Outsmarting Deepfakes and Voice Theft: Insights from the Bits, Bytes, and Solutions Podcast

Deepfakes and voice theft are emerging technologies that threaten privacy and security in the digital world. On the latest episode of our podcast, Bits, Bytes, and Solutions, I sat down with Fizen™ founder Jared Knisley to unpack how these spoofing technologies work and how regular people can protect themselves.

What are Deepfakes and How are They Created?

Deepfakes use AI to digitally impose existing images and videos onto source media. The algorithm swaps the faces so seamlessly that it’s difficult to tell what’s real and what’s fabricated.

As Jared explained, deepfakes leverage something called generative adversarial networks (GANs). Essentially two AI algorithms work against each other – one generates the fake media, the other tries to detect errors. This constant game of cat and mouse results in increasingly realistic deepfakes.

The Malicious Uses and Damaging Examples

While deepfakes can be entertaining, like putting Nicholas Cage in popular movies, they also enable serious misdeeds. As Jared pointed out, we’ve already seen deepfakes weaponized for fraud, revenge porn, fake news, and political sabotage.

One concerning example highlighted was the leaked fake video of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that went viral. The doctored footage made her speech sound slurred, pushing a narrative that she was unfit for office.

The Growing Scale of the Deepfake Problem

Jared noted that the number of deepfake videos online is exploding. We also discussed how the barriers to entry are lowering over time. Today, there are user-friendly apps that generate deepfake videos right from your smartphone.

This increase in scale and accessibility is amplifying the potential for scams and disinformation using deepfakes. It’s not just public figures at risk – anyone could be targeted.

How Voice Theft Scams Work

In addition to videos, criminals are stealing voice recordings and using AI to impersonate people over the phone. Fraudsters can call banks and try to access private account information by mimicking a client’s voice.

We discussed high-profile voice theft cases like the 2019 scam targeting an energy CEO in Germany. The criminals cloned his voice from public speeches and fooled subordinates into sending over $240,000.

Spotting Deepfakes and Protecting Yourself

The good news is that forensics experts are making progress on deepfake detection. Jared mentioned how clues like unnatural blinking patterns can reveal an AI-generated video. However, the technology is always improving and trying to avoid detection.

Ultimately, we agreed increased awareness is the best defense. Understanding how these scams operate makes you less likely to be manipulated. Jared suggested proactively putting your social media accounts on private and avoiding oversharing personal details publicly.

Ongoing Challenges and Next Steps

Social platforms and governments are scrambling to get policies and monitoring systems in place. But deepfake technology continues to rapidly evolve. We discussed the need for stronger regulations and accountability systems across tech companies.

As citizens, we must keep pressure on lawmakers and demand tech ethics. We also need to educate ourselves on deception tactics in the digital sphere. Knowledge and skepticism are the antidotes.

I hope you’ll check out the full episode of Bits, Bytes, and Solutions wherever you listen to podcasts. Stay vigilant against deepfakes and voice theft, and spread the word so others can protect themselves too. Let’s take the power back.