Manipulative videos with Kamala Harris created using deepfake technology are spreading on social networks. The videos are gaining millions of views on the TikTok and X platforms, raising concerns about the influence of misinformation on political campaigns.
Dipfakes in politics
Spreading fake videos
Following Joe Biden's decision not to run for a second term and his endorsement of Kamala Harris as the Democratic candidate, social media has been flooded with various reactions and memes. As reports Mashable , Harris' supporters focused on the humorous moments of her speech, while some supporters of Republican candidate Donald Trump took a different approach.
Deepfake technology in action
A video purporting to show Kamala Harris performing in front of an audience has gone viral on TikTok and X. In fact, this is a deepfake - a edited video with an artificially generated voice. Experts noted digital artefacts around Harris' mouth, which are a sign of manipulation of the video to sync with the fake audio.
Redistributing disproved content
Interestingly, this particular deepfake with Kamala Harris has already appeared online before and was debunked last year. The original footage comes from Harris' performance at Howard University in 2023, but the viral video includes a segment that was not included in the actual performance.
Reaction from social platforms
Despite the previous denial, the video went viral again on Elon Musk's X platform, gaining more than 3, 4 million views. X does not remove such content according to its rules, but users were able to add a note about the fakeness of the video. TikTok, by contrast, bans AI-generated disinformation and removed one of the viral uploads after 4.1 million views.
Future challenges
Deepfakes have long been a problem for political campaigns. With the development and availability of artificial intelligence technologies for audio and video creation, it is expected that in 2024 this problem may become more acute than ever before.
Glossary
- Kamala Harris is the current vice president of the United States, the candidate of the Democratic Party in the presidential elections 2024
- Joe Biden - current US president, who decided not to run for a second term
- Donald Trump - former US president , the Republican candidate for the 2024 election
- Deepfake - technology to create fake videos using artificial intelligence
- TikTok - popular social network for sharing short videos
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Answers to questions
What is a deepfake and why has it become popular on social networks?
How to recognize a deepfake with Kamala Harris?
What is the social media policy regarding deepfakes?
Why did the Kamala Harris dipfake go viral again?
What are the implications of the spread of deepfakes for political campaigns?
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Discussion of the topic – Kamala Harris Deepfakes: The New Wave of Viral Content on TikTok and X
The article talks about the rise in popularity of deepfakes featuring Kamala Harris on the social networks TikTok and X after the support of her candidacy by Joe Biden in the presidential election. The reactions of supporters and opponents, as well as the impact of this phenomenon on public opinion, are analyzed.
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Oleksandra
Wow, what an interesting topic! 😮 Deepfakes are becoming more and more realistic. I wonder how this will affect the upcoming elections not only in the USA, but also in our country?
Maximilian
Yes, Alexander, this is a really worrying trend. Technologies are developing faster than legislation can react. I think we need new methods of content verification in social networks.
Sophia
I agree with Maximilian! 👍 Maybe it is worth creating special teams of fact-checkers to check political content? Especially during election campaigns.
Diego
Interesting idea, Sofia! And it would be possible to use AI to detect deepfakes. Technology against technology, so to speak 😄
Günter
Oh, these new technologies of yours! They only create problems. It used to be better - black and white television and no deep fakes. And now you don't know who to believe.
Oleksandra
Gunter, I understand your concern, but progress cannot be stopped. 🤔 Maybe we should focus on teaching people critical thinking and media literacy?
Sophia
Great idea, Alexander! 👏 Education is the key to solving many problems. Maybe we should introduce special media literacy courses in schools and universities?
Maximilian
Absolutely agree! And let's not forget about the role of platforms. TikTok already removes such content, but X (formerly Twitter) does not yet. Maybe we should increase the pressure on social networks to be more responsible? 🤨