A Viral Fictional Country, an AI-Generated Passport, and a Growing Threat of Digital Misinformation
The sudden surge of interest in the so-called “Torenza flag” began after a viral video showed a woman at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) presenting a passport from a mysterious country named Torenza. Within hours, social media was flooded with questions about this unknown nation — its location, its government, and, inevitably, its national flag.
But extensive fact-checking by international media organizations revealed that Torenza does not exist. There is no recognized country, government, or geopolitical entity called Torenza, making the debate about its flag nothing more than a byproduct of an online misinformation wave.
How It Started: The Misleading “Torenza Passport” Video
The viral video that triggered the global confusion showed a woman holding a blue passport with convincing security elements: holograms, a biometric chip, stamps, and professional-looking cover design. At first glance, the document appeared entirely authentic.
However, forensic analysis and fact-checking investigations concluded that the video was digitally manipulated and likely generated with AI. Inconsistencies such as unnatural lighting, mismatched shadows, and overly polished details suggested that the passport was not a real government-issued document.