Canadian intelligence warns of the threat of deepfakes

The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) expressed concern about online disinformation campaigns conducted using deepfakes.

Authorities are considering the ‘increasing realism’ of false content in conjunction with an ‘inability to recognise or detect’ it as a potential threat to residents.

“Deepfakes and other advanced artificial intelligence technologies threaten democracy, as some actors seek to profit from uncertainty or entrench ‘facts’ based on synthetic and/or falsified information,” the statement said.

The agency says that the use of the technology threatens privacy breaches, social manipulation and bias. CSIS calls on countries to cooperate to address the problem of deepfake dissemination.

“If governments evaluate and address AI issues independently and at the pace they normally do, their intervention will quickly become obsolete,” the service stressed.

In May, Microsoft President Brad Smith expressed concern about the widespread distribution of realistic-looking, but false content, and urged steps to recognise it.

Earlier, Binance representatives reported a rise in the number of scammers using deepfakes to bypass verification processes.

In November YouTube updated its guidelines, including requirements for disclosure of AI-generated content.