Deepfake of U.S. Official Appears After Shift on Ukraine Attacks in Russia
Probe
A deepfake video of a U.S. official appeared online after the Justice Department said it would no longer prosecute two Ukrainian officials accused of tampering with the 2016 election.
The video, which was posted on YouTube, shows a man who appears to be Andriy Derkach, a Ukrainian lawmaker who has been accused of spreading disinformation about former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter. In the video, the man claims that the Justice Department’s decision to drop the charges against the two Ukrainian officials is part of a larger effort to cover up the Biden family’s alleged corruption.
However, experts have said that the video is likely a deepfake, meaning it was created using artificial intelligence to make it appear as if the man is saying things he did not actually say. The video was first reported by the cybersecurity firm Graphika, which said that it was created using a technique called “face swapping,” in which the face of the man in the video is replaced with the face of someone else.
The Justice Department’s decision to drop the charges against the two Ukrainian officials has been criticized by some lawmakers and experts, who say that it sends a message that foreign interference in U.S. elections will not be taken seriously. The decision comes as the Biden administration has faced criticism for its handling of the investigation into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic, which some have suggested was caused by a laboratory accident in Wuhan, China.
The use of deepfakes to spread disinformation and propaganda is a growing concern, particularly in the lead-up to the 2022 midterm elections. In recent years, there have been several high-profile cases of deepfakes being used to impersonate politicians and celebrities, including a deepfake video of former President Barack Obama that was shared on social media in 2018.
Experts have warned that deepfakes could be used to sway public opinion, undermine trust in institutions, and even influence elections. In response, some governments and tech companies have taken steps to combat the spread of deepfakes, including developing tools to detect and remove them from social media platforms. However, some experts have expressed concern that these efforts may not be enough to prevent the widespread use of deepfakes in the future.