Deep Fakes and Digital Ethics: Navigating the Ethical Dilemma in Portraying Political Characters through Deep Fakes and their Impact on Political Communication in Digital Media

The study aims to investigate the ethical and communication issues of deep-fake videos involving Imran Khan, Shahbaz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz Sharif, and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on TikTok. Using qualitative techniques, forty deepfake videos were produced and evaluated to sort their main themes and review public interest. By using Postmodern Media Theory and Media Ethics Theory, the research investigates how deepfakes can change the reality of politics and raise issues with consent, truthfulness, and identity. Some main categories appeared in my analysis: satire and parody, fake political messages, altered election campaign strategies, encouraging leaders, and propaganda that spread negativity. Most of the time, fake statements focused on Khan, Sharif, and Maryam Nawaz, and they were usually hit with satire and stereotypes based on their gender. Bilawal Bhutto's views were better-balanced than those of the previous leader. People who saw the fake videos laughed, got confused, and didn't trust them, showing that deepfakes can have a bad effect on society and democracy. It points out that TikTok's personalized algorithm helps spread possibly untrue or misleading material. To protect democracies from problems caused by deep-fakes in politics, it urges people to be digitally literate, update regulations, make tech platforms more responsible, and prioritize ethical AI standards.