Blog 9 - EOTO 2

DeepFake 

So, what is a deepfake? That is a convincing (or less convincing) fake video made with A.I. It's something people can make with free software, and it isn't hard to do. Above here is a Nido deepfake. There are many ways to make them, as my partner, when making this, used code. There are also free sites you can use as well. Basically, you just need a Youtube video with a face present the whole time and a head-on shot of someone. You put them together and create funny little clips like these. 

So, unfortunately, there's a lot worse to this than good. I could take a video of a voice impersonator saying something inflammatory or untrue that could destroy someone's reputation, get a picture of someone, and then paste them together. For instance, someone made Obama say that Trump was a dipshit. Obama wouldn't say that publically, but if someone wanted to make people hate or like Obama or any other celebrity or politician on false pretenses, they could just make a deepfake.

There's also the problem of people using deepfakes to violate people online. Deepfakes are rarely consentual, but some people go farther and will paste someone's face on naked pictures and videos of other people. Helen Mort's nudes were leaked online, except she had never taken nudes. Someone had taken non-explicit photos from her private accounts, including some where she was underaged, and encouraged people to put them on naked videos. Helen felt understandably humiliated, and this can happen to literally anyone. It's likely more common with famous people. 

That being said, I think everyone remembers where they'd be in school, and some unhealthy relationship would end and nudes would get leaked. Literally, when I was trying to find a link to provide as an example for this, I found actual links to literal child porn. But deepfakes might be the new age of leaking people's nudes. It might not be enough to never send people your nudes. I know I've never sent nudes. (I'm not saying this because this is a school related thing. I genuinely have bad enough trust issues that in my head, those who love me could hate me overnight, and I rarely feel safe even opening up to someone) 

Literally, my high school had this creep, I believe his name was Brandon. Brandon was nothing short of a self-centered, self-righteous manchild who had the intelligence of a toothbrush. He was sexist, racist, and homophobic as well. 

He had gotten in trouble already when I recorded him tearing down GSA posters and when he sent me a video of "him" flushing them down the toilet, I was able to determine that he had a female accomplice based on the fact that there was a pad\tampon trashcan in the background of the shot, and she eventually got in trouble too. He ended up not being very happy with me and threatening me over Instagram and telling me to kill myself. When I blocked his account, he made 3 more to keep harassing me, and I'd just keep blocking him. Eventually, he went away, but he is the kind of dude who, if the technology was invented, and he had more brains than a rubber band would've totally done deepfakes on myself and other people as well. 

He was a senior and over 18 at the time, and this is when Snapchat was introducing geostories, and the perimeter was around the school. Everyone on Snapchat who went to the school could watch the story and post to the colossal bitchfest. He ended up posting on there about how "if you have nudes, add me and send them." No one took him seriously, but sure enough, the next day, I'm seeing a bunch of people's boobs, butts, and other bits. He ended up just posting them to the public story for everyone to see. Keep in mind, a lot of these people I knew were underaged. Needless to say, he actually got arrested that night and expelled. People are crazy.

Something that is also wildly harmful with deepfakes? The ability to manipulate international political discourse. Do you remember way back in the day when Kim Jong Un was talking about how he'd nuke us? Well, imagine if someone had made a deepfake of him or Obama saying they were sending nukes, it would start a war before anyone would analyze the clip and realize it was fake.