TikTok, one of the most popular social media platforms in the world, now hosts a large number of deepfake video streams that appear regularly. Deepfakes can be defined as videos in which a person’s face or body is digitally altered to look like someone else, usually a famous person. Such videos, which are frequently seen on TikTok, are starting to shake the credibility of the social media giant.
One notable example is the @deeptomcriuse TikTok account, which has nearly 3.6 million followers and posted dozens of deepfake videos impersonating Tom Cruise.
Similarly, there are many other names such as Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, actors Robert Pattinson and Keanu Reeves.
However, while these deepfakes can be used creatively for entertainment, they are increasingly used in misinformation campaigns, for identity theft, and to tarnish the reputations of public figures and celebrities. For example, a celebrity can be seen in a video where she appears to be saying things she didn’t say. While the technology used to create these videos is quite sophisticated, it is increasingly widely available and detection software and editing are increasingly lagging behind.
The alteration of texts, images and records forms the basis of many interactions, especially on the Internet, and can be used in a variety of narratives. Technology is often used for satire as well as in the field of digital art. This is because it is much better and cheaper for visual additions than green screens or computer-generated images. Deepfake technology can be used for many different purposes, such as bringing back artists who are no longer with us and repeating historical events.
However, although this technology can be used for many good purposes, it can also be used very easily for bad purposes. You can see Deepfake videos being used as “evidence” for false and fake news at many different points on the Internet. Also, as we mentioned earlier, these images can also be used to discredit celebrities or others whose dignity is paramount in their lives and careers (such as politicians). Even people’s faces can be used in deepfake porn.
In short, although it is a very useful and useful technology in many ways, humanity can once again see clearly how technology can be used for different purposes. Another dimension of the growing problem is the emergence of more and more deepfakes and less and less specialized skills and knowledge required to create images. Although people’s rights are tried to be protected by enacting regulations and laws against these videos, these regulations have not yet become widespread around the world.