Microsoft has built a deepfake detection tool that will enable users detect edited photos and videos, here is everything you need to know about it.
Deepfakes have become more and more popular in today’s world. While the trend started as a fun means on social media and other internet forums; it quickly became a problem and a source of misinformation.
Bad actors started intentionally using it to pass wrong information and deceive unsuspecting viewers. Many tech firms have taken up the battle mantle to address this menace. Facebook, Twitter, Google and now, Microsoft, have rolled out software to put an end to deepfakes.
In a blog post titled ‘New Steps to Combat Disinformation’, Microsoft announced two new technologies. The company mentions that it is becoming increasingly important to keep deepfakes in check.
“There is no question that disinformation is widespread. Research we supported from Professor Jacob Shapiro at Princeton, updated this month, cataloged 96 separate foreign influence campaigns targeting 30 countries between 2013 and 2019. These campaigns, carried out on social media, sought to defame notable people, persuade the public or polarise debates,” Microsoft wrote.
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The first tech the software giant mentioned was the Microsoft Video Authenticator. This can analyse still photos and videos to provide a percentage chance or confidence score that the media is artificially manipulated. It detects the blending boundary of the deepfake and subtle fading or greyscale elements that might not the human eye cannot detect.
Microsoft says it tested the tool on a public dataset from Face Forensic++ and DeepFake Detection Challenge Dataset.
It also mentioned another deepfake detection technology that can help users recognize manipulated photos and videos. This other tool has two components: one is built into Microsoft Azure; and the second is a ‘reader’ that exists as a browser extension or in other forms.
Microsoft Research and Microsoft Azure built the technologies in partnership with the Defending Democracy Program. Microsoft, however, concedes that battling deepfakes will be an ongoing exercise.
“We expect that methods for generating synthetic media will continue to grow in sophistication. As all AI detection methods have rates of failure, we have to understand and be ready to respond to deepfakes that slip through detection methods. Thus, in the longer term, we must seek stronger methods for maintaining and certifying the authenticity of news articles and other media,” it said in a statement.
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