Facebook AI software able to dig up origins of deepfake images

SAN FRANCISCO, United States - Facebook scientists on Wednesday said they developed artificial intelligence software to not only identify "deepfake" images but to figure out where they came from.

Deepfakes are photos, videos or audio clips altered using artificial intelligence to appear authentic, which experts have warned can mislead or be completely false.

Facebook research scientists Tal Hassner and Xi Yin said their team worked with Michigan State University to create software that reverse engineers deepfake images to figure out how they were made and where they originated.

"Our method will facilitate deepfake detection and tracing in real-world settings, where the deepfake image itself is often the only information detectors have to work with," the scientists said in a blog post.

"This work will give researchers and practitioners tools to better investigate incidents of coordinated disinformation using deepfakes, as well as open up new directions for future research," they added.

Facebook's new software runs deepfakes through a network to search for imperfections left during the manufacturing process, which the scientists say alter an image's digital "fingerprint."

"In digital photography, fingerprints are used to identify the digital camera used to produce an image," the scientists said. 

"Similar to device fingerprints, image fingerprints are unique patterns left on images... that can equally be used to identify the generative model that the image came from."

"Our research pushes the boundaries of understanding in deepfake detection," they said.

Microsoft late last year unveiled software that can help spot deepfake photos or videos, adding to an arsenal of programs designed to fight the hard-to-detect images ahead of the US presidential election.

The company's Video Authenticator software analyzes an image or each frame of a video, looking for evidence of manipulation that could be invisible to the naked eye.

Agence France-Presse

Zuckerberg urges governments: Regulate political ads, private data

SAN FRANCISCO Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg on Wednesday called on governments to further regulate private data, political advertising and step up efforts to prevent state actors from interfering in US elections.

The CEO -- who has been widely criticized for a lackluster response to fake news -- said lack of action by US authorities on fake political content on the platform after the 2016 US election helped pave the way for a subsequent avalanche of online disinformation.

"As a private company we don't have the tools to make the Russian government stop... our government is the one that has the tools to apply pressure to Russia," he said during an on-stage interview at the Aspen Ideas Festival in Colorado.

"After 2016 when the government didn't take any kind of counter action, the signal that was sent to the world was that 'ok we're open for business', countries can try to do this stuff... fundamentally there isn't going to be a major recourse from the American government."

He said Facebook's new policy states that "anyone who wants to run political ads or issue ads or a page that gets a lot of distribution needs to verify their identity with us with a valid government ID." He said Facebook is working with election commissions for various electoral exercises all over the world. 

Zuckerberg also said the leading social network is struggling to find ways to deal with "deepfake" videos which have the potential to deceive and manipulate users on a massive scale.

The comments come amid growing concern over deepfakes -- which are altered by using artificial intelligence to appear genuine -- being used to manipulate elections or potentially spark unrest.

Earlier this month, Facebook's Instagram network decided not to take down a fake video of Zuckerberg himself, saying the CEO would not get special treatment.

Online platforms have been walking a fine line, working to root out misinformation and manipulation efforts while keeping open to free speech.

Zuckerberg said this is a constant challenge, repeating his position that Facebook should not be an arbiter of truth on the internet.

"I do not think we want to go so far towards saying that a private company prevents you from saying something that it thinks is factually incorrect to another person," he said.

jc/rl/rma/je

source: news.abs-cbn.com