An edited video of outgoing Indonesian President Joko Widodo has been viewed millions of times on TikTok, falsely claiming that he would announce the distribution of Bluetooth speakers as “souvenirs” before his term ends. An official at the Indonesian presidency told AFP there were no such plans. The footage was actually taken from an unrelated press conference and news bulletin.
The video has been viewed more than six million times in a TikTok post published on April 19, 2024.
It appears to show a TV news anchor discussing a viral video of the Indonesian president – known as Jokowi – saying he would hand out souvenirs before resigning.
The clip then shows Jokowi appearing to say: “In the name of Allah“At the end of my term as President of the Republic of Indonesia, I would like to give away free Bluetooth speakers as souvenirs to all Indonesians.”
It appears to give details about the promotional offer and asks TikTok users to comment “I want Mr. President” on the post along with their hometown.
Online giveaway offers are a common tactic used by social media scammers to obtain users’ personal information. AFP has previously debunked similar campaigns here, here and here.
The video was also shared in similar TikTok posts here and herecausing a wave of comments from users who seemed interested in this supposed offer.
Indonesia’s constitution bars Jokowi from running for a third term in February’s presidential election, which saw former general Prabowo Subianto elected as the next president of the world’s third-largest democracy. Prabowo is due to take office in October.
But that claim is false. Juri Ardiantoro, deputy director of information and political communication for the presidency, told AFP that there were no plans to distribute Bluetooth speakers.
Unrelated excerpts
Keyword research on YouTube I found the original video released by the Indonesian Presidential Secretariat on March 4, 2024 (archived link).
It shows Jokowi at a press conference, talking about topics such as a planned visit to Australia and the price of rice – but not about a Bluetooth gift.
Jokowi’s clothes, the podium and the Indonesian flags in the background are identical in both videos.
Below is a screenshot comparing the fake video (left) and the press conference (right):
Meanwhile, the clip of a TV news anchor speaking at the beginning of the doctored TikTok video was taken from a news bulletin that aired on April 18, 2024.
Google searches turned up the bulletin from Indonesian programme Liputan 6, which showed newsreaders Reno Reksa and Gracia Bern covering topics such as the Champions League semi-finals and the Dubai floods (archived link).
The program did not mention Jokowi’s plan to distribute Bluetooth speakers.
Below is a Comparison of the fake video (left) and the original news report (right):
