Deepfakes - Your Identity Isn’t Yours Anymore

The alarming reality of deepfake technology

Deepfake technology has risen in an era where anyone's face and voice can be hijacked without consent, creating a playground for identity thieves and fraudsters. With just a single photo, these AI-driven tools can fabricate entirely convincing videos, blurring the line between reality and deception. Deepfake technology means anyone can take your face, your voice, and steal your identity for whatever they want. 

They don’t need your consent. Entire videos of you can be generated from a single photo. Entire audio recordings of your voice can be fabricated from just a short audio clip. The synthetic you in the audio recordings and video clips could be saying or doing anything. Your image will be doing whatever the deepfake creator chooses.

The technology to create these deepfakes is just a quick search away. There are open-source applications dedicated to creating deepfakes. If a user considers this too difficult, there are many apps for creating deepfakes that are free to download and easy to use. Websites created for the sole purpose of undressing photos of women were used by 24 million people in September alone. MrDeepFakes, the most popular deepfake pornography site, was visited 111.8 million times in October 2023 only. 

An overwhelming 96% of deepfakes are non-consensual and pornographic, while the remainder are almost exclusively used to commit fraud. Since 2019, there has been an alarming 550% increase in the production of deepfake videos. This explosive growth is not confined to the fringes of the internet; it's a phenomenon that's penetrating deep into the fabric of our society, affecting all sectors.

In a recent survey, more than half of businesses in the US reported experiencing deepfake voice fraud, underlining the pervasive nature of this technology. The first quarter of 2023 alone witnessed more cases of deepfake fraud than all of 2022, highlighting a worrying trend. The sophistication of deepfakes has evolved to a point where they are being used in intricate scams, posing a serious threat to personal privacy and security.

In a particularly disturbing instance, a mother in the USA received a phone call that underscores the sophistication and often horrifying nature of deepfake fraud. The caller had a voice unmistakably similar to her daughter’s, screaming for help and claiming she had been kidnapped. The supposed kidnappers demanded a ransom and the mother panicked, but the voice on the phone wasn't her daughter’s; it was a deepfake. This harrowing episode is a clear example of the disturbing ability of these tools to create highly convincing and emotionally manipulative scenarios.

The proliferation of deepfakes and their nefarious usage underscores the urgent need for increased awareness, better security measures, and robust legal frameworks to combat a rising tide of digital deception. As deepfake technology continues to advance and becomes more accessible, the potential for its misuse only grows, making it imperative that we address this issue with the seriousness it deserves.

To gain a deeper understanding of deepfakes' profound effects on innocent people's lives, we invite you to watch our short film. It delves into the world of deepfakes, illustrating their impact on individuals, and underscoring the urgent need for solutions. 

You can find it here:

We need to act now. 

We need your help.