Fake news and propaganda is becoming more technologically advanced, and therefore more convincing and more dangerous, than ever before.
Face- and voice-swapping technology is particularly hazardous and in a new video, Get Out writer and director Jordan Peele uses the application FakeApp, which in the past has been used to humorous effect such as face-swapping Nic Cage and Lois Lane, as well as being used to insert celebrities’ faces into porn videos, to create this new ObamaPeele video.
The ‘deepfake’ is remarkably effective but isn’t widely accessible as it does require skill and a number of hours (this video took roughly 56 hours to cut together) to produce. However, videos like this will become easier, cheaper and faster to make.
According to Buzzfeed, you can become better equipped to spot fakes through a number of steps including waiting to see what other information comes to light about the video or piece of content in question, and holding back on sharing it with others.
You should also consider the source of where the item has been published and search to see if multiple media outlets have weighed in on it.
Telltale signs for deepfake videos include strange looking mouths and glitches which can be seen when the video is slowed down.
