Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

A First Look at Fresno State’s Quarterback Battle

2 hours ago

Israeli Columnist Alleges Ethnic Cleansing Plan in Gaza

2 hours ago

Tesla to Roll out Bay Area Robotaxis With Safety Drivers, Report Says

3 hours ago

Thailand and Cambodia Exchange Heavy Artillery Fire as Border Battle Expands

4 hours ago

California Cannot Require Background Checks to Buy Ammunition, US Appeals Court Rules

1 day ago

TikTok Will Go Dark in US Without Chinese Approval of Sale Deal, Lutnick Says

1 day ago

Fresno County Authorities Still Searching for Missing Mother and Infant

1 day ago
Deepfake Video Trickery Expected in November Elections
Bill McEwen updated website photo 2024
By Bill McEwen, News Director
Published 7 years ago on
July 6, 2018

Share

WASHINGTON — Hey, did my congressman really say that? Is that really President Donald Trump on that video, or am I being duped?
New technology on the internet lets anyone make videos of real people appearing to say things they’ve never said. Republicans and Democrats predict this high-tech way of putting words in someone’s mouth will become the latest weapon in disinformation wars against the United States and other Western democracies.
We’re not talking about lip-syncing videos. This technology uses facial mapping and artificial intelligence to produce videos that appear so genuine it’s hard to spot the phonies. Lawmakers and intelligence officials worry that the bogus videos — called deepfakes — could be used to threaten national security or interfere in elections.
So far, that hasn’t happened, but experts say it’s not a question of if, but when.

Deepfakes Expected in 2020 Elections

“I expect that here in the United States we will start to see this content in the upcoming midterms and national election two years from now,” said Hany Farid, a digital forensics expert at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire. “The technology, of course, knows no borders, so I expect the impact to ripple around the globe.”
When an average person can create a realistic fake video of the president saying anything they want, Farid said, “we have entered a new world where it is going to be difficult to know how to believe what we see.” The reverse is a concern, too. People may dismiss as fake genuine footage, say of a real atrocity, to score political points.
Realizing the implications of the technology, the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is already two years into a four-year program to develop technologies that can detect fake images and videos. Right now, it takes extensive analysis to identify phony videos. It’s unclear if new ways to authenticate images or detect fakes will keep pace with deepfake technology.

Deepfakes Use AI To Mimic Faces & Voices

Deepfakes are so named because they utilize deep learning, a form of artificial intelligence. They are made by feeding a computer an algorithm, or set of instructions, lots of images and audio of a certain person. The computer program learns how to mimic the person’s facial expressions, mannerisms, voice and inflections. If you have enough video and audio of someone, you can combine a fake video of the person with a fake audio and get them to say anything you want.
So far, deepfakes have mostly been used to smear celebrities or as gags, but it’s easy to foresee a nation-state using them for nefarious activities against the U.S., said Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., one of several members of the Senate intelligence committee who are expressing concern about deepfakes.
A foreign intelligence agency could use the technology to produce a fake video of an American politician using a racial epithet or taking a bribe, Rubio says. They could use a fake video of a U.S. soldier massacring civilians overseas, or one of a U.S. official supposedly admitting a secret plan to carry out a conspiracy. Imagine a fake video of a U.S. leader — or an official from North Korea or Iran — warning the United States of an impending disaster.

A Weapon in the Vein of Fake News

“It’s a weapon that could be used — timed appropriately and placed appropriately — in the same way fake news is used, except in a video form, which could create real chaos and instability on the eve of an election or a major decision of any sort,” Rubio told The Associated Press.
Deepfake technology still has a few hitches. For instance, people’s blinking in fake videos may appear unnatural. But the technology is improving.
“Within a year or two, it’s going to be really hard for a person to distinguish between a real video and a fake video,” said Andrew Grotto, an international security fellow at the Center for International Security and Cooperation at Stanford University in California.
“This technology, I think, will be irresistible for nation states to use in disinformation campaigns to manipulate public opinion, deceive populations and undermine confidence in our institutions,” Grotto said. He called for government leaders and politicians to clearly say it has no place in civilized political debate.

Fake Russian Videos Target US Diplomats

Crude videos have been used for malicious political purposes for years, so there’s no reason to believe the higher-tech ones, which are more realistic, won’t become tools in future disinformation campaigns.
Rubio noted that in 2009, the U.S. Embassy in Moscow complained to the Russian Foreign Ministry about a fake sex video it said was made to damage the reputation of a U.S. diplomat. The video showed the married diplomat, who was a liaison to Russian religious and human rights groups, making telephone calls on a dark street. The video then showed the diplomat in his hotel room, scenes that apparently were shot with a hidden camera. Later, the video appeared to show a man and a woman having sex in the same room with the lights off, although it was not at all clear that the man was the diplomat.
John Beyrle, who was the U.S. ambassador in Moscow at the time, blamed the Russian government for the video, which he said was clearly fabricated.
Michael McFaul, who was American ambassador in Russia between 2012 and 2014, said Russia has engaged in disinformation videos against various political actors for years and that he too had been a target. He has said that Russian state propaganda inserted his face into photographs and “spliced my speeches to make me say things I never uttered and even accused me of pedophilia.”

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Kern County Fire Issues Evacuation Warnings for Pearl Fire Near Lake Isabella

DON'T MISS

Gaza Running out of Specialized Food to Save Malnourished Children

DON'T MISS

New Madera Bypass Project Aims to Ease Traffic on Highway 41 Near Tesoro Viejo

DON'T MISS

Key Player in California’s Water Wars Embraces Controversial Newsom Plan

DON'T MISS

A First Look at Fresno State’s Quarterback Battle

DON'T MISS

Israeli Columnist Alleges Ethnic Cleansing Plan in Gaza

DON'T MISS

US States to Get $608 Million From FEMA to Build Migrant Detention Centers

DON'T MISS

Trump: Strong Dollar Sounds Good but ‘You Make a Hell of a Lot More’ With a Weaker One

DON'T MISS

US Appeals Court Rejects Challenge to Washington Laws Concerning Transgender Minors

DON'T MISS

Tesla to Roll out Bay Area Robotaxis With Safety Drivers, Report Says

UP NEXT

Trump: Strong Dollar Sounds Good but ‘You Make a Hell of a Lot More’ With a Weaker One

UP NEXT

Trump Says US May Not Have a Negotiated Trade Deal With Canada

UP NEXT

Trump Says There Is a 50-50 Chance of Trade Deal With EU

UP NEXT

Amid Epstein Furor, Ghislaine Maxwell Seeks Relief From US Supreme Court

UP NEXT

US Justice Department Official Meets Epstein Associate Maxwell

UP NEXT

Lara Trump Skips North Carolina US Senate Race, Clears Way for Cooper Versus Whatley

UP NEXT

Michael Whatley, RNC Chair, to Run for Senate in North Carolina

UP NEXT

Video-Sharing App Vine Is Returning ‘in AI Form’, Musk Says

UP NEXT

CBS News Taps Tanya Simon as New Boss of ’60 Minutes’ After Trump Lawsuit

UP NEXT

Justice Department to Assess Claims of ‘Alleged Weaponization’ of US Intelligence Community

Bill McEwen,
News Director
Bill McEwen is news director and columnist for GV Wire. He joined GV Wire in August 2017 after 37 years at The Fresno Bee. With The Bee, he served as Opinion Editor, City Hall reporter, Metro columnist, sports columnist and sports editor through the years. His work has been frequently honored by the California Newspapers Publishers Association, including authoring first-place editorials in 2015 and 2016. Bill and his wife, Karen, are proud parents of two adult sons, and they have two grandsons. You can contact Bill at 559-492-4031 or at Send an Email

Key Player in California’s Water Wars Embraces Controversial Newsom Plan

1 hour ago

A First Look at Fresno State’s Quarterback Battle

2 hours ago

Israeli Columnist Alleges Ethnic Cleansing Plan in Gaza

2 hours ago

US States to Get $608 Million From FEMA to Build Migrant Detention Centers

2 hours ago

Trump: Strong Dollar Sounds Good but ‘You Make a Hell of a Lot More’ With a Weaker One

3 hours ago

US Appeals Court Rejects Challenge to Washington Laws Concerning Transgender Minors

3 hours ago

Tesla to Roll out Bay Area Robotaxis With Safety Drivers, Report Says

3 hours ago

Trump Says He Has Not Considered Clemency for Ghislaine Maxwell

3 hours ago

Fresno Police Arrest Felon in Connection With Drive-by Shooting

4 hours ago

US Clears Way for $8 Billion Paramount-Skydance Merger

4 hours ago

Kern County Fire Issues Evacuation Warnings for Pearl Fire Near Lake Isabella

An evacuation warning was issued Friday for parts of Lake Isabella in Kern County as firefighters responded to a wildfire threat known as th...

28 seconds ago

Kern County fire officials have issued evacuation warnings for two zones near Lake Isabella as the Pearl Fire threatens the area. (Kern County FD)
29 seconds ago

Kern County Fire Issues Evacuation Warnings for Pearl Fire Near Lake Isabella

Palestinian mother Ghaneyma Joma sits next to her malnourished son Younis Joma as he receives treatment at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, July 8, 2024. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem/File Photo Palestinian mother Ghaneyma Joma sits next to her malnourished son Younis Joma as he receives treatment at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, July 8, 2024. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem/File Photo
24 minutes ago

Gaza Running out of Specialized Food to Save Malnourished Children

1 hour ago

New Madera Bypass Project Aims to Ease Traffic on Highway 41 Near Tesoro Viejo

Salmon on California's American River
1 hour ago

Key Player in California’s Water Wars Embraces Controversial Newsom Plan

2 hours ago

A First Look at Fresno State’s Quarterback Battle

Palestinians inspect the damage at an UNRWA school sheltering displaced people that was hit in an Israeli air strike on Sunday, in Gaza City, June 30, 2025. (Reuters/Mahmoud Issa)
2 hours ago

Israeli Columnist Alleges Ethnic Cleansing Plan in Gaza

An aerial view shows "Alligator Alcatraz" ICE detention center at Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport in Ochopee, Florida, U.S. July 24, 2025. (Reuters File)
2 hours ago

US States to Get $608 Million From FEMA to Build Migrant Detention Centers

President Donald Trump speaks after disembarking Marine One, as he departs for Scotland, at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, U.S., July 25, 2025. (Reuters/Evelyn Hockstein)
3 hours ago

Trump: Strong Dollar Sounds Good but ‘You Make a Hell of a Lot More’ With a Weaker One

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend