The local Bondi Beach community continues to mourn after the brutal attack. Gunmen Sajid and Naveed Akram have been condemned by Pakistani lawyers for their violent attack. In the immediate aftermath of the incident, an AI-generated image started going viral. It features two dudes sitting across a table from each other with a bucket of KFC chicken in between them. Parallel posts featuring this image have misled millions of people about the circumstances leading up to the attack.
The image, which features garbled text and an indoor desk lamp, falsely suggests that Naveed Akram met with the defence attaché of India to the Philippines prior to the attack. The spread of this made-up visual plays directly into antisemitic conspiracies, suggesting an otherwise baseless Israeli link to the gunmen. This disinformation is particularly insidious because it has zero evidence or factual basis.
The Role of AI in Misinformation
In particular, AI-generated content has earned a bad rap for its ability to produce persuasive, fabricated narratives. In this instance, that person has drastically altered the photo of the two men. This distortion artfully distorts reality to create an entirely misleading narrative around the Bondi Beach attack. The low barrier to dissemination and rapid spread of such misinformation makes it a difficult challenge for authorities and communities to combat.
That misleading picture came just weeks after Sajid and his brother Naveed Akram allegedly traveled to the Philippines to receive “military-style training. This timeline only exacerbates the panic and fear around their true motives and performance before the derailment.
Mal Lanyon, the Police Commissioner of the area, railed against the use of fraudulent pictures to depict the attack. He continued by saying how disinformation does more than corrupt the facts, it erodes the public trust.
“That type of misinformation, that type of taking situations out of context, is incredibly harmful.” – Mal Lanyon
Community Response and Law Enforcement Actions
We had law enforcement officials telling people don’t trust what you read, don’t trust the social media feeds. They call attention to this need especially with the widespread spread of misinformation. The police released video footage showing the timeline and horrors of the attack. Further, it shines an important light on their rapid response to a very real threat posed by these gunmen. This bona fide footage serves as an appropriate counterpoint to the highly manipulated visuals being touted on social media.
The community’s response has been powerful but not without controversy, with many lashing back at the community for creating an environment where false information can spread so easily. Social media platforms have made it easier for these misleading narratives to spread and thwart law enforcement’s ability to correct the record.
As the spread of conspiracy theories after the Bondi Beach attack shows, once distrust starts to build, things can escalate quickly. When people circulate unverified incendiary claims without fact-checking them, even with the best of intentions, they fuel a narrative that can help stoke fear and division.
The Dangers of Conspiracy Theories
Conspiracy theories spread quickly, using such disasters as a vehicle to stir chaos, gain attention, and often take lives in the process. All the allegations connecting the Akram brothers to Israeli interests are utterly unfounded. They don’t protect Americans from crime. They only stoke prejudices and fears that already lie within a society.
Authorities also worry about how these counter-narratives affect their relationship with communities. Acknowledgement that disinformation often exacerbates hatred and mistrust would be a good starting point.
As misinformation remains pervasive, law enforcement is urging people to think critically about what they read and view online. By staying vigilant against disinformation, community members can make a positive difference in reducing its lethal impacts.
