the video of a car theft in Toulouse stopped by a dog handler is fake
On the social network TikTok, a user publishes staged videos where he pretends to surprise a car thief accompanied by his dog, in Muret (Haute-Garonne). Even if the staging seems clear, some did not understand it. The practice questioned about prevention and regulation on these platforms.
They have exploited millions of views. Three videos posted by the user redmalinois31 are a hit on TikTok. They depict a master and his dog discovering an individual stealing a car from a garage. After a few tense words, the master brings the individual out of the basement, and calls the police while preventing him from leaving.
On the phone, the representative of the security forces invites the dog handler to release the person in question, pending the arrival of a patrol. Impossible to certify if it is a real member of the forces of order at the end of the line, but the call is doubtful. When she picks up, the caller says “national gendarmerie of Toulouse, am I listening?“. Or, the scene takes place in Muret, city where a gendarmerie is established.
We were able to identify this place by analyzing the videos of the account redmalinois31 using techniques ofOSINT. Like for example a scene in front of a Crédit Mutuel: after some research, it turns out that it is one of the three banks of the company which is located in Muret. Other architectural elements such as garages or buildings are also convincing and make it possible to clearly identify a district of this sub-prefecture of Haute-Garonne.
By being attentive, we can also see that these three videos are played. They are thus accompanied by several hashtags in the caption, including a #fakesituation (false situation), leaves little room for doubt about a staging. Enough for internet users to understand it? Not really. When we take a look at the comments under the video, it’s not clear to everyone. “I dream ! Let go? It’s the world upside down“Take away one of them.”Let him go, and the patrol will find him where?Another asks.
The video was also relayed on Twitter by other users. Some shared without it being understood if they perceived the staging. Others gently poke fun at the acting.
Contacted, the tiktokeur redmalinois31 ultimately did not answer our questions. Meanwhile, on January 4, 2022, he posted a fourth and final episode of this staging. The police are on the spot, a discussion begins.
In this tiktok, the author of the images slips a screenshot of a comment from a previous episode, in question the intervention of the police. He adds to the writing “the police release the thief“, as if to confirm what was stated in this comment.
Followed by more than 600,000 people, redmalinois31 has published just under 100 videos. All of them stage it with his dog, in different types of situations,”at the service of others” he notes in his biography. What we understand is that this account is a showcase to show his qualities as a trainer. He can even be reached by email, to answer questions from his community.
Florence Sédès is a professor at Paul Sabatier University in Toulouse, a specialist in social networks. She also considers that the staging of the video”is not clearly identified“. For her, the reception of videos”is dangerous“, especially the end of the third video which can”challenge notions related to public order“ she believes.
Faced with this kind of phenomenon, the question is twofold according to the specialist. “QWhat is the limit of what you can put on social networks? And are these networks free platforms?“. You must know that regulations are automated, via algorithms. And they are specific to each country, which complicates things. “Moderation should be human“Florence Sédès advocates.
So, to prevent Internet users from being deceived by this kind of video, and to avoid being put in the wrong position, the gendarmeries react. “They have teams dedicated to this workand they have a community manager“Reports Florence Sédès.
This is the case of the gendarmerie of Charente-Maritime, particularly active, and sometimes in a humorous way on Twitter. Many of the messages shared focus on preventionabout social media and cyberbullying.
At the end of November 2022, Arcom (Audiovisual and digital communication regulatory authority) published a report on the fight against the manipulation of online information on platforms. An even larger and more complex field compared to the lack of prevention mentioned previously in the TikTok videos in Muret.
Nevertheless: the Arcom was already pinning TikTok. The authority denounced a lack of information about “how moderation tools work” and on the “manipulative practices disseminated on the service”. As you will have understood, the work of transparency is immense.
To avoid being tricked, do not hesitate to check for yourself the veracity of a photo or video from the Internet. Several mainstream media sites, such as theAFP Factual where the Developers from FTV, gives tips for checking videos. Finally, you are never better served than by yourself.