Monrovia — There is a photo of former Vice President Joe Boakai that is going viral. It is being shared on social media with some posters claiming that it is not the former Vice President but rather a photoshopped image.
_______________________________________________________
Check By: Varney Kelvin Sirleaf | LVL Fact Checker
________________________________________________________
Local Voices Liberia Fact Checking Desk has done a quick verification of these pictures using an online tool called AI Image Detector which rates the image determining is it is artificial or a real human.
We found that the first photo below of a younger person in the same position and outfit of the former Vice President to be a manipulated image. This shows that this picture has been manipulated using an AI tool.
Meanwhile, the second photo (seen above) is the original photo of the the former VP. As seen in the result from the AI Image Detector, this is a genuine photo of the former Vice President
Also, the result shows that this is a genuine photo of the former Vice President as he was seen exiting a facility in the same outfit as the one he was wearing while sitting in the sofa.
Conclusion
The photo of the former vice president sitting in a sofa is authentic following our verification. However, this same photo is being manipulated to make it appear that it is not Mr. Boakai.
___________________________________________________________________________________________ Local Voices Liberia, in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme, has implemented the iVerify Liberia system with the objective of strengthening capacities to address threats to information integrity, especially in view of the upcoming 2023 elections, to ensure all Liberian citizens have access to credible, reliable and verified information, everywhere and at all times.
This initiative is funded by Irish Aid, Embassy of Sweden in Monrovia, European Union Delegation in Liberia and the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund. The donors have no say in the production of this fact check report.