Latest instances of Deepfake and how to identify them?
Deepfake technology is a hot topic of discussion for almost everyone these days. We must know that it is also being used to malign the image of public figures or celebrities. Therefore, it requires some regulations and guidelines to address the potential risk. Let us understand this in detail in this article.
Deepfake is a hot and trending topic in digital media these days. Despite being the talk of the town, a large group of people still need to be made aware of the latest type of synthetic media, which is using Artificial Intelligence to fake images, audio, and videos. At the same time, the technology for creating them has become increasingly sophisticated, allowing cybercriminals to impersonate identities and generate malicious content with their voices and faces. The matter is therefore worth investigating in more detail. What is Deepfake?
It is a type of multimedia content in which a person's face or body is replaced with some other individual so that it appears as if they are someone else. In other words, deepfakes are digital tricks like magic. Fake videos or audio are created with computers that look and sound realistic. Looking at the background of deepfake, it first appeared on Reddit in late 2017 when a user with the same name set up a site to share pornographic videos created with open-source face-swapping technology. Using deep learning technology of AI, deepfake creates videos and images.
When deepfakes first became popular, they were largely used for comedic purposes. But in the current scenario, a deepfake is a potentially dangerous weapon by cybercriminals that can disrupt and destroy businesses, organizations, or public figures like celebrities. The problem is not with the deepfake, which is just artificial intelligence-generated content, but how it is deployed to affect others. It is important to note here that it is raising serious concerns about the authenticity of the digital content.Recent Instances of Deepfakes
Many high-profile cases associated with deepfake videos of celebrities, politicians, and notable figures have been trending on social media. We have listed some of the recent ones here.
Vladimir Putin: There was a fake declaration of martial law and military mobilization by Russian President Vladimir Putin which was aired on several radio and television stations in June this year.
Rashmika Mandana: Indian actress Rashmika Mandana is the latest celebrity victim of deepfake. A fake video of the actress has been doing the rounds on the internet making many believe that it was an original video.
Jimmy Donaldson: Famous YouTuber Jimmy Donaldson is also the latest example of deepfake. Donaldson appeared in a fake TikTok ad.
Tom Hanks: Hollywood actor Tom Hanks also alerted his fans on social media after he got to know about a deepfake featuring him.
Katrina Kaif: There has also been a lot of buzz around actress Katrina Kaif's morphed image from Tiger 3 on social media. The technology is again in question because of the morphed images of the actress.How to identify Deepfakes?
It is impossible to guarantee absolute protection against Deepfakes, but a few indicators can help determine whether online content is genuine. Deepfakes continue to improve in quality but they can still be distinguished from genuine videos or images by telltale signs. Here are some tips to spot Deepfakes videos or images.
For such matters, tech giant Google also announced a watermark technology to distinguish fake images from originals. However, there is no word when it will be exactly ready for use as it is still in the beta stage. Bottom Line
It is dangerous that deepfakes can be used by cybercriminals as a weapon to destroy organizations. Therefore, establishing alliances with technology companies and social media companies to develop cross-platform detection tools is crucial to curbing the spread of deepfakes. Our most important link in combating digital threats is people's judgment. They must learn in detail how to detect deepfakes and be vary of suspicious content.
