Deepfakes: New Frontiers in Disinformation [webinar]

Abstract

Presentation by Kathryn Harrison, founder and CEO of Deep Trust Alliance, about identifying and understanding fake news and its implications. Deepfakes are the hot topic in the media today. But what are they and why does IFLA need to be concerned with this emerging technology?

Deepfakes are manipulated audio-visual content created by machine-learning algorithms. For example, a person in an existing image can be replaced with another's likeness and that likeness can be made to say and do things the person never did. The tools to create and disseminate this new form of manipulated media are easier, faster, cheaper, and more accessible than ever, and today convincing deepfakes can be produced in under 24 hours for less than $1000. The challenge now is not just to raise awareness, but also to propose and develop effective responses. Now that deepfakes are here, what do we do about this phenomenon?

This session provides an overview of the technology and its implications for social trust, discuss examples of deepfakes in entertainment, politics, financial markets, and privacy, and analyze why this problem is so difficult to solve. Finally, it addresses the policy, technology, and education solutions required to address malicious deepfakes.