Central African Republic’s CAR Memecoin Launch Marred by Deepfake Claims & Suspended Domain

The Central African Republic (CAR) unveiled a new memecoin, $CAR, to boost national development and spotlight the country on the global stage. In an official announcement, President Faustion-Archange Touadera presented the project, acknowledging its risky nature and its capacity to unite people.

Touadera, who became the second president worldwide to adopt Bitcoin as legal tender, has consistently supported cryptocurrency’s potential gains. In his statement, he reiterated his belief in crypto as a tool for global progress.

The $CAR token, which kicked off on the Solana-based memecoin launchpad Pump.fun on February 9, saw a value jump, hitting a peak market cap of $527 million. However, the project intends to use the memecoin to support national development projects, with the country’s leadership hoping to achieve international recognition.

Related: Solana’s AI Memecoins Are Thriving, but Is the Hype Here to Stay?

Deepfake Doubts Cloud Project Launch

Yet, the realness of President Touadera’s video has come under question. Several AI deepfake detection models indicated the video as potentially faked.

One model, Deepware, indicated an 82% probability that the video was a deepfake. While two other detection tools, Avatrify and Deepware’s own checker, did not identify any issues, critics have voiced concerns about the video’s truthfulness.

Adding to suspicion was the fact that the $CAR memecoin project domain, car.meme, had been registered on Namecheap just three days before the official announcement. Domain registration typically takes longer for government-backed initiatives, making this timing seem unusual. Following the intense examination, Namecheap suspended the domain, citing it as an “abusive service.”

Government Assures Security In Face Of Controversy

Despite the controversy, the CAR government has assured the public that the memecoin’s token supply has been securely locked.

The official website details the token’s distribution plan, emission groups, and release schedule, which is part of the broader national development strategy.

As the examination intensifies, the future of the $CAR memecoin and its role in the Central African Republic’s crypto ambitions remains undecided. Both the authenticity of the video and the questionable domain registration create questions about the project’s basis.