‘Separating grain from chaff’ is a familiar usage in most conversations. Linguistics reckons that most languages in the world are blessed with similar usages. The ubiquitousness of the usage, maybe, is an indication of the significance and long tradition of agriculture in the history of human civilization. If we decide to exchange the agricultural era to the digital era what would be the usage that would convey the same meaning? My vote would be for ‘separating real from fake’!
Identifying the real from the fake in any case is the first step in building trust since time immemorial. The age-old practice has gained further importance in the digital era as the technology brought greater efficiency in the creation and spreading of fakes. The technology driven fakes are the principal factor behind the trust deficit that envelops modern society. Trust deficit naturally leads to lack of confidence in the prevailing system.
The real getting swarmed by the virtual is one of the early symptoms of the trust deficit from the beginning of the digital era. The rapid growth of digital technology especially, after the Internet Revolution, the distinction between the real and the virtual became increasingly blurred. The increasing paranoia due to the lack of trust dominated many discussions among social scientists, communication professionals and even philosophers. The advent of smart mobile phones further thinned the boundaries between the real and the virtual. The rapid progress in the realm of artificial intelligence and machine learning hastened the process and set the proverbial alarm bells across the world. Frantic discussions are on nowadays as even leaders of tech giants themselves cautioned about the sinister potentials inherent in the chatbots and other AI spin offs. Separating real from fake is no longer a matter of leisurely academic discussions.
WEF warning
A report by the World Economic Forum in May has flagged the main threats posed by deepfakes to various walks of social life. Identity threat, impersonation, disinformation, manipulation of public opinion etc. are some of the major concerns that seek the urgent attention of policy makers and other stakeholders.
The following data in the report is a window to the magnitude of the problem. “Between 2019 and 2020, the number of deepfake online content increased by 900%. Forecasts suggest that this worrisome trend will continue in the years to come – with some researchers predicting that “as much as 90% of online content may be synthetically generated by 2026”, says the WEF report.
It has also mentioned that 66 percent of the cyber security professionals experienced attacks within their organizations. Creation of fake audio and video messages impersonating the CEO or other top officials directing to transfer money is the favorite modus operandi by those behind the deepfakes. The banking sector is most vulnerable to deepfakes with personal banking and payments topping at the risk metrics. The report highlights a bank manager being tricked to transfer USD 35 million by the fraudsters.
Identity theft is another risk having serious repercussions for individuals, corporate entities and government organizations. Fake identity provides opportunities for cyber criminals to impersonate individuals apart from infiltrating into organizations. Identity theft could also be used for creating fake audio video messages for extortion and blackmail. Media nowadays has several reports of such activities by cyber criminals. ‘Honey Trapping’ has become part of the media lexicon thanks to cybercriminals!
The report about Rs 850 cr GST fraud using fake Aadhar and documents is another instance of the use of technology for committing fraud.
“The development of artificial intelligence (AI) has significantly increased the risk of deepfakes. AI algorithms, including generative models, can now create media that are difficult to distinguish from real images, videos or audio recordings. Moreover, these algorithms can be acquired at a low cost and trained on easily accessible datasets, making it easier for cybercriminals to create convincing deepfakes for phishing attacks and scam content”, the report said.
The threat posed by cyber criminals and the risks involved in dual-purpose technologies such as AI shouldn’t be used as a ruse to prevent further progress in these areas. The WEF report itself is clear on this point. “As deep fakes evolve, so does the technology and tools to detect such threats.
Now, deepfake detectors can help determine from biometric features, such as a heartbeat or human voice frequency, whether video or audio content is authentic or not”.
Apart from improving deepfake detection technologies the WEF highlighted the importance of ‘promoting media literacy’ and ‘ethical implications of AI and deepfake technology’. “Governments and regulatory bodies can play a significant role in shaping policies that regulate deepfake technology and promote transparent, accountable and responsible technology development and use. By doing so, we can ensure that AI does not cause harm”, the report said.
A few initiatives in this direction
By various governments across the world deserve our attention. The data protection law enacted by the European Union has received appreciation from a cross section of experts for its emphasis on protecting the rights and privacy of individuals.
The Government of India is also expected to bring a data protection law in near future. The draft bill circulated for wider consultation is likely to be introduced in the monsoon session of the parliament. Although critics have highlighted the faultlines in the proposed bill, everyone is of the opinion that having a data protection law is better than having nothing.
The European Union is also in the forefront of bringing a legal framework for regulating AI and similar other technologies. The process is expected to be completed in the next two years. The authorities concerned in the US are also mulling a regulatory framework for the AI based systems and their deployment. The initiatives on the part of the government and civil society organizations will help in improving trust in the digital era. In the meantime, everyone needed to be doubly cautious while using the digital devices and needed to follow the safety protocols scrupulously to avoid falling into the traps set by cyber criminals.