Deepfakes and Fake News

The role of technology has immensely grown over the past years. The demand for better technologies has led to significant transformations leading to the development of such concepts as artificial intelligence (AI), data mining, and big data. Today, people enjoy a myriad of complex and dynamic technologies in conducting their activities thanks to the continued development of AI. While the use of AI is appreciated, it has also been abused in some cases; especially when it comes to the use of deepfakes (Hayden and Stroud). As discussed by an article published by CNN, deepfakes is not an entirely new concept as it has been significantly used by movie producers in the past. However, its usage has expanded with more people able to access software apps with the same functionalities. Therefore, it is more prone to abuse in the internet-dominated era. The purpose of this paper is to explore the ethical issues surrounding the use of deepfakes and its role in the dissemination of fake news using the case of Emma Watson as a reference.

Fake news denotes a deliberate hoax or misinformation and meant to manipulate the people. Advances in technology have magnified the creation of fake audio and video and this is what is termed as deepfakes (Shao). Essentially, it is making a person act in a way that is not true or real, for example, the use of a face of a president in a speech presented by a different individual. The principle of deepfakes magnifies the challenge of fake news. One of the first major targets of deepfakes was actress Emma Watson who found her face cropped onto a pornographic video (Ajder, Paris, and Posters). Although she is not the only victim within a span of three years, her case brings to the fore the complexity of managing deepfakes or fake news issues. While victims can pursue cases related to defamation or slander, there are no straightforward laws that facilitate bringing down such videos or audio (Lee). Moreover, there is a clash between legal and ethical provisions. On one hand, there is the need to allow freedom of expression and speech, and on the other, the protection of the rights and needs of the victims must be attained. At the same time, it is difficult to police the online space making the implementation of policies complex (Hayden and Stroud). Therefore, to a large extent, deepfakes cases are ethical and moral issues since not all human behaviors can be capped by laws and regulations.

The foundation of the growth of the internet is freedom of expression, speech, and choice. In fact, the internet is somewhat synonymous with freedom. Therefore, it has largely remained unregulated in many countries and this is what has led to the growth of fake news. Unlike the traditional media platforms that can be easily monitored and regulated, it is difficult to do the same when it comes to internet space. Anonymity and dynamism of the internet make it complex to police. The support for deepfakes is based on the need to express oneself and creatively engage with other people (Ajder, Paris, and Posters). However, there is a consensus that the values, rights, and interests of other people need to be protected. While it is important to the right to free speech and expression, it is also advisable to maintain high levels of respect and dignity for other humans.

From the deontological and utilitarian perspectives, the use of deepfakes is unethical if the people involved do not give their consent. The deontological approach argues that people should adhere to their obligations and duties when engaged in decision making. Thus, a person has a duty to protect the dignity and integrity of other people. On this premise, users of deepfakes need to consult the parties involved before making the video or audio files. In the case of Emma Watson, the producer did not consult her before making the pornography video using her face. The utilitarian theory focusses on the ability to predict the consequence of an action and one that has the greatest benefit to most people is the best. In Watson’s case, there was no greatest benefit attained. As a celebrity, Watson has the responsibility of positively influencing people, but with her reputation affected, she could not attain her role (Beard). Thus, the producer’s action was unethical. There is no denying that deepfakes is a significant technology, but if positively used in society. Unfortunately, in the case of Emma Watson, deepfakes was inappropriately used. From both legal and ethical perspectives, consent is paramount in the case. However, this basic requirement of informing and getting approval was not met in the case.

There is no denying that technology is here to stay and will continue to transform. Therefore, there is no option of stopping the use of deepfakes. However, a closer analysis of the legal and ethical perspectives shows that there are some basic interventions that can be pursued to make the use of the technology successful. First, there is a need to consider the development of laws and regulations that govern the use and discard of content. Laws should determine when to pull down content that has been determined as fake news. Similarly, the punishment for fake news propagators should be well spelled out beyond the defamation and slander charges. Ethical issues need to be considered whenever sharing content online (Beard). The affected parties should be closely engaged to give their approval before sharing information – especially when it comes to mainstream media.

The internet has been regarded as a major platform to create and share content. However, the emergence of such technologies as deepfakes powered by AI has continued to expose the vulnerabilities of the internet. Deepfakes has taken the war on fake news to a higher level and making it even more difficult for policymakers and the law enforcers. While the challenges of deepfakes can be partially countered by existing legal provisions, to a larger extent they tend to bend towards moral and ethical considerations. However, in the future laws and regulations can be developed to govern the creation and sharing of deepfakes content.

In conclusion, the rapid advancement of technology, particularly in artificial intelligence, has brought about transformative changes in various sectors. However, the increasing prevalence of deepfake technology raises profound ethical concerns, particularly in the context of fake news dissemination. The case of Emma Watson serves as a poignant example, highlighting the challenges in addressing the legal and ethical aspects of deepfakes.

Works Cited

1. Ajder, Henry, Paris, Britt, and Posters, Bill. 'Politics, Porn and Toxic World of Deepfake.' Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera, 15 Dec. 2019, www.aljazeera.com/programmes/listeningpost/2019/12/politics-porn-toxic-world-deepfake-191215101055666.html.
2. Beard, Matt. 'To Fix the Problem of Deepfakes we Must Treat the Cause, Not the Symptoms | Matt Beard.' The Guardian, 23 July 2019, www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/jul/23/to-fix-the-problem-of-deepfakes-we-must-treat-the-cause-not-the-symptoms.
3. CNN. 'Inside the Pentagon's Race against Deepfake Videos.' CNN International - Breaking News, US News, World News, and Video, 2019, edition.cnn.com/interactive/2019/01/business/pentagons-race-against-deepfakes/.
4. Hayden, James, and Scott R. Stroud. 'Fake News, Fake Porn, and AI.' Media Ethics Initiative, 29 Mar. 2018, mediaethicsinitiative.org/2018/03/29/fake-news-fake-porn-and-ai/.
5. Lee, Dave. ''Fake Porn' Has Serious Consequences.' BBC News, 3 Feb. 2018, www.bbc.com/news/technology-42912529.
6. Shao, Grace. 'What 'deepfakes' are and how they may be Dangerous.' CNBC, 14 Oct. 2019, www.cnbc.com/2019/10/14/what-is-deepfake-and-how-it-might-be-dangerous.html.