Facebook ban 'deepfake' videos ahead of US election

Misinformation posts will still not be removed under the new policy
Facebook and its creator Mark Zuckerberg have come under fire for not removing misinformation from the site
AP
Bronwen Weatherby7 January 2020

Facebook has banned AI-manipulated videos known as "deepfakes" in the run-up to the 2020 US presidential election.

The latest crackdown will see videos that meet a narrow set of criteria removed from the platform.

These include if a video is edited in a way that makes it appear like someone "said words that they did not actually say".

Only clips created using artificial intelligence "making it appear to be authentic" will be taken down from the site.

The technology giant's head of global policy management Monika Bickert announced the changes on her blog.

'Shallowfakes', funny AI-manipulated videos and other posts of misinformation will be left on the site
AFP via Getty Images

Ms Bickert also explained that AI-manipulated videos made for humour purposes only will not be removed.

And damaging content spreading misinformation not created using AI - known as ''shallowfakes' - will also remain on the platform.

Ms Bickert described the content which would be removed under the new policy as those which have been edited in ways that “aren’t apparent to an average person and would likely mislead someone into thinking that a subject of the video said words that they did not actually say”.

She added: “This policy does not extend to content that is parody or satire, or video that has been edited solely to omit or change the order of words."

The move comes ahead of the US elections but most fake political posts will not be removed
AP

“While these videos are still rare on the internet, they present a significant challenge for our industry and society as their use increases," the blog post said.

“We are strengthening our policy towards misleading manipulated videos that have been identified as deepfakes."

The move is the latest effort by the tech giant to stop the spread of misinformation, after its decision not to fact check political advertising emerged ahead of the UK general election.

Facebook came under the spotlight last year for allowing an altered video of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to remain on its platform.

The new rules will not mean a removal of the Pelosi video, as the firm says it can stay online because it does not meet the standards of the policy.

Neither will the policy apply to the Tory-doctored clip of Labour MP Keir Starmer saying the party had no plan for Brexit, which was released ahead of the UK's general election.

Ms Bickert wrote: "If a photo or video is rated false or partly false by a fact-checker, we significantly reduce its distribution in News Feed and reject it if it’s being run as an ad.

“People who see it, try to share it, or have already shared it, will see warnings alerting them that it’s false.”​

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