LOS ANGELES — “Deepfakes” technology dominated headlines right off the bat in January 2018, so it is only fitting that the year ends with more dialogue on the controversial practice of distributing such questionable online content.
Mainstream star Scarlett Johansson, who was one of numerous celebrities who've been targeted by deepfake sex videos generated by AI, told the Washington Post in a piece published today that she’s given up fighting against such material featuring her persona.
To emphasize her frustration, Johansson noted that one fake porn video that featured her face has been viewed more than 1.5 million times on a single site.
"Nothing can stop someone from cutting and pasting my image or anyone else's onto a different body and making it look as eerily realistic as desired," Johansson told the Post. “There are basically no rules on the internet because it is an abyss that remains virtually lawless, withstanding U.S. policies which, again, only apply here.
“People think that they are protected by their internet passwords and that only public figures or people of interest are hacked. But the truth is, there is no difference between someone hacking my account or someone hacking the person standing behind me on line at the grocery store’s account,” said Johansson, one of the highest-paid actresses who is famous for roles in “The Avengers” and the sci-fi fantasy “Her,” in which she played the faceless voice of an AI companion.
“It just depends on whether or not someone has the desire to target you.”
To create deepfakes, users take existing video footage and employ a machine-learning algorithm — perhaps using the app called FakeApp. The algorithm is able to take the face and seamlessly paste it onto the body of a porn performer.
Oftentimes, the resulting videos are nearly indecipherable from reality. And in many cases, the practice borders on copyright infringement or defamation.
Once word was going around that deepfakes were being found on user-generated websites this past January, some swung into action — Reddit, Tumblr, Discord, Gfycat and Pornhub purged and banned such content posted.
Besides swapping out bodies and heads for porn, deepfakes pose other threats — including political ones.
“We see deepfakes as the next generation of disinformation,” Eileen Donahoe, a member of the commission and former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Human Rights Council, told CNBC.
Donahoe said that governments were “not prepared” for interference in previous elections, making the risk of deepfakes being used in future votes worrisome.
Pictured: Scarlett Johansson
