FBI, open up!

Freeze! Hands where I can see them!

Let's say you have an enemy or a rival who claims you have committed a crime against national security and they have “proof.” This proof is a deep fake video of you committing this crime, because of this technology you can have a visit from the FBI. Just because of this expertly crafted deep fake you could get detained, arrested, and almost definitely have your mug shot taken. You could even face jail time until the video is authenticated, which could take some time.

Credit: Pixabay from Pexels

What are Deepfakes?

It is important to be aware of the dangers of this technology and where you might see it online. So many people, even hackers have been using this tech and I am here to make sure you know the ins and outs of this technology. Additionally, there are so many different reasons people use this technology; from revenge, pleasure, blackmail, and embarrassment.

Deep fakes are a type of manipulated artificial intelligence. Many different kinds of individuals use platforms that do most of the work for them. Most times they need a couple of photos that you may have consensually posted on social media platforms.

The highest concern associated with deep fakes is that it is getting harder and harder to detect the authenticity of the images or videos. It makes it more difficult for people to decipher what's real and what isn't.

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No one is immune to it

You may not see the concern of this technology especially if you haven't been directly affected by it but it can happen to anybody. Not too long ago, Taylor Swift became a victim of this technology. This technology creates explicit photos of her against her will and the person manipulating this program spreads them across “X” formerly known as Twitter. Before Microsoft was able to take down the photos 47 million people had seen these cruel photos.

Taylor Swift isn't the only public figure who has experienced this; people like Scarlett Johansson, President Biden, Former President Obama, and Tom Hanks are just some of the many victims. These were all massive scandals that are no doubt traumatizing to those affected. This new technology can ruin lives and how the victims continually live their lives.

There was also a deep fake audio recording of President Biden. This recording was of what the world thought was him, urging people not to vote in the upcoming presidential primaries. Steven Kramer, age 54 was responsible for these robocalls.

He was indicted on charges of felony voter suppression and misdemeanor impersonation of a candidate. These robocalls could have seriously influenced the elections, especially because no one would expect any kind of phone call from the president. This could have easily caused a national emergency which is one of the reasons we must put a stop to deep fake technology.

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Future Laws, for Protection

Due to all of these horrendous scandals, lawmakers have introduced a new law that will protect citizens against AI abuse. (H.R. 6943 - No AI FRAUD Act) Hopefully, when this law is approved it will discourage these constant recurring scandals. The EU's AI Act has very extensive rules that explicitly state what forms of AI usage will cause unacceptable risks and issues. Luckily this law is also on its way to being passed.

Unfortunately, there are no concrete laws that prohibit the usage of AI and deepfakes. In August of 2023 there is a general AI usage policy that was created but it has no explicit laws about deepfakes. However, if the creator was taken to court for making the deepfakes the judge could decide what the creator's intent was. If the judge deems the intent a scam then the creator would be in serious trouble.

Why can't we get rid of AI?

Without AI we would lose so many of the resources we have, like Teslas and different medical procedures. We have come so far with AI and it would be like backtracking if we were to remove it from America completely. Some positives come from AI, but not all of it can cause catastrophic damage.

Siri is a form of AI, chatbots for websites and so much more. We have to learn to regulate and control how people use the AI they are provided, for good and not destruction.

Some Tips:

• Watch what you post (be careful how many high-quality videos and photos you post)
• Adjust your privacy Settings
• Use watermarks on your posts
• Use Two-Factor Authentication
• Don't just click on things, actually read them (emails, phone calls, texts, etc.)
• Review policy updates
• Use strong VERY unique passwords
• If you come across deep fake content report it
• Always keep learning about this technology, so you can better protect yourself in the future!

Deep Fake Detection Software:

• Sentinel
• FakeCatcher by Intel
• WeVerify
• Microsoft Video Authenticator
• TensorFlow and PyTorch