Kumamoto - Two weeks after the Kumamoto earthquake, the spread of malicious fake images has emerged as a problem in disaster-hit communities, with one resident saying the manipulation feels like an insult to everyone in his area.
The man shown in one of the fake images circulating online is Masayoshi, a resident of Hikawa, Kumamoto Prefecture. A photograph originally published when he was interviewed by the media is believed to have been altered by a third party using artificial intelligence.
Masayoshi said he was deeply disappointed by what had happened and urged those responsible to stop. "I absolutely do not want people doing this. If they are doing it just for fun, I want them never to do it again," he said.
His home collapsed in the earthquake, trapping his younger brother beneath the debris. The brother survived.
Masayoshi had agreed to appear on television and in newspaper reports with both his face and name disclosed because he wanted people across Japan to understand the scale of the destruction.
He said the manipulated images were especially upsetting because he felt they demeaned not only him but the wider community. "It feels as if everyone in the area is being insulted, not just me, and that makes me angry," he said.
Source: FNN
