In the age of information, fake stories and newsworthy topics spread like wildfire via social media sites like Twitter and Facebook. The BBC is making a concerted effort to combat this problem by offering up it's own webpage that specifically tackles fake news stories that are found floating around the web.
Browsing through the site and it's many debunking articles, it is clear that this is a real issue that can be relentless. Currently, most of the articles are focused on debunking fake news stories regarding the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. One of the more interesting stories I found is titled: Deepfake presidents used in Russia-Ukraine war. This article illuminates the many "deepfake" videos that have been circulating which put words in Vladimir Putin and Volodymr Zelensky mouths aimed to spread disinformation among the Ukrainian and Russian forces.
(Credit: BBC https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-60780142)
To the untrained eye, deepfake videos appear to be authentic and real, which leads to mass confusion. As quoted from the above article, "Volodymr Zelensky appears behind a podium, telling Ukrainians to put down their weapons. His head appears too large for and more pixelated than his body - and his voice sounds deeper." The problem of deepfake videos will become even bigger as the technology develops. To learn more about how deepfake videos are made, a wonderful explanation can be seen here.
[2 image, 4 links, 1 quotation, 221 words]
Comments