AI-generated videos purportedly depicting protests in Iran have flooded the web, researchers said Wednesday, as social media users push hyper-realistic deepfakes to fill an information void amid the country's internet restrictions.

US disinformation watchdog NewsGuard said it identified seven AI-generated videos depicting the Iranian protests -- created by both pro- and anti-government actors -- that have collectively amassed some 3.5 million views across online platforms.

Among them was a video shared on the Elon Musk-owned platform X showing women protesters smashing a vehicle belonging to the Basij, the Iranian paramilitary force deployed to suppress the protests.

One X post featuring the AI clip, shared by what NewsGuard described as anti-regime users,........

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