Ahead of the Iowa caucuses – and the chaos that ensued after an app failed – YouTube reminded its community that deepfake videos – and other misleading videos aimed at voters that pose “serious risk of egregious harm” – are banned and will be removed.
Viewers won’t see birtherism videos or any other footage that falsely suggests that candidates aren’t eligible to run.
“Because deepfakes have proven to spread misinformation and damage reputations, regulation is critical,” said Robert Prigge, CEO of Jumio. “YouTube’s decision to ban deepfakes is a step in the right direction, but there is still plenty of room for improvement.”
Calling deepfakes “a serious threat to the digital economy and the evolution of digital identity,” Prigge said, “it’s far too easy to use AI to create realistic deepfakes – and they can be weaponized to commit fraud.”
