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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesNo: the available evidence does not establish that Meta knowingly allowed a deepfake to go viral. A Facebook account branded “RTÉ News AI” circulated fabricated news-style videos before Ireland’s presidential election. One falsely said candidate Catherine Connolly had withdrawn and that the election was cancelled. The election was held on 24 October 2025, and RTÉ reported that Meta later removed the videos and the account.
What the fake video claimed
The account “RTÉ News AI” copied the appearance and branding of Ireland’s public broadcaster. One video imitated an RTÉ bulletin and presented two false claims: that Catherine Connolly had announced her withdrawal from the presidential race and that the election would therefore be cancelled.
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Those claims concerned the Republic of Ireland’s presidential election, which took place on Friday, 24 October 2025. The account was also associated with other election-related misinformation, including a separate fabricated video about the number of spoiled votes. Each video should be treated as a separate claim rather than as one single false report.
What Meta did
RTÉ reported on 22 October 2025 that Meta had removed the videos and the “RTÉ News AI” account. The report attributed the action to Meta’s Community Standards prohibiting impersonating or falsely representing people, brands, businesses or organisations.
That establishes removal after the material circulated. It does not establish when Meta first detected the post, whether the company knew about it while it was spreading, how many people saw it, or whether its response satisfied a legal obligation. Describing the incident as Meta “allowing” the video or as a definitively “viral” post goes beyond what the cited reporting demonstrates.
Why the Electoral Commission contacted Meta
Ireland’s Electoral Commission said it contacted the platform to understand the immediate measures taken and reminded Meta of its obligations under the European Union’s Digital Services Act concerning election integrity.
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The reported contact was an inquiry and reminder, not a published finding that Meta had breached the Act. Platform-policy enforcement and a regulator’s legal assessment are different questions: Meta can remove content under its own rules, while a formal regulatory finding would require a separate process and evidence.
What is established—and what is not
| Question | What the available reporting establishes |
|---|---|
| Was the election cancelled? | No. Ireland held the presidential election on 24 October 2025. |
| Was there a fake RTÉ-style video? | Yes. The “RTÉ News AI” account circulated a fabricated bulletin claiming Connolly had withdrawn and the election was cancelled. |
| Did Meta remove it? | RTÉ reported that Meta removed the videos and the account after circulation. |
| How large was its reach? | No verified original-publisher reach figure is established in the cited sources. |
| Did it change votes? | No evidence in the cited reports demonstrates electoral impact. |
| Did Meta violate the Digital Services Act? | The Electoral Commission sought information and cited Meta’s obligations; the reports do not record a formal breach finding. |
Why the wording matters
The phrase “Meta allows the deepfake to go viral” implies both deliberate tolerance and a measured level of distribution. The public accounts available here support a narrower description: the video circulated before Meta removed the account and videos. They do not provide a complete posting-to-removal timeline, a verified view count or evidence of Meta’s knowledge during the circulation period.
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Liz Carolan of The Briefing described the material as a “very realistic deepfake video of a news report declaring Friday’s presidential election cancelled” and explicitly noted that Connolly’s supposed withdrawal was untrue. That is commentary about the incident, not a platform disclosure or an independently measured reach statistic.
How to check an election claim before sharing it
- Check the date and result against official information from Ireland’s Electoral Commission or another authoritative election source.
- Inspect the account name, handle, verification details and posting history. Branding that resembles a broadcaster does not prove the account is operated by it.
- Look for confirmation from the broadcaster itself and from multiple established news outlets.
- Treat a dramatic announcement—such as a candidate withdrawing or an election being cancelled—as unverified until an official source confirms it.
- Report impersonation and deceptive election material through the platform’s reporting tools rather than amplifying it with a repost.
Keep the Irish incident separate from later UK initiatives
The incident concerns Facebook and Ireland’s 2025 presidential election. It should not be conflated with the UK Electoral Commission’s 2026 detection pilot, whose announced scope covered elections in England, Scotland and Wales and excluded Northern Ireland from that phase. Ireland’s Electoral Commission had already published an April 2024 framework addressing online electoral-process information, political advertising and deceptive AI content; that framework provides policy context, not a finding about this particular post.
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