Voice deepfakes are getting easier to spot
Date:
Wed, 21 Sep 2022 13:04:57 +0000
Description:
Researchers at the University of Florida have described the findings as comical.
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New research has shown that voice deepfakes are becoming easier to spot as synthetic recreations of real voices, thanks to the anatomy of our vocal tracts.
Researchers at the University of Florida have devised a method of simulating images of a human vocal tracts apparent movements while a voice clip - real
or fake - is played back.
Professor of Computer and Information Science and Engineering Patrick Traynor and PhD student Logan Blue wrote that they and their colleagues found that simulations prompted by voice deepfakes werent constrained by the same anatomical limitations humans have, with some vocal tract measurements having the same relative diameter and consistency as a drinking straw. Deepfakes and the media literacy problem
Though scientists are starting to spot voice deepfakes with simulation and anatomical comparison, the risk of an ordinary person being tricked by any deepfake - which could lead to identity theft - remains a problem.
Ordinary people dont yet have access to these tools. Even if they ever will, users will still struggle to interpret that data until intuitive and widely available audio-based detection tools materialize.
Because its so hard for normal eyes and ears to spot deepfakes, expert advice on doing so isnt widely known or available yet. People are also less primed
to be healthily critical of what they see and hear over the internet, the phone, or any medium that puts a level of disconnect between whats really happening.
Disbelief by default, where people become skeptical about everything they see and hear that isnt from a trusted source, is a useful tactic here. The
problem within the problem is that not everyone will adopt that strategy, as they dont understand the threat and refuse to engage with it.
Media literacy has been a vital skill for a number of years now, as anyone
has been able to come across election disinformation or baseless conspiracy theories, but schools arent interested in teaching it , and there is still
the issue of bridging this skill gap in adults. READ MORE
Heres our list of the best online cybersecurity courses right now
Voice biometrics: the new defense against deepfakes
Google is cracking down hard on deepfakes
That skill gap is how fake news proliferated and embedded itself in our societies, and relationships with our loved ones. For this reason, anyone concerned about the media literacy of those close to them should consider investing in identity theft protection for families .
The rise of the convincing audiovisual deepfake has once again raised the
need for a structured, widespread program to educate users in media literacy, and the importance of applying critical thinking to anything with only the thinnest veil of authenticity around it. Here's our list of the best endpoint protection right now
Via The Conversation
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Link to news story:
https://www.techradar.com/news/voice-deepfakes-are-getting-easier-to-spot/
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