A mysterious website False claimed Kamala Harris was involved in a 2011 hit-and-run incident, and social media widely shared the story. The claim alleges a 13-year-old girl was paralyzed in the crash, but no evidence supports it.
The false claim
The website, kbsf-san francisco news. Posted an article on 2 september claiming that harris. The democratic presidential nominee, was responsible for the crash. The story includes a five-minute video featuring a woman named alicia brown. Who claims to have been paralyzed in the incident. Despite these claims, no evidence is provided to verify her identity or condition. And the article refers to her inconsistently as both alisha and alicia.
Investigation False
Verify found the website to be a recent creation, set up on 20 August 2024. There is no public record of KBSF as a legitimate news outlet, and the website has since been taken down. The story’s main image, showing a car crash, was discovered to be from an unrelated incident in Mangilao, Guam, in 2018. Additionally, X-rays shown in the video were lifted from medical research articles unrelated to the alleged crash.
Expert Analysis
Experts were consulted to determine if the video was generated by artificial intelligence. Professor Hany Farid, an expert in digital manipulation, found no signs of AI involvement and concluded that the video was a poorly staged “cheap fake” created using basic, low-cost software.
No Evidence of the Incident
A thorough search for press reports from 2011 found no record of a hit-and-run involving Kamala Harris, who was Attorney General of California at the time. The San Francisco Police Department and Harris’s campaign have been contacted for comment, but no evidence has substantiated the claim.
This false story is a clear attempt to discredit Kamala Harris, with fabricated content and stolen images. It serves as a reminder that misinformation can spread quickly, even without advanced technology, and underscores the importance of verifying sources before sharing.
