You might have come across viral videos called “deepfakes,” which show the faces of politicians or celebrities superimposed on different bodies, making it seem like they are saying or doing something controversial. For instance, there was a video where CEO Mark Zuckerberg appeared to be bragging about owning users’ stolen data and another where Game of Thrones’s Jon Snow apologized for the disappointing end of the final season.

Deepfakes use AI to alter videos and images to look frighteningly real. But these videos are not genuine and can be used to spread misinformation with harmful consequences. AI firm Deeptrace identified 15,000 deepfake videos online in 2019, a figure which almost doubled in just nine months. Some experts anticipate that as much as 90 percent of digital content could be synthetically generated within just a few years.

This tech can be used for jokes, but it can also DESTROY lives and violate privacy.

The UNHRC must discuss this as deepfakes affect identity, dignity, freedom of expression, privacy, and democratic rights.

Why is this issue important?

Deepfakes are already causing:

• • Election Manipulation: Two days before the 2023 election in Slovakia an audio recording was posted on social media claiming to be a politician planning to cheat on the election 

(Case study: Can we believe what we hear? | International Media and Information Literacy e-Platform )

• One day before Pakistan's general election, deepfakes targeting Imran Khan's PTI party started circulating on social media, in which Khan and other PTI members allegedly call for an election boycott.

(Source )

• On March 2, the Ukraine government’s Center for Strategic Communication warned that its enemies might be preparing a “deepfake” video that appeared to show president Volodymyr Zelensky announcing his surrender to Russia’s invasion. On Wednesday, that warning appeared prescient.

(Source )

• Identity Theft & Harassment: 

  • People’s faces and voices are being stolen to create:

    • Fake apology videos
      
      

    • Fake statements
      
      

    • Fake confessions
      
      

    • Invasive fake content (especially targeting women)
      
      

  • This attacks:

    • Privacy rights
      
      

    • Right to dignity
      
      

    • Freedom from exploitation

• No country is truly prepared

  • Existing laws in many countries are weak.
    Countries like:

    • Denmark is trying to give people copyright over their own face/voice.
      
      

    • The US, EU, China, and India are still debating how to regulate it.
      
      

    • Most nations have zero deepfake-specific laws.
      
      

  • So the UNHRC needs to address:

    • What are the minimum protections individuals should have?
      
      

    • How do we balance privacy with free speech and creativity?
      
      

    • What is the responsibility of governments vs tech companies?
      
      

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