The phenomenon of “fake videos” or doctored videos is an increasingly common practice of creating manipulated videos to sow confusion and misinformation. They have had a global impact with the rise of deepfakes and video generation models using artificial intelligence. With more than 2,000 verified incidents recorded in a single quarter by cybersecurity researchers and a booming deepfake market, technological advances in deep learning and generative artificial intelligence are making video fakes increasingly difficult to detect, even for trained eyes.
Serious consequences
The consequences can be serious, as they can lead to the dissemination of false information, manipulate financial markets and influence public opinions during elections or geopolitical crises. Indeed, financial losses linked to deepfake frauds and scams now exceed $1.2 billion globally, affecting both individuals and large companies. Governments, media and businesses are increasingly aware of this phenomenon. They put in place regulations (such as EU AI Act or American law TAKE IT DOWN Act), digital watermarks like SynthID marking, and authentication tools to detect and fight against fake videos. It is therefore important to remain vigilant and verify the sources of videos before sharing them or using them as evidence.
Special effects used in the film industry
There are several techniques for faking videos, here are the main ones. Editing existing videos with video editing software has been around for a long time. This consists of modifying existing videos by adding or removing elements or changing the context or the meaning of the video. The use of computer image generation (CGI) and AI video synthesis have sometimes complicated their nature by creating an entirely digital video using special effects creation software. This method is often used in the film industry to create action scenes or environments that would be impossible to film in reality.bedridden.
New videos that worry
Above all, we can cite uses that are worrying. Particularly real-time video, which consists of using live capture and broadcast software coupled with AI filters to broadcast a fake video in real time (such as during video conferences or live streams). Live video and audio manipulation has also increased by more than 40% in one year, illustrated by spectacular scams where employees paid more than 25 million dollars during video conferences entirely created by AI. This technique can be used to create fake news or events that never happened. Deepfake is even more frowned upon.
This uses artificial intelligence to replace a person’s face or voice in an existing video with that of another person, or generate a person from scratch. This technique is becoming more and more sophisticated. It can give the impression that the person being manipulated is saying or doing something that they never said or did. This type of video has also been talked about and has been used on numerous occasions in contemporary conflicts, notably in Ukraine and the Middle East, as well as in major electoral campaigns.
The annoying phenomenon: staged videos
Videos staged to create buzz have become very common on social networks and the Internet. These videos often aim to attract attention, go viral, and generate views and interactions. They can take several forms, such as “prank” or hoaxes. People play tricks on strangers or friends, “fails”, where people attempt dangerous or impressive actions, which often end badly.
The problem with these videos staged to create buzz, apart from the fact that some Internet users really believe them, is that they can encourage dangerous or irresponsible behavior. They can also have harmful consequences for those involved, such as physical injury or damage to their reputation.
How to check if a video is fake?
It is not always easy to detect if a video is fake. However, here are some tips that can help including checking the video source or video details. For the source, you may wonder if the source is questionable or unknown. This may be an indicator that it is false. Next, look closely at details in the video, such as elements in the background, consistency of light, people’s clothing, shadows, eye blinks, or hand movements. If something looks distorted or incorrect, it could be a sign that it’s a fake video. Don’t hesitate to search for similar videos if you have doubts or check if there might be another version using reverse image search.
A little common sense never hurts, you can identify some of them by simply asking yourself who is filming the scene or if this situation is credible. Just because a video tells you it’s real doesn’t mean it’s real. case. Nothing prevents it from being played by actors or artificially generated when the shot may appear natural.
There are also several online tools and platforms that can help check whether a video is fake or not. For example, Amnesty International has created a tool called The Citizen Evidence Lab that helps analyze and detect fake or contextually distorted videos in fact-checking investigations.
