Tag: deepfakes

WhatsApp Introduces Helpline in India to Diminish AI-Generated Misinformation, Deepfakes

WhatsApp will soon get an important safety feature that will help users in India avoid misinformation, especially those generated by artificial intelligence (AI), and deepfakes. Meta and the Misinformation Combat Alliance (MCA) announced on Monday that they will soon launch a helpline on WhatsApp where users will be able to report all such instances. The development comes just days after 20 leading tech firms, including Meta, Amazon, Google, and Microsoft, pledged to work together to detect and counter harmful AI content ahead of global elections in 2024.

MCA, a cross-industry collaborative organisation focused on eliminating misinformation, partnered with Meta to work on this new safety feature. WhatsApp Helpline will be a chatbot where any user can easily reach out and report a message that is spreading misinformation or is a deepfake. Deepfakes are AI-generated content, mainly in image or video format, that either impersonates another person or manipulates objects and facts to mislead the viewers. Often, such content is made to be hyperrealistic and can instil paranoia and frenzy in large groups.

The MCA will set up a central ‘deepfake analysis unit’ that will work closely with its fact-checking member organisations and will assess and verify each reported message. If the reported content is found to be misinformation or AI-generated deepfake, it will be debunked, and the messages might be deleted. The chatbot will be made available in English and three regional Indian languages, including Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu.

As per the statement, the focus of the initiative is to implement a four-pillar approach of detection, prevention, reporting, and driving awareness. The WhatsApp Helpline is expected to improve accessibility to reliable information and offer a place to verify messages. The feature is said to be available by March 2024.

Meta also runs multiple fact-checking programmes in India and has partnered with 11 independent agencies dedicated to the task and helping users prevent the spread of misinformation on its platforms. On WhatsApp, users already had the option to flag a message to more than 50 IFCN (International Fact-Checking Network) member organisations to verify information. Further, many fact-checking agencies run their WhatsApp Channels that users can follow to find verified and trusted information timely. The instant messaging platform also limits the spread of misinformation by keeping an upper ceiling on forwarded messages.

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Almost Half of Indians Experience AI-Enabled Fake Voice Scams: McAfee Survey

About half of Indians surveyed said that they are unable to differentiate between the real and cloned voice of a person while 83 percent of the victims of voice scams have faced the loss of money, online security firm McAfee said in a report.

The survey of 7,054 people was conducted in seven countries, including 1,010 respondents from India, around artificial intelligence-enabled voice scams by imposters.

The report suggests using a verbal codeword among family members and trusted close friends as one of the protective measures from voice scams.

“About half (47 percent) of Indian adults have experienced or know someone who has experienced some kind of AI voice scam, which is almost double the global average (25 percent). 83 percent of Indian victims said they had a loss of money — with 48 percent losing over Rs. 50,000,” the report said.

McAfee conducted a survey on how artificial intelligence (AI) technology is fueling a rise in online voice scams, with just three seconds of audio required to clone a person’s voice.

“The survey reveals that more than half (69 percent) of Indians think they don’t know or cannot tell the difference between an AI voice and real voice,” the report said.

The survey found 66 percent of the Indian respondents said they would reply to a voicemail or voice note purporting to be from a friend or loved one in need of money.

“Particularly if they thought the request had come from their parent (46 percent), partner or spouse (34 percent), or child (12 percent). Messages most likely to elicit a response were those claiming that the sender had been robbed (70 percent), was involved in a car incident (69 percent), lost their phone or wallet (65 percent) or needed help while travelling abroad (62 percent),” the report said. The survey also found that the rise of deep fakes and disinformation has led to people being warier of what they see online, with 27 percent of Indian adults saying they are now less trusting of social media than ever before and 43 percent being concerned over the rise of misinformation or disinformation.

“Artificial Intelligence brings incredible opportunities, but with any technology, there is always the potential for it to be used maliciously in the wrong hands. This is what we’re seeing today with the access and ease of use of AI tools helping cybercriminals to scale their efforts in increasingly convincing ways,” McAfee CTO Steve Grobman said.

Xiaomi launched its camera focussed flagship Xiaomi 13 Ultra smartphone, while Apple opened it’s first stores in India this week. We discuss these developments, as well as other reports on smartphone-related rumours and more on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.
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