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A wolf in sheep’s clothing: safety online in the age of AI · 2024-10-01 14:09 by Durrah Taqiah
AI is one of the most exciting innovations of our time, bringing incredible potential to transform industries, enhance daily life, and solve complex problems. However, as with any powerful tool, we must also be mindful of the risks it poses. Deepfakes, for example, are the ultimate wolf in sheep’s clothing—appearing authentic while hiding the potential for serious deception. In this issue, we’ll explore AI-generated manipulation tactics, like deepfakes, how they work, and how you can protect yourself from their growing influence.
Some of the biggest concerns:
Technology is something that helps us in countless ways. Yet it can also be used to deceive or try to gain an advantage over other persons. Many of us saw or heard about a Taylor Swift endorsement for the upcoming US presidential election which turned out to be a ‘deepfake’. According to the Oxford Dictionary online, a deepfake is “a video of a person in which their face or body has been digitally altered so that they appear to be someone else, typically used maliciously or to spread false information”. The fact that these ruses appear on such a large stage is troubling, but it’s also a sign of how far this trend has come, and in our smaller, personal worlds, AI-generated manipulation is already present and something we have to look out for.
1. Misinformation and Disinformation. At the current moment, the quality of deepfakes is so advanced it can create highly convincing fake videos or audio recordings. These can be used to spread misinformation or disinformation or to skew personal or public opinion. They can interfere with elections, propagate false narratives, or damage individuals or organizations. No one is immune.
2. Identity Theft and Fraud: deepfakes can be used to create realistic but fraudulent identities for scams or identity theft, especially as per email. For example, a deepfake video or audio might be used to impersonate someone and trick people into giving away personal information or money. It’s like those old email schemes but more sophisticated, and more believable to the unaware eye.
3. Social Engineering Attacks: AI can be used to analyze social media profiles and other online data to craft quite personalized phishing schemes. These are more likely to succeed because they are tailored to the victim’s specific interests, behaviors and habits. It’s like tracking on steroids, and many people are falling for these misleading traps.
What can I do?
We’ve mentioned some of the ways that AI-generated schemes can infiltrate our digital lives. But there’s also a lot we can do to be informed and safe online. To mitigate these risks, it’s important for us to remain vigilant, verify the authenticity of information, and use technologies like AI-based detection tools that can help us identify deepfakes and other forms of manipulated content.
According to Unite.AI, “Attestiv has introduced a commercial-grade deepfake detection solution designed for individuals, influencers, and businesses.” It has a free basic version with upgrades available. Intel’s Real-Time DeepfakeDetector is another option. Whatever you decide to use, it’s important to know that there are tools to turn to when we are in doubt.
Important as well is fostering digital literacy and critical thinking skills. This can help us navigate and scrutinize the content we encounter online. Does this information seem phishy? Do I feel a sense of doubt? Is it too good to be true? A quick check goes a long way.
For example with emails we don’t trust, one of the quickest and easiest ways to see if it’s from a reliable source is to check the actual address you are receiving it from, not just what you see immediately in the email line. Check the domain for misspellings, like ‘AdBl8ck’, or other things that seem unfamiliar or odd. Legitimate organizations will have a consistent and recognizable domain name.
All of this is part of a better digital awareness: being on the lookout, double-checking things that seem off and relying on the many resources available.
Our day-to-day best practices are still important
Of course, this all goes along with maintaining standard best practices online, like having your back covered when it comes to invasive ads, malware and unwanted tracking. That’s why it’s important to have your ad-filtering or ad-blocking software in place, like with AdBlock and Adblock Plus. If you don’t have Premium, you can upgrade today. Having safeguards in place is a small but vital thing that brings benefits every time we are online.
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