Indian government issues AI Deepfake warning, shares tips for detection and staying protected

AI

Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) has issued an advisory warning about the rising threats posed by AI-generated deepfakes. The advisory highlights risks such as misinformation, financial fraud, and reputational damage, and provides guidance for individuals and organizations to detect and counter these threats.

Deepfake threats

Deepfake technology uses artificial intelligence to create or manipulate highly realistic videos, images, and audio. While it has legitimate uses in entertainment and education, it also poses significant risks. Deepfakes are increasingly exploited for financial fraud, spreading disinformation, and social engineering attacks. Non-consensual explicit content is another area of concern, violating privacy and causing emotional distress.

How deepfake scams work

Financial Fraud: Scammers impersonate individuals, such as company executives or family members, to extract money or sensitive financial details.
Disinformation: Deepfakes of public figures or events are used to spread false information, potentially influencing politics, journalism, and public trust.
Social engineering: Scammers create fake content of loved ones in distress to manipulate individuals emotionally and extract information or money.
Privacy violations: Non-consensual explicit content is created using deepfakes, breaching privacy and causing reputational harm.

Tips to detect deepfakes
CERT-In suggests the following steps to identify deepfake content:
Verify sources: Ensure digital content is from reliable sources before sharing or acting on it.
Look for anomalies: Identify signs such as unnatural blinking, mismatched lip-sync, inconsistent lighting, or distorted visuals.
Cross-reference information: Confirm the accuracy of content through multiple trusted sources.
Educate Yourself: Stay informed about advancements in deepfake technology and detection methods.

Steps to stay protected
The advisory recommends precautions for individuals and organizations:
Limit personal data: Avoid sharing high-resolution images or videos online.
Enable privacy settings: Control access to personal content on social media platforms.
Use multi-factor authentication (MFA): Secure accounts with MFA to reduce risks of hacking.
Monitor public channels: Keep track of potential deepfake content targeting your organization.
Adopt secure communication: Use encrypted channels for sensitive discussions to prevent interception.