Nordic Broadcasters Pull 'Skyggekrigen' Series Over AI Risks

Danish broadcaster DR and Norwegian broadcaster NRK pulled a documentary series from streaming services. The series is called Skyggekrigen or The Shadow War. The networks acted over digital privacy risks. They fear new artificial intelligence tools could reveal anonymous sources.

The series first aired in 2023. Four Nordic public broadcasters produced the investigative show together. It focuses on Russian intelligence activities in northern Europe. The series claims at least 50 Russian civilian ships secretly gathered information. It also examined vessels mapping sensitive infrastructure for possible sabotage.

NRK documentary editor Frode Frøyland said NRK pulled the show after DR did. NRK is now re-anonymizing the series securely to put it back online. University of Agder professor Morten Goodwin warned about AI risks. He said AI easily unmasks poorly hidden faces, sounds, movements, and videos. Proper anonymization requires completely blurring faces and totally altering voices.