Social media is abuzz with deepfake videos spreading misinformation, especially at a time when there are a number of fake news articles making rounds. As people believe what they see, these deepfake videos are being used to spread false news.
A deepfake video that shows top leaders in the world including US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin's faces masked into some video relaying the same message has sent shockwaves among netizens.
Netizens have expressed concern and stated: "I hope there are companies developing deep fake detection algorithms and devs implement them in their apps asap." People were being misinformed in the images and write-ups using the names of people with authority to spread panic and misinformation including vaccines for coronavirus, home remedies that can cure COVID-19 etc, now with videos, there is a chance that people will not only believe the matter heard in the form of deepfake videos, but also spread it, creating more panic. Deepfake videos are created with Face Swap technique.
Deepfake videos used in NthRoom sex scandal
South Korea was shaken by the Telegram NthRoom scandal that used deepfake videos while harassing and abusing minor girls, trapping them into recording abusive sexual video content. The main accused Baksa aka Jo Joo Bin had used deepfake technology and masked the faces of minor girls being forced into sexual acts with Korea's top idols and sold the videos on a higher rate in the space called NthRoom.
Reports claim that dfeepfake videos have affected many people whose faces have been 'mis'used into such videos without their knowledge. Many people have become victims of traumatic stress disorders, depression, anxiety and some people are also said to have taken extreme steps like suicide as some faces were used in pornographic videos.
Photo manipulation was developed in the 19th century and was soon applied to motion pictures. With the advent of technology and with digital videos becoming the trend, use of deepfake videos became more rampant.
