AI-Generated Fake Political ID Cards Fuel Misinformation on Social Media
जेठ २७, २०८३ १२:२९
Kathmandu. A growing trend of AI-generated fake political membership cards is spreading misinformation on social media, with fabricated identity cards falsely portraying controversial figures and leaders from one political party as members of another.
On June 6, Facebook user Laxman Dhami shared a post claiming that Kumar Thapa, widely known as “Nepali Bro” and accused in the murder of his wife, had become a member of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP). The post included what appeared to be an official party membership card displaying Thapa's personal details, membership number, and registration date. See the post and screenshot.
The image was widely circulated across social media platforms, prompting criticism of the RSP and speculation among some users that political influence could affect the pursuit of justice in the case.
However, verification indicated that the membership card was not authentic. Analysis showed that the image had been generated using an artificial intelligence tool developed by OpenAI.
In response to the viral claim, the RSP’s Nuwakot district office issued a statement on Tuesday clarifying that its membership numbers follow a specific format beginning with “NUW 2 ख-000” and confirming that Kumar Thapa is not a member of the party.
The incident appears to be part of a broader trend involving AI-generated political misinformation. Similar fabricated membership cards have recently surfaced online, falsely depicting political leaders as members of rival parties.
Among them is a viral image claiming that former Prime Minister and CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli had obtained membership in the Rastriya Swatantra Party. The screenshot was shared on social media platform X on June 8 and generated significant engagement, including critical and sarcastic reactions from users.
Verification of the image indicated that it had also been generated using AI tools.
Following the circulation of the fake membership card, CPN-UML publicly objected to the misuse of its chairman's identity and called for action against those responsible for creating and spreading misleading content.
Other fabricated membership cards have also appeared online. A Facebook page named "Nepali Honi" shared images falsely portraying both KP Sharma Oli and Shram Sanskriti Party Chairperson Harka Sampang as RSP members. See the post.
At the same time, users have circulated AI-generated images depicting RSP Chairman Rabi Lamichhane as a member of the Nepali Congress and Kathmandu Metropolitan City Mayor Balendra Shah as having joined CPN-UML. See the post.
The emergence of such content has raised concerns about the increasing use of artificial intelligence tools to create misleading political material, particularly as AI-generated images become more difficult for ordinary users to distinguish from authentic documents.
पछिल्लो अध्यावधिक: जेठ २७, २०८३ १५:५१
