Deepfakes

A deepfake is defined as 'an image or recording that has been convincingly altered and manipulated to misrepresent as doing or saying something that was not actually done or said'. After reading the Miriam Webster definition, it is almost immediately clear the danger that is present through these deepfakes. This being said, the government has taken know action against them. One of the most interesting things I learned during this presentation is that deepfakes are not illegal. In fact, the only consequences a person who creates or uses one could get is sued for defamation, if the issue is argued properly.

There are many uses for deepfakes, and essentially all of them are bad. The only ones that may not be considered bad, are the ones created for a laugh with no negative motive (and even those can be dangerous). The main problem with this creation is its ability to ruin reputations and ultimately lives. They can be used on celebrities, or politicians, to make them say evil or inappropriate things. Or, through a  deepfake an angry person could put there ex-lovers face on an inappropriate video and spread it online for the world to see.

When deepfakes first came into existence, the technology was not great, so the images or videos were not all the believable. Now, some websites or applications have basically mastered the deepfake, making them look nearly perfect, and much harder to dispute. Because of this improving technology, video and photo evidence in the case of crimes will and has become increasingly less trustworthy. If someone can so easily put my face on someone else's body, how do you know that is me in the video? Deepfake's cause chaos and false realities.

While there are not many ways to protect yourself, keeping your accounts private and limiting what you post and for who, will work towards keeping your face and body your own. And, even though the technology is improving, there are some things you can keep an eye out for. These include unnatural looking faces or bodies, poor lighting, poor audio quality, and weird body movements. It is always important to remember, do not trust everything you see on the internet.