Facebook Bans Deepfakes: What Makes Deepfakes Dangerous?

Social media giant Facebook makes headlines again with its ban on deepfake videos on its network. The company’s new policy bans the use and circulation of such videos but does not ban heavily edited clips that are meant for parody or satire. Ahead of the US elections, the company puts this policy in place and assures the audience that even other clips will go through their regular fact-checking process. 

Why did  Facebook have to take such a big step? 

Over the past decade, the reality and misuse of ‘deepfake videos’ have garnered a lot of attention for its terrifying effects. Most of the Deepfake videos that went viral were of celebrities and politicians who were shocked by the realness of the content. Not being able to distinguish the real ones from the fake one is the reason deepfakes hold so much power. Let’s make it simpler. 

Also Read: Artificial Intelligence: The need for EQ along with IQ

What are deepfakes? 

With the hubbub of emerging camera-based applications, it has opened a whole new aspect of altering images/videos. Deepfake videos manage to stand out because they are powered by artificial intelligence. A deepfake is a distorted version of an actual video with its content changed. They cannot be distinguished from the real one and that is what makes it such a big problem for the world.  

You can read more: What Exactly Are Deepfakes And How Do They Work?

In an age of misinformation, deepfakes would further perpetuate propaganda and misdirected information. The term deepfake was coined after a Reddit user made changes to celebrity videos with the help of deep learning technology. 

Some examples of deepfake images? 

Also Read: China Makes It Offence To Publish Deepfakes Without Disclosure

Facebook’s ban makes us wonder: Why are deepfakes dangerous? 

You may have already realised that a fake video could do a lot of damage. To call a concept, trend or object dangerous, ascertaining the level of damage done by it is important. 

A knife is dangerous because it can very easily harm a human being’s body and would be the easiest tool found by a mentally unstable person. On the same lines, a deepfake video could end a person’s career, spread fake news, invoke hatred and fear, mislead people into an unlawful event, etc. 

Deepfakes videos have been created for political party candidates that are making them say things in their speech which are untrue. They have been created for celebrities and other people of influence by distorting their facts and making them say things they normally wouldn’t say. Deepfake videos also are horrendously used for pornography websites and spreading fake news regarding sensitive topics. 

Concluding…

People have been critical about Facebook banning deepfakes as most argue it isn’t a real problem. Quite a few of them believe that deepfake problem is one of the future and shouldn’t be tread on at the moment. However, deepfake is easily available and cheap technology which if acquired by the wrong people could have disastrous effects on the emotional health of the world.