Deepfakes Are Becoming More Convincing: How to Spot Them

In the age of technology, every advancement happens at a breakneck pace—so much so that it’s challenging to adapt and understand the changes around us. That’s why cybersecurity experts never tire of reminding us to be cautious when we browse and to install a good antivirus that keeps us protected at all times. Our recommendation for the latter is to choose Avast Free Antivirus as your trusted antivirus.

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These manipulations generated by artificial intelligence, using the faces and voices of well-known personalities, have sparked great concern due to their potential impact on individuals and society. As we witness the growing sophistication of these deepfakes, it’s more crucial than ever to be savvy consumers of the digital content we come across.

What Are Deepfakes and How Have They Emerged in Recent Years?

Deepfakes usually target public figures—actors, politicians, singers, etc. Malicious hackers and cybercriminals try to deceive people with videos and images of these personalities. Their objectives vary, ranging from extortion and deception to causing chaos.

Technically skilled individuals can create highly realistic videos and audio recordings featuring celebrities by leveraging advanced artificial intelligence—particularly Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) and deep learning algorithms. These manipulations can range from impersonations to placing famous people in fabricated scenarios, blurring the line between reality and fiction.

Face Swapping and Voice Synthesis

Early versions of celebrity impersonations focused primarily on face-swapping—superimposing a celebrity’s likeness onto someone else in a video sequence. With the integration of voice synthesis technology, today’s deepfakes can convincingly replicate a celebrity’s voice, making them even harder to detect.

Misuse and Exploitation

The misuse of celebrity deepfakes goes far beyond harmless entertainment. Hackers can exploit this technology to create fake content that tarnishes a celebrity’s reputation, spreads false information, or even engages in cyberbullying. The potential damage is considerable, affecting celebrities, public trust, and perception of digital media.

Major cybersecurity firms are tackling this danger that affects us all. They are designing tools capable of detecting the artifacts and mechanisms behind deepfake creation. The leader in the cybersecurity sector, Avast Free Antivirus, claims that the majority of current cyber threats are based on human manipulation.

How to Tell If a Video Has Been Altered: Spotting Deepfakes

When it comes to AI-manipulated media, there isn’t a single surefire way to spot a fake. Fortunately, deepfakes often have inherent telltale signs you can look out for to avoid being duped:

1. Pay Close Attention to the Face
   High-level deepfake manipulations almost always involve facial transformations, so closely examine the faces of the video’s subjects.
2. Check the Cheeks and Forehead
   Does the skin look too smooth or too wrinkled? Does skin aging match the aging seen in the hair and eyes? Deepfakes can be inconsistent in certain areas. Details are everything.
3. Observe the Eyes and Eyebrows
   Do the shadows appear where you’d expect them to be? Deepfakes might not fully capture the natural physics of a scene. Notice where the light source is and where shadows should fall.
4. Look at Any Glasses
   Are there reflections? Is there too much glare? Does the glare angle change when the person moves? Again, deepfakes may fail to replicate natural lighting physics.
5. Facial Hair, or Lack Thereof
   Does the facial hair look realistic? Deepfakes can add or remove mustaches, sideburns, or beards, but they might fail to make those hair transformations look natural.
6. Check the Blinking
   Is the person blinking too little or too often? Minor details like these can give away a deepfake.
7. Lip Movements
   Some deepfakes rely on lip-sync technology. Do the lip movements appear natural?
8. Pay Attention to Sound
   Since deepfakes have evolved to include video and audio, listening carefully to the voice is key. Does the voice sound realistic? Are there any strange background noises that could suggest the audio was spliced from another source? Poor-quality audio can betray a deepfake.

While these tips aren’t infallible, they should help you determine whether you’re dealing with a manipulated or original, legitimate video. One final piece of advice: trust your instincts. If something seems off, or if what the celebrity is saying appears completely unrealistic, illogical, or inflammatory, be skeptical.

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Finally, it is highly recommended that you install a good antivirus on your devices, both at home and in the office. It is the last line of defense against scams, fraud, deception, and phishing campaigns that populate the internet. Our recommendation, as always, is to install Avast Free Antivirus, as its app is very user-friendly and has the best and most up-to-date tools against viruses and malware in general.