In the lead-up to Canada’s federal election on April 28, a new study has revealed that more than one in four Canadians has been exposed to fake political content online. The report, released by the Media Ecosystem Observatory (MEO), warns of a rapid increase in misleading material ranging from deepfake videos to scam ads disguised as legitimate news.
Researchers found that many of these fraudulent ads impersonate trusted media outlets to promote fake cryptocurrency investments. Some even featured deepfakes of Prime Minister Mark Carney falsely endorsing financial schemes. The videos were designed to resemble real news segments, further blurring the line between fact and fiction.
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The issue is particularly concerning given Meta’s decision to block Canadian news on its platforms following the introduction of the Online News Act. Despite this, Facebook remains a primary source of political content for many Canadians, increasing the risk of exposure to unverified and misleading information.
The report also noted that while some disinformation campaigns may be linked to foreign actors, the majority of these scams appear to be domestically driven and focused more on financial fraud than on influencing votes. Experts warn that the lack of credible news content online has created space for such content to thrive.
