viral on X, Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, Threads, and Tiktok in several languages in early November, is said to show such an atrocity in the village of Kumia. However, the image is being shared in the wrong context. It is old and does not show dead people, but most likely animals at a watering hole.

In June, Ukraine’s Operation Spiderweb used drones to strike Russia’s prized long-range bombers. High-resolution photos of the result spread rapidly across social media: multiple destroyed Russian bombers (and a transport plane) lying in scorched ruin. But the daring Ukrainian military attack was also accompanied by fake satellite images that suggested a more successful operation than the 10 Russian warplanes that U.S. officials estimate were destroyed.

Another case emerged later that month following U.S. and Israeli strikes on facilities linked to Iran’s nuclear program. One fake image depicted a crowd gathered around a destroyed Israeli F-35 jet, and another deceptive video falsely claimed to be taken from an Iranian missile’s onboard sensors. These images suggested a more potent Iranian military response to devastating strikes than what Tehran was actually able to muster.

There were also fakes following the four-day India-Pakistan conflict in May. Both Indian and Pakistani users on social media shared fake satellite imagery to suggest their respective countries’ militaries had inflicted more damage than what otherwise transpired.

With more than half the globe using social media, the reach of manipulated satellite images can be massive and their impact almost immediate. We have already seen previews of how an individual fake can impact the real world: when an image falselydepicted a fire near the Pentagon last year, for example, the stock market dippeduntil local authorities clarified it was a hoax.

And while those in the field have warned of the risks for years, today’s fakes are growing both more difficult to distinguish from reality and easier to make.

That is why the fight against fake satellite images should be a society-wide initiative. Governments and media outlets using imagery, alongside commercial providers, should help their audiences become attuned to indicators of deception.

We are therefore working with partners on an AI tool that will enable us to detect such deepfakes for you. We are looking for beta users for this. Simply write to us if you would like to participate or subscribe to our newsletter stories from space if you don't want to miss any news from space.