I recall a saying by my great-grandmother. “Believe nothing you hear and half you see.”
I couldn’t really know the true meaning of this at such an early age. This was far before the Internet came into public. Now in this time of “fake news” manipulating media it comes more clear.
Recently, watching the series ‘The Fix’ with my wife and the term ‘Deep Fake’ came into the story line.
What is Deep Fake?
Deep Fake Technology is a computer-generated audio or video forgeries that falsely depict a person saying or doing things that never happened. Source
The technology uses AI (Artificial Intelligence) to wrap an image over another, thereby falsifying the media. An example of this can be taking a recording of a murder, then using deep fake to apply another’s identity over the murderer identity.
Information about this type of technology is relevantly new for the public. The reality is, this technology is available. How long this has been available or even used is questionable.
The concern hit Congress and they have push money into a group to help identify deep fake creations. PDF Download
How Does it Work?
The technology just needs to have multiple photos of the target (person of interest). With the use of the Internet, and the fact 1000 pictures are uploaded to Instagram per second, we can see how easy it is to acquire the images.
In the series ‘The Fix’, they needed images to push a false narrative. This is why they were excited to get newer images of their target, the public had not seen. It was easier to push the narrative.
This is also how a younger Carrie Fisher is done in the movie Rougue One.
The Implications
Let’s say a deep fake is used on a Congressman or high-ranking businessman. Even if the individual fight in public or in court is done and disapproves the deep fake, the damage is already done.
“Thanks to bigger data, better algorithms, and custom hardware, in the coming years, individuals around the world will increasingly have access to cutting-edge artificial intelligence,” which when combined with “deep learning and generative adversarial networks, [will make] it possible to doctor images and video so well that it’s difficult to distinguish manipulated files from authentic ones. And thanks to apps like FakeApp and Lyrebird, these so-called ‘deep fakes’ can now be produced by anyone with a computer or smartphone.”
How to Fight This?
Some ways possibly are digital signatures and other forms of authentication.
Also start up companies like The Trust Project and Media Forensics Project are being created to combat this type of issue.
Matt Cole has high regard for knowledge share. He has a desire to share critical thinking and information. With a Masters in Information Technology and a wide array of certifications, while not working full-time, he wishes to knowledge share through providing insight, information organization, and critical thinking skills.
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