Posts falsely claim AI-generated video shows eruption of Indonesia's Anak Krakatau

Posts falsely claiming to show AI-generated video of Anak Krakatau’s eruption have been debunked by Indonesian authorities. The volcano erupted in early July, with ash columns reportedly rising hundreds of metres, but a clip circulating online was dismissed as a “hoax” by the National Disaster Mitigation Agency and the Geological Agency. The Facebook video, shared on July 5, 2026, had been viewed more than 62,000 times and shows people on a boat filming through phones, with a warning for vessels in the Sunda Strait audible in the background. The agencies said the video does not depict Anak Krakatau erupting, and authorities had raised the alert level from Level II (Alert) to Level III (Watch) days earlier. Investigation also found the same footage appeared on TikTok on November 5, 2025, with an AI warning label, and detection tools indicated the clip and audio were likely AI-generated. Authorities maintained an exclusion zone after the volcano’s activity escalated.