Pictures show Disney World in Florida – one of the main attractions, visited by 48 million tourists in 2023 – under water amid Hurricane Milton.
They are AI-generated – and distributed by Russia.
RIA – the Russian state-owned domestic news agency – shared the fake images on its Telegram channel earlier on Thursday afternoon.
‘Social media users post photos of Disney World in Florida flooded by Hurricane Milton,’ it said.
With more than 3.3 million subscribers, it is no surprises that some 228,000 users had already engaged with the post in under an hour.
In them, at least one metre of floodwater – supposedly brought by the ferociousrain that has been pounding Florida – covers the ground.
Its iconic landmarks, such as the 189-foot Cinderella’s Castle, are seen all lit-up in an eerie, almost whimsical way.
Another one showed street lamps fully lit up – all the while more than 3.2 million homes and businesses in Florida were without power on Thursday.
Comparing the fake images with real ones on Disney’s website, it is also obvious some creative adjustments have been made in their generation.
RIA does not appear to be the first source of the images, which began circulating in the morning on X.
They were also given a further boost online after Noticiero El Salvador channel (El Salvador News) – which has more than half a million followers on X – posted them too.
In a storm update on its website, Disney World said the theme park is closed through 10 October, but made no mention of flooding and pointed out that it continues “to operate select dining locations for Guests currently staying in our Disney Resort hotels.”.
Disney did not immediately respond to questions about the flood photos of Cinderella Castle.
The Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD), an extremism and disinformation watchdog organization, told the Guardian that hostile actors are known for using manipulated images and propaganda posts to undermine western democracies in times of crisis.
Russia is one of the most infamous offenders of such tactics.
“It’s well-known that Kremlin-backed outlets and the Kremlin itself often exploit natural disasters and political crises to sow chaos and spread misinformation for their own gain,” said Moustafa Ayad, ISD executive director for Africa, the Middle East and Asia. “The use of this image is no different.”
.
.
.
