The video of the carjacking in which a dog sitter escaped in Toulouse is a hoax
A user on the TikTok social network publishes staged videos in which he pretends to surprise a car thief accompanied by his dog in Muret (Haute-Garonne). Although the scene was clear, some did not understand it. The experience raises questions about prevention and regulation on these platforms.
They have received millions of views. Three videos posted by user redmalinois31 became hits on TikTok. They depict a handyman and his dog who discover a car thief from a garage. After a few tense words, the foreman pulls the man out of the basement and calls the police while blocking his exit.
On the phone, the representative of the security forces invites the dog handler to release the person in question until the patrol arrives. It cannot be confirmed whether he was an actual member of the disciplinary force at the end of the line, but the call is suspect. When I pick up the phone, the caller says:Toulouse National Gendarmerie, am I listening?“. Gold, the scene takes place in Muret, the city where the gendarmerie was established.
We were able to identify this location by analyzing the videos of the redmalinois31 account using OSINT techniques. For example, like the scene in front of Crédit Mutuel: after some research, it turns out that this is one of the three banks of the company based in Muret. Other architectural elements such as garages or buildings are also convincing and allow to clearly identify a district of the sub-prefecture of Haute-Garonne.
By paying attention, we can also see these three videos playing. So they are accompanied by several hashtags in the title, including #fakesituation, leaves little room for doubt about the staging. Is it enough for internet users to understand? Not really. Looking at the comments below the video, it’s not clear to everyone. “I’m dreaming! To be released? The world is upside down“One of them is running away.”Let him go, where will the patrol find him?– asks another.
The video was also shared by other users on Twitter. Some shared the scene without understanding whether they were accepted or not. Others are mildly amused by the action.
The contacted redmalinois31 tiktoker did not answer our questions in the end. Meanwhile, on January 4, 2022, he aired the fourth and final episode of this staging. The police are there, the discussion begins.
The author of the pictures on this tiktok swipes a screenshot of a comment from a previous episode, questioning police involvement. Adds to the post “the police release the thief“, as if to confirm what was said in this comment.
With over 600,000 views, redmalinois31 has posted less than 100 videos. All of them show him with his dog in different situations.”in 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 contacted via email, answering questions from his community.
Florence Sédès is a professor of social networks at the Paul Sabatier University in Toulouse. He also believes that the staging of the video “not clearly defined“. Receiving videos for him “it is dangerous“, especially the end of the third video”challenges notions of public order“ believes
According to the expert, when faced with such a phenomenon, the question is twofold. “QWhat is the limit of what you can put on social networks? And are these networks free platforms?“. You should know that rules are automated through algorithms. And they are country-specific, which makes things difficult. “Moderation should be human“Florence defends Sedes.
So, the gendarmes react so that internet users are not deceived by such videos and are not put in the wrong position. “They have teams dedicated to thisand they have a community manager“Florence Sedes reports.
This is the case of the Charente-Maritime gendarmerie, which is particularly active and sometimes humorous on Twitter. Most of the messages shared focus on preventionabout social media and cyberbullying.
At the end of November 2022, Arcom (the Audiovisual and Digital Communications Regulatory Authority) published a report. fight against manipulation of online data on platforms. A larger and more complex area than the previously raised lack of prevention on TikTok videos in Muret.
Nevertheless: Arcom was already shutting down TikTok. The authorities condemned lack of information about “How Moderation Tools Work” and on “defined manipulation practices in the service”. As you can see, the work of transparency is huge.
In order not to be deceived, do not hesitate to check the authenticity of a photo or video from the Internet yourself. A few major media sites like AFP Factual or Developers From FTV, give tips for checking videos. After all, you are never better served than yourself.
