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1 in 4 Indians encounter political deepfakes: Report
KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)
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Summary
Tech giants like Google and Meta have also taken initiatives to tackle the issue of deepfakes and misinformation in India during the General Elections.
Nearly 1 in 4 Indians (25%) reportedly encounter political deepfakes, only to realise later that they were fake.
A new report from online security firm McAfee sheds light on the growing menace of deepfakes and their profound impact on Indian consumers. Released on Thursday, the study delves into the intersection of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the proliferation of deepfakes, exposing alarming trends in misinformation and cyber scams.
McAfee’s study highlights a sharp uptick in deepfake scams targeting ordinary citizens and high-profile figures spanning business, politics, entertainment, and sports. The unwitting propagation of deepfake content on popular social platforms like WhatsApp and Telegram is particularly troubling, fueling a dangerous cycle of amplification of misinformation.
The research also illuminates the pervasive anxieties among Indian consumers regarding the potential ramifications of deepfakes.
“When asked what potential uses of deepfakes are most concerning, 55% said cyberbullying, 52% said creating fake pornographic content, 49% said facilitating scams, 44% said impersonating public figures, 37% said undermining public trust in media, 31% said influencing elections, and 27% said distorting historical facts,” McAfee said.
According to McAfee, about 64% of respondents said AI has made it harder to spot online scams; 57% said they came across a video, image, or recording of a celebrity and thought it was real, with 31% losing money to a scam; 37% said their likeness was used to create sexually explicit content that was shared with others; and 22% said they came across a video, image, or recording of a political candidate and thought it was real at first.
Notably, incidents involving renowned personalities like Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, and Aamir Khan have served as cautionary tales, amplifying apprehensions surrounding the authenticity of digital content.
McAfee urges users to use fact-checking tools, scrutinise sources, and invest in cybersecurity solutions to keep themselves safe.
Tech giants like Google and Meta have also taken initiatives to tackle the issue of deepfakes and misinformation in India during the General Elections.
Google partnered with the Election Commission of India (ECI) to disseminate critical voting information through Google Search and YouTube. It also announced that it is supporting Shakti, The India Election Fact-Checking Collective and became a steering committee member of the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA), a global standards body dedicated to certifying the provenance of digital content.
Meta launched a dedicated WhatsApp helpline, in collaboration with the Misinformation Combat Alliance (MCA), to combat AI-generated misinformation, particularly deepfakes.
Furthermore, Meta is rolling out consumer education initiatives to empower users to discern and counter misinformation effectively. Initiatives like the ‘Know What’s Real’ campaign aim to educate users on identifying and addressing misinformation on WhatsApp and Instagram, along with providing tools to report suspicious content.
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