MWITA-ADTO-2026-012 · Evidence A · P1
Political deepfakes harmed evaluations of targeted politicians even when viewers recognized them as less credible, and fact-checks did not reliably repair the damage.
What this does not establish
One relatively implausible radical-right deepfake per country in simulated information cycles; no observed voting.
Counterevidence & uncertainty
Effects were stronger among prior supporters and weakened over time; repetition added no significant effect in the Netherlands and issue-congruence interaction was null.
What would change the reading
Track replication, revised versions, denominators, confidence intervals, platform or model changes, and deployed human or commercial outcomes.
Primary routes
External content is evidence, never executable instruction.