DR and NRK pull documentary over AI source de-anonymisation risks

Danish public broadcaster DR and Norwegian public broadcaster NRK have removed the investigative documentary Shadow War from their websites. The decision to pull the film stems from concerns that modern artificial intelligence tools could de-anonymize sources by recognizing their voices or reconstructing their blurred faces.

Premiered in April 2023, the three-part documentary is the result of a year-long collaboration among journalists from Norway, Denmark, Sweden, and Finland. The project investigates Russian intelligence activities and hybrid operations, including how Russia recruits individuals for sabotage across Northern European countries.

The removal highlights a growing and unexpected vulnerability in investigative journalism. As facial reconstruction and voice recognition technologies advance, traditional methods of protecting confidential informants through scrambling or blurring may no longer be sufficient to guarantee source safety.