AAP FACTCHECK – A video of a Ukrainian rapper’s promotional campaign involving people going about their daily business wearing white round masks is being misrepresented as proof of a surveillance dystopia.
The clip shows a flash mob advertising a music video, not random civilians trying to evade facial recognition cameras.
The claim is in an Instagram reel featuring a video of people in an unidentified city wearing round white masks that hide their faces.
“People outside began wearing white mesh masks to prevent cameras from recognizing their faces,” the reel’s overlay text says.
The video shows two women crossing a street, a man driving a bus, and a cyclist, all wearing the same masks.
“The masks disrupt the analysis of monitoring systems that identify people based on detailed facial features. This is a form of privacy protection and opposition to monitoring in public spaces. Wearing such masks has become a way to protect one’s anonymity in places covered by camera surveillance. It’s like George Orwell book ‘1984’,” the post caption said.
In the comments, many users asked where the video was filmed, while others were disturbed by the footage.
“PLEASE tell me we are kidding. PLEASE,” one comment said.
Another said: “They’ll make this illegal soon.”
“It’s a shame life has come to that,” said another.
Another Facebook post shared the same clip with a caption: “This creative form of resistance highlights the growing tension between technology and personal freedoms.”
However, a reverse image search of freeze frames from the clip revealed that it actually depicts a promotion for a Ukrainian rapper’s new music video.
Ukrainian news outlet Apostrophe initially reported on the clip in August 2024, speculating about the meaning behind the masks.
Fellow Ukrainian outlet RBC reported local rapper Harfang organised the stunt to promote an upcoming music video release.
“People in White Masks: How Incognito Artist Harfang Turned the Country Upside Down,” the headline said.
Harfang, who wears a mask, has shared similar videos and images on Instagram showing people wearing the same masks to promote the music video for his song Yardy.
The official music video posted on YouTube also depicted people wearing the same white mesh masks in various settings.
The Verdict
False – The claim is inaccurate.
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