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We are witnessing the emergence of a new generation of disinformation that is upsetting our benchmarks.<\/p>\n
Indeed, concern over the growing popularity of\u00a0deepfakes<\/a>\u00a0, or malicious hyper-trick, has led author and synthetic media consultant, Nina Schick, to announce an\u00a0imminent infocalypse<\/a>\u00a0.<\/p>\n Hyperchip are\u00a0audio and video recordings of real people speaking and performing things they have never said or done<\/a>\u00a0, created using machine learning algorithms.<\/p>\n For example, the Dal\u00ed Museum has achieved the feat of\u00a0synthetically reviving Salvador Dal\u00ed<\/a>\u00a0so that he can welcome visitors to his exhibition and take a selfie, or selfie, with them.<\/p>\n But also, a\u00a0woman used this same technology<\/a>\u00a0to create fake videos of her daughter’s rival cheerleaders in order to discredit them.<\/p>\n The real problem with malicious hyperfakes, or deepfakes, therefore lies in the unethical use of technology,\u00a0which is becoming increasingly sophisticated and accessible<\/a>\u00a0.\u00a0It allows ill-intentioned individuals and organizations to create and disseminate deception, while our society is not equipped to distinguish the true from the false, much less to act with discernment against this phenomenon.<\/p>\n Our team of researchers and students in education, educational technology and design at Laval University and Concordia University has been funded by a\u00a0joint initiative between Canadian Heritage and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)<\/a>\u00a0to explore\u00a0digital collective agency as an essential skill<\/a>\u00a0to help thwart deepfakes.<\/p>\n Human agency<\/a>\u00a0, as defined by psychology researcher Albert Bandura, is our ability to influence the course of events and our environment through our actions.\u00a0This implies intentionality, the ability to project oneself into the future, self-reactivity and self-reflexivity.\u00a0Applied to digital, this skill involves the transition from passive observation of deepfake sharing on social networks to the active adoption of online strategies to denounce these deceptions and counter them with facts.<\/p>\n Following an\u00a0exchange meeting<\/a>\u00a0with guests experts in research, journalism and social media to discuss solutions to “flatten” the curve of disinformation, amplified by the health crisis “, the\u00a0Chief Scientist of Quebec<\/a>\u00a0, R\u00e9mi Quirion, comes out with one observation: there is great urgency for training in disinformation from primary school.<\/p>\n At the same time, during the webinar\u00a0“Do your research, the cognitive economy of disinformation”<\/a>\u00a0, S\u00e9bastien Tremblay, cognitive science researcher at Laval University, highlighted the role of training humans in critical thinking. with regard to digital.<\/p>\n This skill is also cited by the\u00a0reference framework for digital skills<\/a>\u00a0.\u00a0Stemming from the digital action plan in education and higher education by the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, this framework defines digital skills, and proposes strategies for integrating them into the training offer.<\/p>\n Obviously, finding solutions to disinformation beyond the\u00a0interventions offered by internet giants<\/a>\u00a0, such as\u00a0deactivating fake accounts and removing deceptive content<\/a>\u00a0, is essential and vital for humanity.<\/p>\n Misinformation derails conversations and\u00a0prevents people from engaging on specific issues<\/a>\u00a0.\u00a0It allows\u00a0conspiracy theories to take hold<\/a>\u00a0in the minds of vulnerable individuals.\u00a0As the example of\u00a0Pizzagate<\/a>\u00a0demonstrates\u00a0, the myths generated by\u00a0disinformation campaigns persist<\/a>\u00a0even after they have been debunked.<\/p>\n The\u00a0infodemic<\/a>\u00a0which\u00a0prevailed<\/a>\u00a0during the health crisis turned out to be uncontrollable.<\/p>\n The gravity of the situation as well as the importance of acting quickly and collectively in the face of this threat is currently coming up against\u00a0anti-vaccine movements<\/a>\u00a0which, through the\u00a0dissemination of misleading information<\/a>\u00a0, endanger the health of the population.\u00a0Eve Dub\u00e9, researcher at the National Institute of Public Health of Quebec and the Research Center of the CHU de Quebec, affirms that\u00a0“the pandemic has provided an opportunity for reconciliation between conspirators and anti-vaccines”<\/a>\u00a0.<\/p>\n However, if the\u00a0misinformation is not new<\/a>\u00a0, why is the appearance of hyperfactorism to worry us?<\/p>\n As mentioned by Giorgio Patrini, CEO and Chief Scientist at Deeptrace, the\u00a0rise of this phenomenon now forces us to doubt<\/a>\u00a0the veracity of any audiovisual content.\u00a0The denials become more and more credible and the\u00a0liar’s dividend<\/a>\u00a0more powerful.\u00a0Anyone can easily\u00a0question irrefutable facts<\/a>\u00a0.<\/p>\n Additionally, videos are particularly\u00a0effective in triggering emotional reactions<\/a>\u00a0as we generally regard video as overwhelming proof of truthfulness.<\/p>\n Ashish Jaiman, director of technology operations at Microsoft, explains that the\u00a0four broad categories of interventions<\/a>\u00a0to counter malicious deepfakes can be boiled down\u00a0to regulations and legislative actions<\/a>\u00a0,\u00a0platform policies and governance<\/a>\u00a0,\u00a0technology tools<\/a>\u00a0and the\u00a0media education<\/a>\u00a0.<\/p>\n However, while debates about the best solutions to adopt may be taking place at the moment, education has the advantage of addressing the problem at its source.\u00a0Tom van de Weghe, deepfake researcher at Stanford University, discusses the need to\u00a0build the resilience of our society<\/a>\u00a0, to inoculate it so that it has a better radar for deepfakes.<\/p>\n In this sense, several awareness campaigns use well-known personalities, such as\u00a0actor Tom Cruise<\/a>\u00a0, to warn the general public about the risks associated with malicious use of synthetic media.<\/p>\n As examples of initiatives to denounce deepfakes, in 2018 Jordan Peel, actor and founder of\u00a0Monkeypaw Productions<\/a>\u00a0, published\u00a0President Obama’s deepfake<\/a>\u00a0, one of the first awareness videos with millions of views.\u00a0More recently, the citizen movement\u00a0On Est Pr\u00eat<\/a>\u00a0published a\u00a0deepfake by President Macron<\/a>\u00a0calling for a \u201creal climate law\u201d.\u00a0The Channel 4 team\u00a0has the Queen of England<\/a>\u00a0, Elizabeth II,\u00a0dancing<\/a>\u00a0on a table during a mock Christmas 2021 address.<\/p>\nThe mutation of disinformation<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Solutions to counter deepfakes<\/strong><\/h4>\n