As we all know, in today’s era Technology has no bounds. It has reached such a level that it can conquer anything. It definitely has various pros but on the other hand it can be misused as well. Nowadays, Internet is used by almost everybody. People tend to believe whatever is read by them on the Internet without researching about it and hence also spread wrong information. We all must do some research over any topic before believing it. Internet is definitely one of the most useful thing of our lives but with technology getting smarter, even we need to learn to act smartly and wisely.
Deepfakes is one such misuse of technology.
It is done using Artificial Intelligence based machine learning algorithms wherein fake videos are made using the face swap technology. The content created is not even true and altered by using somebody else’s identity. A tech website Motherboard posted an article regarding the AI based porno which was created by a Reddit used in December 2017. It starred a woman, the Wonder Woman star, Gal Gadot’s face. As more and more people started creating such content, such videos came to be known as DeepFakes.
How does DeepFakes Work?
- Gathering pictures: The person gathers your pictures from the Internet. It can be any source such as Snapchat, Instagram, twitter or even Facebook. Hence, it is always said to keep your account safe, private and not to talk to strangers.
- Choosing a video: He/she chooses a video which includes a person having body type similar to yours so as to impose your face on someone else. Generally, pornographic videos are chosen but it is not necessary. It can be any kind of video. The face is swapped and you become part of such a video in which you do not have any role.
Misuse of Artificial Intelligence
Artificial Intelligence was definitely not created for misusing like this. This is one of the biggest disadvantage of Artificial Intelligence i.e. it can be misused to a great extent. It is generally done with famous celebrities and goes on to common man as well.
- The pictures are taken without their consent and are used in such a bad way.
- Mostly, women are targeted for such activity to create pornographic videos without their consent. Women should be definitely aware about this and must remain safe by not posting their private pictures publicly.
- You must have seen various memes or videos of political figures or celebrities on social media which looks so realistic even when they are not. That is the way how DeepFakes work.
- Your pictures are imposed on already existing videos and you might not even get to know about it because the technology has advanced so much that it is not difficult to do this. Such Face swap technology can be used for a good purpose as well such as educational purpose, etc instead of misusing it. However, it is usually misused.
Advancement in Technology
It is quite understood that with advancement in technology, the number of cybercrimes are also increasing. Deepfakes is one of that cyber crime which needs to be tackled. DeepFakes of famous celebrities such as Emma Watson,Taylor Swift, Gal Gadot and many more have also started popping up . Earlier, it was not that easy to do this. It needed sophisticated and high technology to do it. But the new software that has emerged is easy to use. Any common man with a PC and internet connection can go ahead with this.
Law and order
Action should be taken against this and specific laws must be passed to ban this.
- The victim can prove that their reputation is being harmed by claiming the video to be real although it is not.
- The creator usually cover up the fact by saying that it is for entertainment purposes only. For example: memes have been created using Barack Obama and Donald Trump trolls can definitely harm their reputation as some people can believe it to be true.
- Reddit was eventually banned and even Pornhub started taking down such deep fake videos. However, once something spreads on the internet it is quite difficult to take it down completely.
- Proper technology must be brought into being so as to catch hold of such criminals.
- It indeed should be declared as a crime and strict actions must be taken against this. generally, the creators are not scared of getting caught because it is done anonymously.
What should Women do about it?
Although this technology is misused for both women and men and they are no different but unfortunately, generally women are targeted.
- Awareness: Women should remain aware about what is happening around their surroundings and what precautionary measures can be taken in case of any difficulty.
- Private Account:The social media accounts must be kept private and one must try not posting any personal picture or video publicly.
- Staying away from strangers online : One should not talk to unknowns online and should not indulge in any kind of conversation with strangers.
- Privacy : Even if you keep your account public due to some reasons, you should try not posting videos or pictures which can be misused.
Although mostly famous personalities are targeted but common people are a target too. If you keep in mind such small things even, it can contribute a little in stopping this.
Summing it up, Technology in wrong hands can be really disastrous. With increase in facilities at our fingertips, it is also increasing the number of cyber crimes. It is being used to threaten people and what not. We are so much dependent on technology that it is impossible to carry on our lives without it. Technology is not bad. It indeed helps us in numerous ways but it can be misused in wrong hands. Hence we must remain aware and action should be taken against any kind of cyber crimes such as DeepFakes. This really needs to stop!
