Let’s talk a little bit about deepfakes. If you aren’t aware of this technology, deepfakes are essentially synthetic media. Typically they come in the form of videos or images that use artificial intelligence (AI) to replace a person’s likeness with another’s. With deepfake technology, people can convince an audience that a person said something they didn’t say. This deliberate digital subterfuge can bring with it a whole lot of problems. This week we will outline a few of them.

They Can Deliver False Narratives

The potential deepfakes have to help spread disinformation and misinformation is at the basis of the technology. It is relatively easy for deepfake videos to be created and they are notoriously difficult to judge. This makes it hard to determine whether a video is, in fact, legitimate, or conjured up. This can be a major problem for anyone of influence, especially in the financial or political arenas. 

Damaging Perceptions

The individuals who are victims of this likeness scam can suffer irreparable damage to their reputation. If someone were so inclined they could create a deepfake to try and discredit an individual, severely damaging standing relationships, and could even get them in hot water with the authorities. Unfortunately, even if a deepfake is discovered, it can take a lot of time and effort to restore these relationships.

Invasion of Privacy

A deepfake video can have the potential to step over the line pretty quickly, in terms of personal privacy. The superimposition of someone’s likeness on words they didn’t muster themselves can immediately violate someone’s privacy. Once the cat’s out of the bag, sometimes it won’t go back in. 

Erosion of Trust

Many times, trust is the foundation of the relationship people have with each other and with people of influence. The more sophisticated this technology becomes, the more realistic the deepfakes become, and the more someone with a nefarious agenda can undermine these important relationships. 

Political Ramifications

One of the most heinous ways deepfake technology can manipulate people is in the political arena. People don’t have a lot of trust for their lawmakers as it is, but if organizations can roll out deepfake technology that affects the public trust in a candidate or sitting politician, it can have devastating consequences for that individual and ultimately society. 

Difficulty in Detection

One of the biggest problems with deepfake technology is that as it gets more sophisticated, it’s going to take more sophisticated means to determine the legitimacy of the content. As it currently stands, deepfake detection tools struggle to identify these videos as fakes, creating massive problems for the people being taken advantage of. 

Deepfake videos are becoming concerning and it is important that society is made aware of the advanced manipulation techniques they provide scammers. At Data Net, we understand that keeping you and your business safe and secure is a big part of properly utilizing today’s technology. To learn more about how we can help, give us a call today at (760) 466-1200.