Claim:
Photos shared online in August and September 2024 authentically showed a young Kamala Harris in revealing clothes, working as an escort.
Rating:
In August 2024, social media users spread a rumor that three images circulating online showed a young Kamala Harris working as an “escort” while wearing a series of revealing outfits. One caption claimed staffers in San Francisco had revealed that the vice president was once “an escort for judges, politicians, and various powerful businessmen to sway court cases and help push leftist policies in the state.”
The three photos can be seen in two X posts below, the first of which was posted in mid-September (the photo on the left is repeated in both posts).
(X user @AmyKremer)
(X user @ArmaLite15OU812)
Although it was not possible to find an authentic source for the photographs, one expert theorized the pictures were low-quality images that did not feature Harris at all. There was also no evidence Harris was ever an “escort,” as the captions claimed. Considering these points, and several others outlined below, the photos and associated claims have been rated as false.
Using numerous reverse-image search tools, we determined the photos appeared to start spreading on Facebook, Instagram, X and 4chan in early August, not long after Harris formally declared her candidacy for president.
A Reddit post (archived) and a Facebook post credited the images to a “Glenn Sparks” on Facebook; however, the pictures could not be found on Sparks’ account. The latter Facebook post said the photo showed Harris in the 1980s “with Montel Williams (a television host and actor) at some awards show.”
Analyzing Each Photograph
Starting with the second pair of photos featuring a woman in slightly different black and purple outfits, the individual carried a small resemblance to the vice president but, upon viewing, did not appear to be Harris.
Hany Farid, a professor who specialized in digital forensics and image analysis at the University of California, Berkeley, looked at the images to determine whether artificial intelligence or photo editing software had been used to place Harris’ head onto another woman’s body, or whether any other manipulation had occurred.
Farid, who analyzed both the photographs featuring the woman in black, said: “It is a pretty low-quality image, making an analysis difficult. But, I don’t find any obvious signs that the image is AI-generated. I think it is more likely that this is a cheap fake and the person just isn’t [Harris].”
He also ran the photo on the right through a facial biometric system and found it did not match Harris at all. He created a gif, seen below, comparing Harris’ face to that of the woman in one of the photographs. Even if it was a much younger image of Harris, the ear shape and structure did not align, and neither did the eyes.
“I [aligned] the face in the photo to a recent photo of Harris and you can see that there are significant differences in the shape of the ear (while not unique, ear shape/structure has been used as a biometric),” he said.
(Hany Farid)
Farid also used the facial biometric system on the woman in the red dress, from the first pair of photos, and found it matched with Harris. However, he explained: “This is most likely a simple photoshop manipulation, but the image is too low resolution/quality for me to say anything definitive.”
Snopes then ran the images through AI detectors, Winston AI and IsitAI, both of which suggested the images of the woman in the black and purple outfits were human-generated, though they were conflicted on the origin of the woman in the red dress. IsitAI said it was likely human-generated, while Winston AI said it was likely AI-generated.
Why Each Image Is Rated ‘False’
The posts containing the images did not include any links to authentic reporting on the photos, nor details of their origin, nor credible evidence other than the low-quality pictures themselves, making the images immediately suspect.
If there was any truth to the claims Harris was an “escort,” or to these photographs, both would be eminently newsworthy and mainstream media outlets would have investigated them. However, there was no evidence of news outlets reporting on Harris being an escort, or stating the images were authentic. Furthermore, if these were pictures of a young Harris, the photographs would have been more widespread before August 2024.
Snopes, the BBC and MSNBC have all previously reported on other authentic photos of Harris in the 1980s, none of which looked like the above three photos.
We also reached out to other experts to determine whether there were any potential manipulations in the images, as well as to the Harris campaign to get their response. We will update this article if we learn more.
False claims about Harris have proliferated ever since she became a presidential nominee, many focusing on her race and gender. Such racist and misogynist speech is common during political campaigns. In the past, we covered the false claim that Harris could not run for president because her parents were foreign-born.
Sources:
‘College Pics of Kamala Harris Help Highlight Her Black Greek History’. MSNBC.Com, 5 Aug. 2024, https://www.msnbc.com/the-reidout/reidout-blog/kamala-harris-alpha-kappa-alpha-sorority-howard-rcna164185.” target=”blank”>>https://www.msnbc.com/the-reidout/reidout-blog/kamala-harris-alpha-kappa-alpha-sorority-howard-rcna164185. Accessed 13 Aug. 2024.
Evon, Dan. “Snopes Tips: A Guide To Performing Reverse Image Searches.” Snopes, 22 Mar. 2022, https://www.snopes.com//articles/400681/how-to-perform-reverse-image-searches/.” target=”blank”>>https://www.snopes.com//articles/400681/how-to-perform-reverse-image-searches/. Accessed 12 Aug. 2024.
“Hate Speech Targets Kamala Harris on Social Media – DW – 08/07/2024.” Dw.Com, https://www.dw.com/en/kamala-harris-battles-hate-speech-and-false-claims-online/a-69872700. Accessed 12 Aug. 2024.
Ibrahim, Nur. “Kamala Harris Is Eligible to Run for US President, Despite Parents Being Foreign-Born.” Snopes, 5 Aug. 2024, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/harris-president-foreign-parents/.” target=”blank”>>https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/harris-president-foreign-parents/. Accessed 12 Aug. 2024.
‘Kamala Harris and a 1986 Snapshot of That Howard Generation’. BBC News, 20 Jan. 2021. www.bbc.co.uk, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-55690001.” target=”blank”>>https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-55690001. Accessed 13 Aug. 2024.
PerryCook, Taija. ‘Authentic Pic of Kamala Harris in the ’80s?’ Snopes, 29 July 2024, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/kamala-harris-photo-from-the-1980s/.” target=”blank”>>https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/kamala-harris-photo-from-the-1980s/. Accessed 13 Aug. 2024.
Wrona, Aleksandra. “Fake Photo Supposedly Shows Hitler Once Posed Like Trump After Assassination Attempt.” Snopes, 8 Aug. 2024, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/trump-hitler-photo/.” target=”blank”>>https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/trump-hitler-photo/. Accessed 12 Aug. 2024.
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