WITNESS “Deepfakes – Prepare Yourself Now” Report Launched

WITNESS is delighted to announce that our report, “Deepfakes – Prepare Yourself Now” is live. This report warns how AI-altered media can further threaten already vulnerable communities and people as well as public trust in videos, and identifies key prioritized threats and solutions as seen from a cross-section of Brazilian stakeholders.

Brazil is one of the countries in the world that has suffered most from the use of misinformation, disinformation and so-called “fake news.” On July 25th, 2019, WITNESS held a convening on “Deepfakes: Prepare Yourself Now” in São Paulo, Brazil; it followed on from an earlier meeting with grassroots activists and human rights defenders. The workshop participants included favela-based activists, journalists, fact-checkers, technologists, civic activists, satirists and others, who focused on prioritizing perceived threats and solutions. 

“This is likely to be a global problem and it’s critical that the decisions about what is needed and the solutions we want, both technical and otherwise, are not just determined in the US and Europe or excluding the voices of people who will most be harmed,” emphasized Sam Gregory, WITNESS Program Director.

The report is available in English and Portuguese.

For more on WITNESS’ work in this area:

• “Prepare, Don’t Panic: Synthetic Media and Deepfakes” including our twelve recommendations for action now
• “Deepfakes and Synthetic Media: Updated Survey of Solutions against Malicious Usages”

For more on WITNESS’ programmatic work in Brazil:

• WITNESS Português
• “Relatório da WITNESS Mostra os Desafios Enfrentados Para Combater as Deepfakes”
• Folha de S.Paulo: “Não devemos entrar em pânico, e sim nos preparar, diz especialista em deepfakes”