From Fake News to Deep Fakes: On the Threat of Deep Fakes to Democracy and Society

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From Fake News to Deep Fakes: On the Threat of Deep Fakes to Democracy and Society

For years, the influence of fake news and the manipulation of public and political perception has been a threat to political systems. Especially during the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, the spread of misinformation and conspiracy theories have risen to new heights, as non-state actors – among them extremists and populists – tried to take advantage of the situation. But also state actors have engaged in the distribution of fake news concerning the virus, putting their own citizens at risk.

June 29, 2020 17:00 - 18:30 o'clock

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Today, fake news are often supported by so called deep fakes – seemingly real synthesized videos of any kind of content. Because of fundamental advances, significant technical skills to produce such deep fakes are no longer necessary, transferring the ability to create them from specialists to a wide range of actors. This increases the risk of their misuse and challenges our democratic societies to find political solutions to fight this growing threat.

Prof. Dr. Hany Farid, Senior Advisor to the Counter Extremism Project (CEP), is a global leader in forensic technology and the leading authority on the detection of deep fakes. Together with Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler, Senior Director at the Counter Extremism Project, and in cooperation with the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, Prof. Dr. Hany Farid wrote a study called “On the Threat of Deep Fakes to Democracy and Society”. This report explains not only the technology of creating deep fakes, but also talks about potential technical opportunities for their detection, and makes policy recommendations to counter the threat of deep fakes.

The Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung and CEP cordially invite you to the virtual launch event of this study on June 29, at 5 PM CEST. Among Prof. Hany Farid, who will introduce the study, we are happy to welcome Ronja Kemmer MdB, chairwoman of the Special Committee on Artificial Intelligence, who will speak about the threat of deep fakes in Germany and the legislative counter-measures the country can take.

Following the presentations, participants will have the opportunity to discuss this issue with the speakers in a Q&A segment.

Please sign up for the event here.

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