In the 15th edition of the Spotlight Review, EBU members joined Maria Flannery to discuss the long-running problem of scam advertisements running on Facebook and the difficulties in verifying content from Iran’s recent protest movement.
Tim Verheyden (VRT) discussed a recent documentary that aired on the Belgian broadcaster’s investigative Pano programme, detailing a Europe-wide problem of industrialised scamming that has seen victims lose out on hundreds of thousands of euro. The investigation led them to Serbia, where a whistleblower from a call centre detailed the system behind these deceptive AI ads.
Eva Wackenreuther (ORF) detailed how their investigation began in Austria, when one of their own newscasters was the subject of a deepfake ad on Facebook. Further investigation revealed a wide network of bot accounts running ads around Europe in different languages to sell bogus supplements and medication, localised with regional trusted news presenters and national versions of a ‘doctor’ advising patients on topics like Covid-19. While some of these ads were taken down, many remain online to this day.
The EBU’s Mahsa Aminolahi advised members on how to monitor and verify events in Iran, where a nationwide protest movement starting in late 2025 was stalled by an unprecedented government crackdown, the full impact of which is still unknown. As well as a case study detailing how she verified scenes at an overflowing morgue in Tehran, she also gave practical tips and resources to monitor Iran, which is experiencing a nationwide internet blackout that has hampered efforts to report on the country.
Upcoming Spotlight Reviews
If you would like to participate as a speaker in an upcoming Spotlight Fact-Check & OSINT Review, please email bowler@ebu.ch.
