3 Ways you CAN DO to Avoid Deep Fakes From Ruining the Philippine Election

3 Ways you CAN DO to Avoid Deep Fakes From Ruining the Philippine Election

Before we jump into the topic of the weaponization of deep fakes in the coming Year 2022 Philippine elections, let me ask you a quick question.

Are you a registered voter? If not, go out and register.

I had a friend that was very strong in arguing with people during the last 2016 election. But when I asked him who he would vote for, he said he can’t because he is not a registered voter.

But anyway, back to the article.

Today we will talk about deep fakes. What it can do and its weaponization during elections.

Social media and the internet helped dirty politicians and supporters spread fake news. The weaknesses of the internet algorithms enabled contractors to share fake articles. 

Political parties and supporters fabricate fake news articles about one another. And it EXPLODED big time. Fake news is shared more than the real news itself. 

So what does it have to do with deep fakes? Or, better yet, what are deep fakes? 

In simple terms, deep fake is a technology that changes the identity of original content. It can create fakes on images and videos. The most common output is altered pictures and videos. In images, a culprit can change the face of a person in a picture. And in videos, they can change the face and modulate a voice. 

It’s splicing a new face and voice to an original video.

And if you think about this deeply, this is a scary type of technology. 

How to Weaponize Deep Fakes During the Philippine Elections?

Filipino’s are emotional and we bring that behavior during elections. It’s very common for family members and friends to be arguing over political candidates. We tend to be more involved, especially when our emotions and egos are triggered. 

And perpetrators can exploit this human behavior and hasten the spread of misinformation. 

Rival politicians can create believable video or image content against one another. They can tell stories that can destroy a person’s political career or destroys their persona. But above political ambitions, the real danger of deep fakes is the alteration of the truth. 

Misinformation is more dangerous than no information at all.

How can we Avoid the Spread of Deep Fakes?

The first defense against deep fakes is control over emotions. 

Deep fakes, like fake news, spread like wildfire because we allow our emotions to rule over logic. We are quick to share any information that sits well with what we feel, even if we ourselves are not sure if it's fake or not. 

Learn to Confirm Information

How to identify a deep fake?

This can be tricky, but one way of identifying is to learn to confirm information.

This has something to do with the first bullet. Most of us don't even try to validate because we allow emotions to rule over logic. And this has nothing to do with education as well. I know many educated people that have their fingers on the trigger in sharing fake news. 

Thus, if you value correct information, learn to confirm details and ask questions. Before sharing outrageous content, ask yourself first if it is true or not. If it’s something truthful, other news outlets or websites will talk about it. 

Among the most common sources of reliable information are news publication websites, registered media companies, and official press releases of the government.

Compare other sources and look at what they are talking about the subject you’ve just watched or read.

And always remember, just because it’s on Facebook, it doesn’t mean it’s true.

Do not Praise or Encourage the use of Deep Fake Technology

Deep fakes are fun and interesting creations until they're used against you. 

In this coming 2022 election, deep fakes are dangerous in the hands of irresponsible people. The frequent use of deep fakes can lead to the accessibility of the technology to the public. And as a matter of fact, tutorials on how to create deep fakes are available on the internet. 

Thus, if the use of deep fakes will not be stopped, you can be a potential victim of this intrusion of Privacy and alteration of the truth.

Prevention of the Spread of Deep Fakes

The prevention of the spread of deep fakes on the internet is in our hands. We can all be mature and learn to control our emotions during issues. Let us avoid sharing information that is unvalidated or something we do not have the first-hand experience with.

The misinformation will be omnidirectional but, there is a way you can help to stop the spread of deep fakes and other fake news. Maintain a habit of validating what you see and watch before sharing. And soon, you’ll develop a high sense of maturity in handling and sharing information on the internet.