Concerns Rise as Deepfakes Spread Ahead of Elections

LOS ANGELES — A recent survey conducted by market research company 3Gem reveals that a significant number of voters have been exposed to deepfakes, raising concerns about their potential impact on elections. Out of the 2,000 adults surveyed, 63% reported encountering deepfakes in the previous 60 days, with 15% exposed to 10 or more instances. Political deepfakes were found to be the most common type, particularly in swing states such as Michigan, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Nevada, and Wisconsin.

While the majority of deepfakes encountered were parodies, 40% were designed to mislead, causing potential harm by confirming biases or eroding trust in media. Mental health experts warn that these manipulations add an additional layer of stress during an already tense period.

The survey, commissioned by cybersecurity company McAfee, also revealed that 91% of respondents expressed concerns about deepfakes interfering with the election process. Worries about deepfakes influencing public perception of candidates or affecting election results were particularly high, with nearly 40% describing themselves as highly concerned. These concerns have seen a significant increase since January, with worries about deepfakes used for cyberbullying, scams, and fake pornography decreasing.

The absence of specific federal or California statutes to address deepfakes in ads has raised further concerns. While California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill last month to prohibit deceptive, digitally altered campaign materials within 120 days of an election, a federal judge temporarily blocked it on First Amendment grounds. However, California law does currently prohibit “materially deceptive” campaign ads within 60 days of an election.

To combat the spread of deepfakes, companies like McAfee, Hiya, and BitMind offer software tools that help detect AI-generated content. These tools are crucial as the technology for generating deepfakes is currently more advanced than the tools for detecting them. Maintaining a healthy skepticism towards online content is advised, as deepfakes can be embedded within otherwise authentic material, subtly altering the message.

State Senator Josh Becker highlighted the importance of residents actively spotting and stopping disinformation. He recommended questioning content that provokes strong emotions, verifying the source of information, sharing information only from reliable sources, and reporting suspicious content to election officials and relevant platforms.

McAfee provides a set of tips on its website to help identify probable deepfakes, avoid election-related scams, and prevent the spread of bogus media. These include looking for repetition, shallow reasoning, and a lack of facts in texts, zooming in on images and audio for inconsistencies, corroborating material with content from well-established sources, and not taking anything at face value.

As the prevalence of deepfakes continues to grow, trust in digital media is eroded. While this poses challenges in holding individuals accountable for genuine evidence of malfeasance, it is crucial to remain vigilant and verify information from reliable sources.

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