Faux "Pope Leo XIV" Deception on Social Media Hits Thousands
Deceptive profile impersonates freshly elected pope, fools multitudes
In a bizarre turn of events, tricksters exploited the excitement surrounding the election of the first American Pope, Pope Leo XIV, by creating a phony social media account bearing his name. The deception transpired on platform "X" (previously Twitter) within days of Pope Leo XIV's election on May 8, 2025.
The ruse captured the attention of thousands, spreading rapidly due to the false account's supposed communication with the faithful. However, fact-checkers from AFP and An-Nahar unmasked the account as a fraud, leading X to take swift action and demote the account for violating platform policies.
Peru's newly selected pope, Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, is currently officially represented on the platform by his authentic, verified account, known as @drprevost. The Vatican has yet to confirm whether Pope Leo XIV commands the account directly or is assisted in doing so.
The false Pope Leo XIV account emerged shortly after Prevost, who hails from Chicago and has held numerous esteemed church leadership roles in the U.S. and Peru, was chosen as the first American Pope in Vatican history. His selection followed the late Pope Francis's passing in April.
Although the Vatican has yet to issue an official comment on the fake account, the incident highlights growing concerns over AI-generated material and impersonation on social media platforms, particularly as they relate to prominent religious figures.
Behind the Scenes: Dealing with Impersonation on Social Media
Social media platforms like X combat impersonation by relying on user reporting, automated detection, and policy enforcement. The process may involve reviewing flagged accounts for violation of impersonation policies, suspending or locking accounts that misrepresent a religious authority, and removing harmful or misleading content.
Moreover, platforms may cooperate with authorities in cases that involve legal complaints, such as those involving hate speech, religious sentiments, or public unrest. With the growing use of AI and deepfake technologies, platforms must invest in better detection tools and work towards formalizing international standards to tackle misinformation.
The Bigger Picture: Struggles in Policing Impersonations
Balancing freedom of expression with the need to prevent harm and deception is a complex challenge in policing impersonation cases, especially when dealing with fictitious religious figures like the alleged "Pope Leo XIV." As such, platforms must adopt a careful and considerate approach to maintain a healthy and safe online community.
Insights:
- Artificial Intelligence: The rise of AI and deepfake technologies complicates the process of impersonation detection on social media platforms, necessitating investment in better detection tools to combat misinformation.
- International Standards: The development of formalized international standards for social media platforms is essential in addressing the challenges of impersonation and misinformation.
- Freedom of Expression vs. deception: Platforms walk a fine line when policing impersonation, aiming to maintain freedom of expression while preventing harm and deception, especially in the case of fictitious religious figures.
- Social media platforms, like businesses and news organizations, are grappling with the impact of AI-generated material and impersonation, particularly when it comes to influential figures in politics, history, and entertainment, such as Pope Leo XIV.
- As history repeats itself with the emergence of new technologies, social-media platforms are being pressured to uphold their policies against impersonation, an issue that has recently surfaced through incidents like the false accounts of Pope Leo XIV.
- The recent deception of "Pope Leo XIV" on social media has brought attention to the need for better detection tools and international standards in the realm of entertainment, politics, and religion, to prevent false accounts from spreading misinformation and causing unrest.
