Muharrem Ince withdraws from Turkey election after porn 'deepfake'

Homeland Party head Muharrem Ince withdrew from Turkey's presidential race after the release of an alleged sex tape, which he accused of being a deepfake designed to damage his reputation and campaign.

'Fake videos, fake pictures… they put my face on a video taken from an Israeli porn website,' Ince complained' blaming the country’s journalists and public prosecutors for not protecting him from the 'fury of slander'.

In a related incident, Presidential candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu was subjected to a number of deepfake attacks, including one in which he appeared to have close links with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). 

The PKK is listed as a terrorist organisation by the US, EU, and Turkey.

Commentators fear the use of deepfakes in Turkey's election could well be a harbinger of things to come.