Elijah Wood and a handful of different “unwitting” Hollywood actors and celebrities had movies of themselves altered as a part of a Russian propaganda marketing campaign pushing the narrative that Ukrainian chief Volodymyr Zelenskyy is a drug addict.
In a Thursday report, the Microsoft Threat Analysis Center revealed that seven celebrities had been caught up within the marketing campaign, together with Priscilla Presley, Mike Tyson, Breaking Bad actor Dean Norris, The Office actor Kate Flannery, Scrubs actor John McGinley and System of a Down bassist Shavo Odadjian.
It seems the celebrities had been solicited by way of Cameo — a platform the place followers should buy quick movies recorded by their favorite celebrities — to movie a video message for somebody known as “Vladimir,” pleading with him to hunt assist for substance abuse, the report states.
A consultant for Wood confirmed that the Lord of the Rings star was contacted by way of Cameo.
“The request was submitted through Cameo and was in no way intended to be addressed to Zelenskyy or have anything at all to do with Russia or Ukraine or the war,” the consultant stated.
These innocuous Cameo movies had been then taken out of context and doctored to make it seem to be the celebrities had been referring to Zelenskyy. The modifications included hyperlinks to Zelenskyy’s social media accounts, emojis and “sometimes the logos of media outlets,” based on the report.
Screengrabs of a few of the movies shared by the Microsoft Threat Analysis Center present a TMZ brand superimposed onto Wood’s video. It additionally seems that a few of the movies had been photoshopped to make it seem to be that they had been posted to the celebrities’ Instagram accounts.
Screengrabs of manipulated Cameo movies created by (L-R) actors Elijah Wood, John McGinley, Dean Norris and Kate Flannery.
Microsoft Threat Analysis Center
The studies says these doctored movies had been “circulated through social media channels to advance longstanding false Russian claims that the Ukrainian leader struggles with substance abuse.”
In Wood’s video, considered by WIRED, the Lord of the Rings actor says, “I just want to make sure you are getting help.” The altered video included a Ukrainian flag and hyperlinks to Zelenskyy’s Instagram deal with in addition to a drug and alcohol analysis centre.
“I hope you get the help that you need. Lots of love, Vladimir, take care,” Wood says. Wired notes that the video had “several jarring cuts throughout.”
Microsoft says the movies began showing in late July of this yr.
Clint Watt, the overall supervisor of the Microsoft Threat Analysis Center, instructed Wired that new movies would pop up in “regular intervals” all through the summer season and famous that the celebrities had been all “saying a very similar script.”
Quite a lot of the celebrities named within the Microsoft report have come out to substantiate the movies had been manipulated.
“Kate unequivocally, 100% supports Ukraine and this has been very upsetting,” stated a consultant for Flannery, who performed Meredith in The Office.
Presley’s consultant stated her video was “not intended to be addressed” to Zelenskyy, “or have anything at all to do with Russia or Ukraine or the war.”
A consultant for Tyson stated the “current videos being circulated are false. Mr. Tyson has zero involvement with providing information and creating such content.”
Both Wood and Tyson’s Cameo pages point out the celebrities are “temporarily unavailable” for brand spanking new movies.
NBC studies that the movies had been shared broadly on Russian social media, together with VK and Telegram. The altered movies had been additionally lined by state-owned Russian media shops, Wired studies.
Cameo has declined to remark immediately on the Microsoft report or whether or not it was investigating the propaganda marketing campaign. It did say that the sort of tactic to trick Cameo creators violates its neighborhood tips.
“In cases where such violations are substantiated Cameo will typically take steps to remove the problematic content and suspend the purchaser’s account to help prevent further issues,” a spokesperson acknowledged.
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