The Danish public broadcaster DR and the Norwegian NRK have temporarily removed the documentary series "Shadow War" (Skyggekrigen) from their streaming platforms. According to AFP citing NRK, the decision is related to concerns that modern artificial intelligence technologies could reveal the identities of anonymous sources who participated in the filming. The series first premiered in 2023. It is a joint project of four public broadcasters from Northern European countries, focusing on the alleged activities of Russian intelligence in the region. The filmmakers claim, in particular, that at least 50 Russian civilian vessels may have been used for covert intelligence gathering. Additionally, the film discusses ships suspected of mapping critical infrastructure objects for possible preparation of sabotage. The decision to remove the series from airing was a precautionary measure. According to Frode Froyland, the editor-in-chief of the documentary program Brennpunkt at NRK, the Norwegian company followed DR's lead, as the project was created collaboratively by several broadcasters. This is one of the first instances where an already published documentary film has been removed from public access not due to its content, but because of the rapid development of artificial intelligence technologies. Froyland noted that during the preparation of the film, sources were anonymized as thoroughly as possible. Currently, specialists are working to enhance protection and subsequently make the series available to viewers again. The development of AI is also changing approaches to protecting confidential sources. Methods that were recently considered sufficient may no longer be adequate today. Morten Goodwin, a professor of artificial intelligence at the University of Agder, explained that modern systems can de-anonymize individuals based on numerous indirect signs if the protection is not fully implemented. He stated that this concerns not only the face but also the voice, movements, shooting features, and the surrounding environment. Therefore, the expert believes that media working with anonymous sources need to completely blur the image of the person and the background, as well as significantly alter the voice, rather than limiting themselves to partial processing. History shows that the development of artificial intelligence is already affecting not only content creation but also standards of journalistic safety. After enhancing source protection, Scandinavian broadcasters hope to return the documentary series to public access.
