Meet @prof_freedom, a Twitter account with 49,000 followers (including Sebastian Gorka) and a black-and-white GAN-generated face. #SundayShenaniGANs
(GAN = "generative adversarial network", the AI technique used by tools like thispersondoesnotexist.com)
cc: @ZellaQuixote
One fingerprint of unmodified GAN-generated faces (at least, those made with widely-available tools) is that the major facial features (especially eyes) are in the same location on every image. This becomes obvious when one blends multiple GAN-generated faces together.
There are other signs that @prof_freedom's profile image is not a real photograph of a person's face. The most obvious is the unrealistic teeth; there are also some strange things going on where the hair meets the background.
The use of a GAN-generated face isn't the only odd thing about @prof_freedom (permanent ID 1252542024299012097). The account has been renamed at least once, from @/DaFeid (archived here: web.archive.org/web/2020121719…). Also, at least some of @prof_freedom's photos are stock photos.
Misleading tweets about masks, vaccines, and other COVID-related topics from @prof_freedom have frequently gone viral.
(Note: while this thread focuses on English content, this account also tweets frequently in German. Topics appear to be similar to the English tweets.)
One of @prof_freedom's least endearing habits: spamming people's replies with the same images over and over. @prof_freedom has replied hundreds of times to a variety of users with variations on the same nonsensical "flowchart".
Additional tips on identifying GAN-generated faces:
More information on GAN-generated faces and their use on Twitter (and elsewhere):
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