Facebook says it is banning “deepfake” videos — false, but realistic clips created with artificial intelligence and sophisticated tools — as it steps up efforts to fight online manipulation, but the policy leaves plenty of loopholes.
The social network on Monday said that it is beefing up its policies for removing videos edited or synthesized in ways that are not apparent to the average person, and which could dupe someone into thinking the video’s subject said something he or she did not actually say.
Created by artificial intelligence or machine learning, “deepfakes” combine or replace content to create images that look authentic.
“While these videos are still rare on the Internet, they present a significant challenge for our industry and society as their use increases,” Facebook vice president of global policy management Monika Bickert wrote in a blog post.
However, she said that the new rules would not include parody or satire, or clips edited just to change the order of words.
The exceptions underscore the balancing act Facebook and other social media services face in their struggle to stop the spread of online misinformation and “fake news,” while also respecting free speech and fending off allegations of censorship.
The US technology company has been grappling with how to handle the rise of “deepfakes” after it faced criticism last year for refusing to remove a video of US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi slurring her words, which was viewed more than 3 million times.
Experts said the crudely edited clip was more of a “cheap fake” than a “deepfake.”
A pair of artists then posted fake footage of Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg gloating over his one-man domination of the world.
Facebook also left that clip online. The company at the time said that neither video contravened its policies.
The problem of altered videos is taking on increasing urgency as experts and lawmakers look to prevent “deepfakes” from being used to interfere with the US presidential election in November.
The new policy is a “strong starting point,” but does not address broader problems, said Sam Gregory, program director at Witness, a nonprofit working on using video technology for human rights.
“The reality is there aren’t that many political ‘deepfakes’ at the moment,” Gregory said. “They’re mainly nonconsensual sexual images.”
The bigger problem is videos that are either shown without context or lightly edited, which some have dubbed “shallow fakes,” Gregory said.
These include the Pelosi clip or one of former US vice president Joe Biden, a Democratic presidential candidate, which was selectively edited to make it appear that he made racist remarks.
Facebook said that any videos, “deepfake” or not, would be removed if they contravene existing standards for nudity, graphic violence or hate speech.
Twitter, which has been another hotbed for misinformation and altered videos, said it is in the process of creating a policy for “synthetic and manipulated media,” which would include “deepfakes” and other doctored videos.
The company has asked for public feedback on the issue. The responses it is considering include putting a notice next to tweets that include manipulated material.
Meanwhile, YouTube has a policy against “deceptive practices” that the company says includes the “deceptive uses of manipulated media” that could pose serious risk of harm.
For instance, the company removed the Pelosi video.
Google, which owns YouTube, is researching how to better detect “deepfakes” and other manipulated media.
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